worth it?

E mc kiernan

For all of you big shots out there is it worth buying a gundog for a couple of days in the year or can a dog go to waste if its not used enough?would you recommend buying a pup or a dog that has already been trained...

cavan shooter

All the dogs I have over the years are pets and companions, yes I hunt with them and no bother but when im in the garden hes beside me and when i let him out in the morning he sits at the back door.

He goes shooting with me ducks and pheasant and he goes walking the fields with me out of season. I get them as a pup and bring them on to be a rough shooters dog , i.e

sit, stay, fetch, come back all on the whistle and clicks of my finger. I dont want to put him into field trials I want him to have fun and me too. He will play with the kids,

Remember a dog is not like a gun, you cant take him out of the pen put a few shots over him and put it back. Its not fair.

sure someone will come on and say that a gun dog should be in his run when not shooting and dont let them near kids.....I dont do it that way.

ayapatrick

+1 cavan! have my fella out as much as i can, lying on the floor beside me now!

if ya only have time for the couple of days in the year maybe you mightened have the time to spend to train a pup either?

cavan shooter

I always have springers. The hunting is in them, 10 minutes playing and teaching him to hup, etc progressing into a walk down the fields a 1nce week from about 12 weeks (soon as he knows to come back to sit etc) only a 10 minute walk dont go over board. Bring a tennis ball. My lad is 9 months now and flying. Noticed he'ss a bit heedless lately so its back to obedience work for the next few days and a walk on sunday.

By the way I wont shoot over him untill october.

I prefer to get them as a pup better bond..

moose112

A few lads i know have bought dogs that have been trained up for field trials but just weren't up to that standard.
Great dogs but they paid big bucks for them.
During the tiger of course:D

homerhop

Would you go for a jog once or twice in a few weeks and expect to run a race 6 months later? It is the same with working dogs, you cannot expect a dog to perform at the high standards that we expect in our own minds eye if they are not worked. My friend bought a dog a few years back and it had not been used for hunting for a couple of years, first day of the season he brought the dog out expecting it to hunt as if it had been at every day till the poor dog fell over and died from a heart attack.
As Cavan shooter said it only takes 10 minutes an evening with a pup to get him started on the right path. After that the effort you put in will determine what you get back from the dog. If you do get a pup and don’t keep it exercised and active, whatever you have in your yard will be pulled dragged and chewed up out of sheer boredom.
I have always preferred getting pups, you get used to how the dog handles and the dog will work better with you as it will also get used to your actions and whistle tones and how you like to hunt. The last pair of Springer’s I had hunted for 13 years with me.