Hello,

I am thinking about getting a new dog for myself. Of past three dogs (currently have two), one was found, one was given to us, and one was a rescue adoption. So none we picked for sporting purposes.

Now, I don't bird hunt that much - maybe 1-2 times per year. So I'm not sure how much I would hunt with the dog. I would like a dog that could track wounded animals. It would also be nice for a dog that could track hogs or cats - but I don't want a dog that will engage with the animals and get hurt.

No small dogs (under 40 lbs) and no big dogs (over 80-100 lbs). It has to be good around kids (16, 13, 10, 8) and existing animals (two dogs listed below and two devon rex cats).

I live in Austin, so it's hot during the summer and we have lots of stickers. So the dog needs to have an easily manageable coat.

Here's the three dogs I mentioned above:

Great Pyrenees Mix (or maybe a Anatolian Shepherd, never had her tested) - she's no longer with us. Ran away about 18 months ago. About 80 pounds. A friend found her as a small puppy when jogging. Loved to chase any type of animals in the yard (except tarantulas - they throw hair). Was an awesome guard dog. She would have eaten the devil if he came to our house. Always stayed between our kids and anyone (even people she knew) in the yard or away from the house. She go crazy if they tried to close the distance or get near the kids unless my wife or I went up to the person first. So, good protector, but could also be jumpy around the kids if surprised. Had a medium coat (shorter than a normal Pyrenees, but still shed a "poodle" every day).

Boxer - a female given to us when our friends moved to China. Big lovable, fat dog. Kids hand all over her and color her and put stickers on her. Very friendly. Ignores other animals, would show an intruder where all of my guns are, but only if he played ball with her. So worthless as a guard dog.

Mix - no idea what our dog Travis is. We got him as a rescue dog. He is about 45 pounds. Short coat, dark brown. We think part lab, part hound. Energy beyond that of the sun. Golf carts, cows, small animals (not our cats, outside animals), and farm equipment are his quarry. Ignores horses. Super friendly dog with the kids and people, once he gets to know them. He will howl and growl at anyone he doesn't know; so he is probably the best from both dogs above. Eats birds. Loves to play with our cats. Can run about 120 mph - literally he is the fastest dog I have ever seen.

So, I'm thinking about getting my wife another dog like the first one (that was her favorite dog) or one like Travis (if I can find out what he is).


Any thoughts?

Brittanies are good all round hunters, love people, love to play, and can handle the heat.

I can't help with the what, but I'll pitch in with one to avoid, just because of your location. We have a DD that will make it hard for us to get any other breed. On the surface, he'd be what you are looking for, a versitile dog that can track and fight pigs, retrieve geese and point quail. However, as a breed, they are notoriously heat sensitve. We have to be careful about working him in the early season up here. Texas would literally kill our dog for large parts of the year.

All the best with your search,
Dean

Okay A.H.
Here's my latest thinking on dogs. I was raised with mutts that we found and kept at our house, my Dad raised Britannies and Beagles and we ended up with a Viszla. All were good dogs, my Dad had a sporting goods store, so we got to hunt with a lot of our customers dogs, I can't begin to remember the breeds of them all but there were some very good dogs we hunted with.
When I got married we got a Golden Retriever that was like a heatseeking missile on pheasants. I went a few years without a dog and hunted with my friends dogs, again some were very, very good.
Now, my whole life all I've ever heard from anyone with a Lab was how great they were, I heard it so often I was sick to death of hearing it! Well, 2 years ago I was wolf hunting in Ontario and the outfitter raised labs, since my wife had given my 8 year old and myself permission to get a new dog and this guy kept telling us how great they were I put a deposit on one. 4 months later I drove to Canada and picked him up,I started training him and he almost immediately picked up what I was teaching him. He retrieved his 1st canadian goose when he was 5&1/2 months old and hasn't slowed down since. He's a little over 2 now and has dozens and dozens of ducks and geese, hundreds and hundreds of doves (we won't even get off the stool now!) I can't even guess at how many pheasants but it's quite a few, he can quarter a field in no time and when he's done if he hasn't found any birds, then there simply were no birds to be found.
I have bought dozens of training books and taught him most of (not all) the training retrieves, my daughter is now starting to do "agility" training with him and once he knows what you want him to do his training is done, he really learns that fast.
So, if you ask me what breed to get I'm pretty sure it'll be a Lab because I will never own any other kind of dog other than a Lab! And it will come from Canada as long as my friend keeps raising them but when he's done I'll find a good breeder here in the US. Now, I'm not talking about a Lab you get in the want ads, I'm talking about a top quality, seriously raised purebred Lab. I'll never own any other kind. Good luck, it's always fun getting a new dog!
Joe

Thanks - Labs do well in the heat as well.

I'd say I'd be worried about them chewing stuff up in the house (our other dogs never did this), but our cats have destroyed our game room furniture by clawing it. So we're used to it. Of course the kids are 10 times worse on the stuff than the dogs.

Labs need ALOT of excercise.

After 35yrs of English Setters,i got a DD.he runs 45 min to 1 hr in New Orleans heat3-5Xs a week.must just be acclimatized&loves lawn sprinkler systems.just dont take him out in100+.

quote:

Originally posted by fla3006:
Labs need A LOT of exercise.

Yes -- about 30 minutes a day, some running, a brisk walk. They're a working breed / sporting breed. They're also the No. 1 breed in the US.

Smart as hell and good disposition. Great family dog, loyal pet.

ALL dogs have a down side, and any dog worth having is a lot of work.

quote:

Originally posted by KimR:
After 35yrs of English Setters,i got a DD.he runs 45 min to 1 hr in New Orleans heat3-5Xs a week.must just be acclimatized&loves lawn sprinkler systems.just dont take him out in100+.

KimR,

That is interesting. The mantra up here for DD's and GWP's is "Avoid the heat, they are sensitive!" Where was your breeder? Have they been trying to breed for heat tolerance?

Cheers,
Dean

Avoid DD, they or the breed will NOT handle the heat. I've had 3 Deutsch Drahthaar so far and none of them could handle the heat in Oregon until the last week of October. Might as well get a "Elhew" pointer or a "English pointer."

If you get a good bred brittany they are a wonderful hunter and a good pet. You can't go wrong with a Brittany.

Brittanies are bird dogs though. sounds like you need a hound to track game. Walkers handle the heat well.

I'll second the recommendation of a Lab. I have two right now. The older one is 10 1/2 and the pup is 4 months old. They can be chewers. This pup is a real chewer, but amazingly only chews on her bones. The only thing she ever destroyed in the house was a flyer from the mail order house Midway. Not much of a loss.

All of my Labs have been from strong field trial backgrounds. I wouldn't have any other kind.

quote:

Originally posted by swampshooter:
Brittanies are bird dogs though. sounds like you need a hound to track game. Walkers handle the heat well.

Britts are used for fur in England. My Britts track deer and rabbit when bird season is over. They love to retrieve rabbit almost as much as birds.

quote:

Originally posted by maki:

quote:

Originally posted by KimR:
After 35yrs of English Setters,i got a DD.he runs 45 min to 1 hr in New Orleans heat3-5Xs a week.must just be acclimatized&loves lawn sprinkler systems.just dont take him out in100+.

KimR,

That is interesting. The mantra up here for DD's and GWP's is "Avoid the heat, they are sensitive!" Where was your breeder? Have they been trying to breed for heat tolerance?

Cheers,
Dean

Kim has a pup out of my dog Franky, a Ritterburg dog, Franky has a nice short thick flat coat and good facial hair. Kim's dog has a little longer and harder coat.


If I can wear a longsleve shirt comfortabley 75 degrees,I can run my dog a hour if he's been training, if there is any water present at all. No, he won't stay with a pointer, neither will a lab, a setter, or a brittany if it's real hot, but a a pointer is not expected to retrieve ducks when it freezing out side.

I know a guide that has some long coated wirehairs, that he claims to run all year long ,even through the summer, he hunts mid ga. You got to condition any dog to the heat, you got to know the signs of overheating and be smart about it. If the temp and relative humidty equal 140 you have to be carefull with all dogs, especialy those that are not use to the heat.


The german judges only gave Franky a 8 on coat at the cheyann Armbruster (His coat was a MM to short, when we left New Orleans it was still touching on 85) he entered the water like a freight train for the water work, it was 17 degree's and snowing dime size flakes with sheetice starting to form.

Kim's dog has a 11 or 12 coat , nobody ever told him it's too hot to run,so he does. Kim takes him out a couple times a week for a hour or so with temps at or near 80 before the sun comes up even now and in August.


JD

JD,

Sounds like it might be a case of us cold country types not knowing how to condition a dog for the heat.

Dean

Hi AH.

I will start a new thread about DDs and heat, as I am intested in one.

Dave