Question: If you could own only one hunting dog, what breed would it be?
Tommy S., Brighton.
Answer: Tough question, even though there is no right or wrong answer, especially since I hunt both waterfowl and upland birds and have been known to hunt rabbits and squirrels. I bet you are asking this to decide on a breed for yourself, not me. I'll look back at some of the dogs I have owned to help me decide. Let's start with the pointing breeds.
My first gun dog was an Irish Setter. In 1973 I lived in the rural outskirts of Ypsilanti and was attending EMU. Driving down a dirt road on my way to class, I came upon a young male Irish Setter, maybe four months old. He was chasing cars in front of the only house for a half a mile in either direction. I honked as I went by to alert the owner's that their pup was in the road. On my way home later that day the pup was still in the road so I stopped and knocked on their door. A woman answered and explained that the pup was not theirs and had been around for a few days. She hoped the owner would come and claim it. I gave her my phone number, in case the owner did show up, and took the pup home with me.
This pup was true to the spirit of his ancestors. Irish Setters were originally used as retrievers for waterfowl as well as upland hunting. There were potholes in the surrounding farms that held ducks and geese as well as plenty of pheasants. By time he was six months old, the young dog was hunting and retrieving from both land and water. After bird season I would get out and do a little rabbit hunting. The Irish figured out what I was after and proceeded to do his best to root out rabbits from surrounding stump piles and retrieve them after the shot. I had to move into town shortly after and he was killed by a car at two years of age. He died in my arms on the way to the vet's office after getting hit. If you can find a breeder true to the origins of the breed, this may be one choice.
After Max the Irish Setter was killed, I bought a German Short-haired Pointer (GSP), also named Max. One of seven I have owned. At this time, I also bought my first English Setter, Smokey. The GSP took to multitasking like a duck takes to water. He loved chasing fur, retrieving, swimming and, of course, hunting the uplands. Two problems he did have were with cold water and briars. In the late waterfowl season, he struggled with the cold water temps and the heavy briars and thorns he encountered while rabbit hunting that left him tender and cut up. His short coat did little to protect him. This was before neoprene vests were available. The Vizsla and Weimaraner breeds are similar to the GSP but have much thinner coats. Also beware of show lines that may not have enough drive to train for hunting. Max the GSP was stolen, never to be seen again. This breed wouldn't be a bad choice.
Next came Maggie, a German Wire-haired Pointer (GWP). She had everything Max the GSP had, plus a coat heavy enough to protect her from the cold water of late season water-fowling and the heavy briars found rabbit hunting. I have owned several GWP's. The main problem I encountered was aggression as they aged. Not unusual, this trait was bred in for protection of property and livestock as well as for large game hunting such as wild boar. This may be another good choice, I would stay with the females if going with a GWP.
Looking for a softer temperament but still keeping a good coat for protection, I purchased two male litter mates, Wire-haired Pointing Griffons (WHPG). I have owned four over the years. The WHPG's did excellent on waterfowl and fur, but lacked the drive I had come to appreciate in my English Setters and Pointers. Also, WHPG's are not all soft of temperament. One of the brothers was troublesome with other male dogs and had to be sold. Of the four I have owned, only one had what I would consider good drive in the uplands. Not a bad choice as a breed though.
I have also owned two Large Munsterlanders. They are not related to the Small Munsterlander, but are an offshoot of the German Long-haired Pointer. With a coat similar to the setters, the LM's could take thick and thorny and loved the water, but their coat did nothing to repel water and would soak it up like a sponge. This breed tends to be very devoted to their owners, if proper attention is paid to them. Retrieving both land and water was excellent. Also worth considering.
Now let's talk about retrievers and flushers. While working with my pointing dogs on shooting preserves and even at times hunting grouse and wild pheasants, I would occasionally suffer from ‘Pointing Dog Lament'. What is that, you ask?
We work and work to get our pointing dogs steady on point. They must hold in order for us, or those we are guiding, to get into position to shoot. After all, this is what makes the pointing dogs so special. They will hold the bird on point for long periods of time and at great distances, affording us the opportunity for a better shot. Once you get to where the dogs are on point and have your gunners in position, you will need to flush the birds.
Notice that I used the plural for dog and bird. I love to work multiple dogs and find it impressive to find three or four pointing dogs all honoring the dog pointing the bird. And the old saying ‘birds of a feather flock together' holds true for South Dakota pheasants, Flint Hills quail, ruffed, sharptail or spruce grouse and woodcock. The only game bird I have run into that does not make a habit of running is the dove.
How does one flush birds for the gunners without going in front of the guns? Or if you are a shooter, how do you go into the tangles to flush the bird and still get a shot? It would sure help if the dog would flush for us so we can stand back a little where the cover gives us a more open shot. It is very difficult to train a pointing dog to reliably hold point while I get slow moving clients into position, then flush the bird on command. Many pointing dogs who are expecting to flush will crowd the bird, or locate and try and catch the bird when released. Many pointing dogs initially trained for ‘competition' steadiness will not flush at all. They tend to stutter step but not all out break for the bird. You approach the dog on point and see the pheasant/grouse/quail run down the two track ahead of you. You try to release the dog to flush the bird before it runs out of range and he stands motionless. This is ‘Pointing Dog Lament'. How I cured this was by using a non-pointing dog to walk at heel until the pointers were on point, then release when asked to flush the birds.
Remember you asked me what one breed would have if ‘I' could only have one dog. So of course I would consider any breed used for hunting birds not just pointing breeds. My first attempt at finding the right dog to heel and flush for me was a Springer Spaniel. She was a nice little girl but heeling was too boring for her. She wanted to hunt. Springers are a good all-around breed used for flushing game, birds or rabbits, for the gun as well as retrieving from the water. They tend to be very active. Another option worth looking at.
After finding the Springer Spaniel a good hunting home, I tried the American Water Spaniel (AWS). A small dog with a thick, tight, curly brown coat. I have worked with several AWS's besides the one I owned and have found them to be a very stubborn, tough little dog that can be unsociable at times with others. They tend to be easy to train for hunting under basic conditions but don't tend to do well with demanding or strict conditions as in competition events. Another all-around dog, although a little small for our giant Canada Geese, especially when field hunting or for cripples on both land and water.
I could not write this without mentioning the Labrador Retriever. The number one registered dogs in the US., number one in the marsh and in retriever competition. Buy from hunting parents, look for good temperament and it's hard to go wrong. I have owned four and currently have one sleeping at my feet as I write this.
There are many choices and many breeds that could fit the bill. But you did ask me what one breed I would choose. That would be the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. I have five of them. I like big and Chessies tend to be big. I like tough, and they are that. They hunt cold water or thick cover. Retrieve geese in the morning and woodcock in the afternoon. But most of all they still have a little of the wild in them. A Chesapeake Bay Retriever has accompanied me on my upland bird and waterfowl hunts for the last ten years, flushing when asked, heeling patiently, helping to retrieve or just sitting with me. They are my favorite all-around dog.
But, of course, I couldn't own just one breed and of course, grouse hunting would not be nearly as much fun without a Pointer or Setter or, better yet, both. I have owned 178 dogs from fifteen different breeds over the last thirty-three years. I guess just one breed or just one dog wouldn't be enough.
Charlie Linblade
Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club
Michigan Pheasant Hunting
Michigan Bird Dog Training
