# Duck hunting breeds



## Bucksnort (Nov 15, 2007)

I would like to get a dog for duck hunting. My wife is not a big fan of labs and it may take some convincing. I was wondering if you guys had some advice on another breed that work well for water fowl retrieving or is the lab the best bet? Thanks


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

We love our Chessie. If you are willing to spend *a lot* of time with your dog, and are firm and consistant with your training, and don't mind having your dog follow you everywhere, a Chessie might be for you. They won't do well sitting in the kennel alone all day. But I've never met a dog with more personallity than Shasta.


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## Duurty1 (Sep 10, 2007)

i too want a chessie but my wife won't let me have one


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## truemule (Sep 12, 2007)

I had a chessie mix. the only problem I had was he couldn't sit still he was so high strung. I think that was the mix in him though. Also a +1 on what loke said, mine was the biggest wanna be lap dog ever, muddy or otherwise.


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## Anaconda Pintler (Oct 29, 2007)

Not to start the crap here but GWP's do make fine waterfowling dogs no matter the conditions, do not believe all the stuff about being to cold and icy, I know, they do as well as most others after all if you could teach a cat to retrieve some would argue that a siamese would do a better job than a calico! :wink:


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## Red-Grouse (Sep 22, 2007)

Anaconda Pintler said:


> Not to start the crap here but GWP's do make fine waterfowling dogs no matter the conditions, do not believe all the stuff about being to cold and icy, I know, they do as well as most others after all if you could teach a cat to retrieve some would argue that a siamese would do a better job than a calico! :wink:


+1

They are dynamite duck dogs........


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

+1 on the Chessie
Thor is the first Chessie I have had , & Im sold on them forever. Ive known alot of other people that have had them & they have been the best dogs I have seen. Thor may not be the best retriever, but I know thats my fault because I havent done my part to train him correctly, But he is the most loyal dog I have owned.









After training in the front yard(Sorry for the lipstick shot :roll: )









A day on the lake, 9 degrees soaken wet & not even a shiver (The lipstick even still works in the cold :lol: )


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## Bucksnort (Nov 15, 2007)

I suppose by Chessie you mean a Chesapeake Bay retriever? Are the larger than a lab. What is a GWP? Thanks, I am not up on the dog slang.


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## Anaconda Pintler (Oct 29, 2007)

I hope this does not start a breed war for you Bucksnort but a GWP is a German Wirehaired Pointer, imo the most versatile dog on the planet. Here are few of mine doing it!

AP - yeah that is right -26 below zero retrieving ducks out of the Clark Fork river in Montana:


























Seymour:

















All of them (then, more now :lol: ):


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## Donnerhund GWPs (Sep 12, 2007)

Anaconda Pintler said:


> imo the most versatile dog on the planet.


+1

Why limit yourself by getting a "duck dog" when you can have a dog that will not only retrieve ducks, but also hunt every other bird you can imagine AND track game, AND is an awesome pointer, AND a formiddable guard dog, AND an awesome family dog, AND.......

And Never, Never, Never give up until you do.

You may be really into Ducks right now, but a year or two from now you may be more interested in hunting pheasants, chuckar, grouse, quail? How about blood tracking big game? (where permitted) Ever seen a lab point a deer in cover? Versatile dogs not only can do these things but are absolutely expected to. 
How about Mountain Lion? I have talked to some who run their GWPs on cats, though I would never do so with mine - too dangerous and I have way too much invested to risk an injury in this way.

I have seen GWPs point birds litterally 70-100 Yds out!, Track a downed bird on water!, Point another bird with a retrieved bird in their mouth, Make a retrieve on a pheasant 1/4 mile long, Blind retreives with the best labs. Etc Etc 
Try this with a (other than Versatile Dog): Lay a blood track - 1 drop of blood every other step for 200 Yds, in a sort of zig-zag way, put the retrieve object at the end and let it sit for 40 Hours. Now bring in the dog to the start point and let him go! Did he follow the track and deliver the retrieve object to hand? 8)

Last year I took Sam and we went swan hunting. We met up with a couple of friends when we got out there and set up together. Well, I shot one and she brought it right to me. The other guy with me got one too and she fetched that one. Then I saw some other guys shooting at a flock of swans and one locked wings and started to drop, then another dropped. They went out and stomped around a while and came back with no bird. I went over and asked them if they needed help and they did. So I sent Sam out to where I thought the nearer bird went and she searched for a while but didn't find it. I saw someone go out and run down the farther out bird and I moved Sam over a little and had her continue to search. After about 40 Min she locked-up on a patch of cattails and I went over and sent her in. There was a lot of crashing about in there for a minute, then she came out with the swan! The guy handed me $10 and said to buy her a nice Steak with it! :lol: On the walk back in, suddenly she went on point near some cattails along the dike. I told the guys I was with that there was something in there. One of them walked around the other side , He said "There is, and It's a Swan!" Someone has winged a bird and lost it and there it was. Well we had quite a time with that one, but in the end it was bagged and tagged.
So at the end of the day I got my swan, And my GWP got four!

Really, there are plenty of awesome labs out there but not one Versatile Champion among them. I'm by no means "Breed Blind" -Show me a good dog, what ever breed it may be, and I will respect and appreciate that dog. But if you want a dog that's Dynamite in the field, calm in the house, and easy to train - That's what I'm talkin' about!

What ever you decide, Spend the time to train so you can enjoy you time in the field. I see way too many guys out there missing the birds because they're busy yelling at their dog :roll: , or hunting for their dog when they could be hunting the birds! :lol:


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## huntall (Sep 11, 2007)

+1 on the GWP

very nice post with many great points, Donnerhund


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

> Why limit yourself by getting a "duck dog" when you can have a dog that will not only retrieve ducks, but also hunt every other bird you can imagine AND track game, AND is an awesome pointer, AND a formiddable guard dog, AND an awesome family dog, AND.......


UMmmmm, because they are UGLY. Youve gotta have a dog that looks as good as it retrieves!!!! :lol:


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## Ironman (Sep 7, 2007)

STEVO said:


> Youve gotta have a dog that looks as good as it retrieves!!!! :lol:


Now you're talking about Labs :wink:


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

Ironman said:


> STEVO said:
> 
> 
> > Youve gotta have a dog that looks as good as it retrieves!!!! :lol:
> ...


Yea, we both know theyre not the best looking dogs :wink: :lol:


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## Anaconda Pintler (Oct 29, 2007)

Exactly the breed war I was trying to avoid! :roll: But what the hell Pink eyed Pink nosed chessies yeah they are BEAUTIFUL! :roll: :roll:


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

Anaconda Pintler said:


> Exactly the breed war I was trying to avoid! :roll: But what the hell Pink eyed Pink nosed chessies yeah they are BEAUTIFUL! :roll: :roll:


Your dog looks pretty good there in that first picture in the river. Almost like a lab or a black Chessie :lol:

Im just giving you crap, I have a Chessie, have had several labs & my best buddy has a GWP, Its all in fun. I know the GWP is proprably the best overall dog out there but I am only a waterfowl hunter. None of the upland birds have really caught my attention yet to have a need to have a pointing dog. I do like to grouse hunt, But my chessie works fine for that as there really isnt much heat to deal with.

By the way, I really do like GWP's, did I mention that???? 

Those pics you posted really do look good. Usually when I see a GWP in the water it looks like a sewer rat swimming for cover!!!! :lol:


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## Donnerhund GWPs (Sep 12, 2007)

STEVO said:


> UMmmmm, because they are UGLY. Youve gotta have a dog that looks as good as it retrieves!!!! :lol:


If you really think so, then I'll take all the ugly I can get!!!!!!!!!

Maybe it's the Beard your not comfortable with???

Try this on......


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## Bucksnort (Nov 15, 2007)

Thanks guys. Nice pics of the GWP.


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