Gun Dogs

[Chuck Heald]

Dennis,
I was without a dog until about 6-7 yrs ago here in your area...southern California. My first dog was a Lab. I chose a Lab not because I do waterfoul (yes, "foul"), but because I didn't have a clue on how to train and how to handle a dog, nor what I wanted or expected from the dog. An overwhelming number of hunters suggested this was the way to go. I don't think you can go wrong with one. But you'll have to realize that in this area of the country, the heat can easily limit a lab for upland hunting. I won't take mine out if it's above 70F. The beauty and partnership formed of hunting with a lab is also their limitation. A trained lab will hunt very close so as to be in gun range all the time. That means you'll see them get birdy and work a bird up. That also means that you have to walk a lot to cover a lot of ground. If you hunt open country, you and a lab only cover a bit of it. Labs have physical limits that become apparent quickly in the heat and terrain of the southwest open country. But it's a very close and personal way to hunt upland that is pleasant and rewarding.





A couple years ago, I decided I wanted a more athletic pointing dog that could cover more ground and was more suited to the warmer climate of the southwest. I quickly narrowed my list to the German Shorthair and English Pointer. I had hunted with shorthairs and thought they were a good way to go. But after taking some classes with a well known trialer and trainer, I went with a English Pointer, because of their athletic abilities and because I don't waterfoul or fowl. I'm only a year into owning my pointer, but I can see it's starting to pay off. My pointer can cover more ground than any dog I've ever hunted around. Last year, that wasn't necessarily a good thing as AmarilloMike can attest (more like make fun of ). She was busting birds half a county away. This year, she's really coming around and paying off. Last weekend, I had her out on wild Valley quail. She covered the entire side of a large steep hilly area about 10 acres, just on my whistle commands and her drive to hunt, then found a covey on a downwind track and turned to point it. It's a different way to hunt for sure, but I'm starting to really enjoy it because the southwest can have very sparse upland bird populations that required a lot of ground to be covered. My observation is that an English pointer will hunt faster and cover more ground, ranging further, than a German Shorthair, by a bunch in most cases. But I have seen one brace of GSP's that would give most EP's a run. But, I think it's more the exception than the rule. The kennel I visited up in Idaho in Sept trained all GSPs but is now moving to all EPs due to their athletic ability. It's sure a big jump from my lab to a EP. Probably the extreme ends of the upland dogs.




For a first dog in SoCal, I think a GSP would fit your bill of a bit of waterfoul and upland and do it well enough that you'd be really happy. The GSP's I've been around were excellent companions as well.

[C.O.B.]

Yesterday a friend who has two Llewellen setters and I went for a Pheasant hunt. I had Crazy Gaisy my GSP. The dog work was superb by all three and we saw and shot quite a few birds. Some shots were good some not so good.

One of the not so good shots will stand out in the memory bank for a long, long time. We were working a ditch and all three dogs were birdy. Finally they all locked up on point with Daisy streched out in a classic point paw raised her stubby tail straight up. Ella one of the Setters hard on point facing Daisy and Gracie the youngest dog backing solidly. It was the prettiest point I have seen Daisy ever make and I didn't have the camera. Well the bird flushed which was a hen with nothing around her except clear blue sky and I missed her not once but twice as she put hundreds of long snowy yards between us. I swear Daisy and Ella cussed my out

John, Dave's setter Ella will lay down when she points a bird. On the way home I asked him about it and he said the same thing you did about the gamekeepers netting birds. It's nice to learn something new.

[King Brown]

Dean, the Nova Scotia Toller or Little River Duck Dog (of Yarmouth County) as they were known when I made a little film on them 58 years ago is companionable, used in tamer waters but not in the hard stuff of the ledges and off-shore islands. They are often hard-headed and I wouldn't recommend one. Having said that, last week I saw a really good Toller not a kilometre from my home, a dandy spirited little fellow who loved his job. So I'm generalizing more from how I feel than experience. I know Tollers are used in tough stuff on our South Shore but not as many now as years ago.

[Big Friend Ten (BFT)]

This is me and Radar my Chesador. He is half Labrador which gives him a lovable personality. He is also half Chesapeake which makes him stubborn as heck! Being half Chessie also makes him have “grit”, that is strong character and perseverance! Radar is a special dog to me. He is my Ol’Yeller or Lassie-dog. Radar is my companion as well as hunting partner.

Radar is a great waterfowler and fine upland dog. He hunts close and I like that. I love to see him get “birdie”. We do as Chuck pointed out; cover a lot of ground together. That’s fine for he is 11 and me almost 5 times that. We tire together.

Being 11 years old I know that I have but a few more years with Radar. I love him so that his passing will hurt me more than I can imagine. That makes me think about what dog will be next? For me, who wants a companion and gun dog, I think it will be a Pointing Lab or Standard Poodle.

Good luck in your analysis and decision. Dogs bring joy to our lives. Also, we can learn a lot from our dogs if we take the time to learn.