Dogs
 

If you are REALLY serious, then as the Germans say ' der Drahthaar is der king' Yeh I've had five of them. Three are still with me now and two gone. But it is a real commitment , the first breeder that I got one from told me ' they are not for everyone.' If you want to get the most out of the dogs potential you have to committed to training and testing. That is a killer for some people. M

Mobirdhunter,
Thanks for your thoughts about training a younger dog, that's a point well taken. We have really long seasons and are mixed on wild birds vs hunted birds on the road system. I found online that there are various people that sell older working dogs from private hunting areas and hope to find someone here with a positive experience with one of those places.

Thanks for the input, Mark! My work prevents me from training a puppy/young dog with that level of commitment, that's why I want a proven adult dog. I can promise to work with them from there, though.

My suggestion is a wirehaired pointing griffon. I have had two and absolutely think the breed is what your looking for. They get better with colder weather. Rain....never an issue. Mine sits out in the rain at home when he could come inside whenever he wants. I had drahthaar prior to the griffs. I like drahts too. And my home will never be absent an English Setter. They just belong in the picture, as Mr Dean R will attest.

Jeffrey,
I had not hunted for about 40 years (67years old now) I started hunting with a guy that has 2 brittanies 3 years ago. After a short time I saw the level of time and commitment that he gives those dogs. He eventually cut out most other types of hunting so he could keep his dogs in birds. We are in Michigan, he heads south after our 2nd grouse season which ends the end of december. He takes his dogs and wife down to Missouri I think and stays at quail farms where they release quail to keep his dogs in birds. In the early spring and late summer, he goes to pheasant farms up here or buys quail or chukar. I have never seen anyone do as much as he does for his dogs. He has had 4 brittanies total over the years, the 2 he has now are some of the best hunting dogs I have ever seen. My wife and I acquired a 2.5 year old overweight brittany with no training about 3 years ago, the best thing I did was take him to the original breeder that luckily lives just down the road. Whether I had gotten a pup or the dog we got, I was overwhelmed the first year with the amount of time and work it takes for a hunting dog. Whether you get a pup or trained dog, I would talk to your breeder (a lot) to make sure you are doing the right things for your dog. I just about drove my breeder crazy that first year, but he knew how serious my wife and I were about getting him trained properly. We have gotten so many great memories from our dogs I wonder how I lived so long without dogs in my life. Good luck Jeffrey

Based on your needs I would vote for the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. We share a home with two. They are well furnished with cold weather protection, work hard and prefer to hunt more than eat. Yet they are both mommy's boys inside the house and calm- one a lap dog. They hunt many days per year in northern New England and South Dakota. Both are unfazed by hunting in temperatures in the teens with a 20 mph wind blowing. In snow sometimes mushers wax is called for to keep ice balls from forming between pads.
Not sure how much experience you have but there is a big difference in hunting style, care for and training the flushing breeds and the pointing breeds. Keep doing the research and speak with as many reputable breeders as you can. Dog training clubs are a good resource such as NAVHDA.

Two follow up questions to everyone who has helped here--
I sure like the looks and described attributes of English Setters, can they take the cold and rough stuff?
Anyone know anything about pointing labs?

So far it seems most are recommending the German Wirehaired as cold tolerant big dogs.

Labs are about as perfect as dogs get. Teach them to point and wow. Mine does not, so I got a setter. Damn! My English Setter eats griffons and German wirey rascals for breakfast.

And before I forget, my Chevy truck is way more feisty than any Ford.

Good luck picking a dog.

-Victor

That's about what it comes down to. My only addition is simply, as 'pretty' as an English Setter is, they won't handle the temps you're suggesting. Griffons and Drathaars have very much the same coat, and are likely to tolerate the temps the same but the GWP is a bigger dog, and may have a bit more endurance.

Jeffrey,
The breeder that lives just down the road has had setters, g.s.p.'s english pointers, and brittanies. He is in his early 70's and has been around many different breeds and knows a lot about training dogs. We were talking one day and I told him I could not imagine a lab (which I love that breed) being a pointing dog in any way. He told me the best hunt he ever had in south dakota was when a pointing lab was hunting that day. That really opened my eyes, that was early on when I first met him and I was just trying to soak up all the info he would provide. My buddy has 2 draathars? (spelling) and my brittany and his oldest dog hunted together on a pheasant farm. He said the same thing as everyone else, they are pretty hardy dogs. I am wondering if it would be hard to find someone around your area that has any of the breeds listed above and spend time with them and their dogs hunting. That is what I did with my friend with 2 brittanies, it seemed to help me make up my mind. Our dogs have a bit of trouble in the 2nd season, when its over about a foot of snow on the ground, but I just keep the hunts shorter, its hard on both of us.