I am intrested in getting a bird dog. I like to hunt waterfowl and upland birds. I am looking at a lab or greman short hair.Is a preferance to having a{1}***** or a male dog?I live in Colo Springs,Co. Is it best to get one already trained or is a puppy the way to go? I had a golden but was not very good.elkman52 @aol.com

Posted By JPFEILER on 01 Feb 2012 02:49 AM
I am intrested in getting a bird dog. I like to hunt waterfowl and upland birds. I am looking at a lab or greman short hair.Is a preferance to having a{1}***** or a male dog?I live in Colo Springs,Co. Is it best to get one already trained or is a puppy the way to go? I had a golden but was not very good.elkman52 @aol.com

Here are what I see as the differences in getting a well started dog or a pup. With a pup you will pay somewhere between $400 to $1000 for a well bred pup from proven parents. You will get all of the health clearances, just as you would with a started dog. You also get to enjoy the puppy days and the bonding, but you also get the chewing that goes with it. My last lab pup about chewed my porch supports into before I got her stopped. I had paid $600 for her and she turned out to be a dud, in that she just would not retrieve anything.

I love my labs never paid close to $4000. One male and one female both are great hunters and great retrievers trained them my self with the help of a great book called waterdogs. We have a very close bond they are fantastic with the grandkids and can't wait to get out in the field. I got my male at 10 weeks old and my female at 7 weeks old. both are AKC with great blood lines. the joy you will have with your new dog is the best thing in the world. I take mine out and watch them work and all my daily troubles just go away. Good luck with you new friend you can't go wrong owning a dog.

ATF, DEA, TSA and Military are running prices up on Labs....

Labs a fantanstic dogs. Great at everything they do and unfortunately Movies like marley and me and certain breeders are f-ing them up. I had hunted with labs for years and they are machines,and they are great family dogs too.

i love my labs too but the best all around bird dog i ever had was a springer lab cross, nothing like a lab on redbull

Are you set on those two breekds or are you interested in others. I personally own a Brittany and have never had a problem. Brits are more for the upland game birds but are very adaptable and able to be used for all other birds as well. Just thought I would throw that out for you. Growing up my family had a couple labs. We had good and bad experiences with them. Sometimes you get lucky when you are buying dogs and other times you get screwed over bad. Just make sure you do your homework on the kennels and breeders that you are buying from before you settle on your price and the dog you want.

sorry about the spelling errors.

Hey Zgull nothing wrong with a brittany, I have hunted over them for upland and they do a great job and have even watched them retrieve birds down in water. But as a duck dog I think you handicap yourself and the dog when its 40 degree water.

No way I would put a Brittany into some of the ice and cold conditions I have put Ol Abe.

I think you need tyo ask yourfelf how much hunting you REALLY plan to do

I ama lab person, they make great house pets and companions

I do like german shorth hairs as well, but to me a lab has it beat in looks and , many in temperments as well


after yuou decide on a breed
you HAVE to do your homework on a breeder 10'x's more than the breed

way too many BAD breeders out there, and price alone means nothing on quality


in labs all the more so, they are the #1 breed in teh world and as such, even more so of bad breeders out there looking to make money and producing health and temperment problem dogs!

labs these days are like silver cars
way too many styles to just call them the same
many are of HIGH energy line's and well they will test your will to train if your a newbie, and then there are lines of labs with very low if any hunt in them(sadly)
I highly recommend you do lots of research on any breeders you are thinking about, and ask lots of questions, and please be honest with the breder on what you want in a dog, and can handle in a dog!!

if you do your part you will have a dog that you are more than happy with, if not you can be stuck cursing a lot and not happy with a dog you will have for 10+ yrs!


if you do a lot of water work, go lab, or even chessy
but if you do mostly land work, a lab or German short hair will be fine!
drathar's are another great breed if you like to look at them!

I understand that most would not use a Brittany for waterfoul. I dont waterfoul hunt much so a birt is fine for me. If i did alot of duck and goose hunting then i would definately lean towards a lab or a even a golden retriever personally. Of course the other reason that I use my brit for waterfowl is that he is a large Brit. He is 45 lbs which is 10 to 15 lbs heavier than the average brit. Sirbuster is on the right track with making sure that you research it out all the way. you dont want to pay alot of money for a dog that wont perform. Just figured i would chim in on this one cuz i love hunting over dogs. it make the whole time out in the field much more enjoyable.

IF you can afford a started dog it would be advisable or a finished dog. This way you know what your getting as far as a huinting dog and it will hunt whatever you tell it to. Check with trainers and ask alot of questions and ask for many references and if possible ask to see the dogs work. The 2000 to 4000 you will spend will be worth it. What stae are you in ?

Advantage of Started or even Finished dog is you know what the dog can do and you don't have the first 18-24 months of Vet and food costs let alone all the time it takes to train. Disadvantage other than the obvious costs, he did not bond with you and family as a puppy. Probably never been in a house if you want that and may not be chew and jump on furniture broke.

can a beagle be used for upland and waterfowl

Beagles can be used to game birds. When I was a kid my neighbor had beagles and we hunted pheasant with them. They did a good job, but you had to keep up with them. As for waterfowl, you can not expect a beagle to make retrieves in water or to endure the cold of icy water if they did make the retrieve. 

Yep....while Ol Abe took to Pheasants, Quail because of good gamey smell and dove retrieval after he figuured out that was what we were shooting with no training other than taking him, that's pretty lucky....and I have to keep him close because he ain't fixing to do anything but try to catch them!

Something I consider is your hunting style. When I was young, fast on my feet, and could run all day, I used English Springer Spaniels (yes they retrieve water fowl just fine), and a Labrador. Both loved to hunt and fetch. But in retrieving water fowl, the Lab was far superior. Especially when bring in geese. I had a Springer that too quite a beating from a goose one afternoon. And a Lab is hard to beat as a family pet. A more devoted breed of dog would be hard to find. To make them happy, just have them near you. But now that I am older, I don't walk too well. And flushing bird dogs can be hard to keep up with. So I decided I want a breed that still finds the birds, but then just points them out for me. So I am looking at a German Shorthair. One reason, I hear they make excellent family dogs, can go all day and then some, and are easy to train. Sounds like my kind of dog. I have no clue as to how they would work on water fowl. But friends tell me they do a good job. So I have to take them at their word. And besides, I hunt water fowl very little. If I was a dedicated duck hunter like I used to be, a Labrador would be in my boat.

Any thoughts about a Welsh Springer Spaniel?  All I know is they are great with little kids and we have a bunch of young grandkids.  I have never hunted with my own dog but thinking of getting one next year.  Maybe it will get me out after birds more than once or twice a year.

Loved my Shorthair Pointers. Easily trained myself, and terrific at pointing and retrieving. Dumb enough to love the water too. Best family pets I could have hoped for. If I was to get another bird dog, it would be a GHP.