How many dogs?

nowwerehurlin

Was out for a few shots recently and ran into two fellas shooting over FIVE DOGS!! Now granted about 4 of them were around their feet and didnt seem to have much interest in hunting (they werent heeled i was watching them trying to encourage them) but anyway the quality of these dogs isnt what im on about. The point it arose with me is how many dogs do fellas shoot over at once. ? Id be of the idea that if a springer is good enough 1 dog per man is plenty. And surely if one dog is following another through cover they are only covering the same ground as one dog. And essentially one dog is being wasted when he could be kept to shoot a diff spot thus covering more ground .My dogs would hunt independent of one another (2dogs covering the ground of 2 dogs if ye get me ! ) in a glen or say woodland which often makes it very hard to shoot over two springers at once.because while watching one dog the other can be flushing game which can be very frustrating. I can obviously understand lads shooting over a pointer or setter and a springer at the same time for obvious reasons. But surely one springer at a time is enough? Just sparking debate to see what lads think ..

steyrman2

Hi i have a lab and a pointer i just shoot over one at a time it can be hard enough to watch one never mind 5 if your hunting good ground that many dogs will drive birds wild it happens around my area i have seen 4 dogs out with lads the dont shoot anymore than me on my own but i think the **** up a lot of decent ground imo

sikahuntejack

I hunt with one springer my one and only dog they had 5 bad dogs doing the job of 1 good dog

EPointer=Birdss

nowwerehurlin wrote: »

Was out for a few shots recently and ran into two fellas shooting over FIVE DOGS!! Now granted about 4 of them were around their feet and didnt seem to have much interest in hunting (they werent heeled i was watching them trying to encourage them) but anyway the quality of these dogs isnt what im on about. The point it arose with me is how many dogs do fellas shoot over at once. ? Id be of the idea that if a springer is good enough 1 dog per man is plenty. And surely if one dog is following another through cover they are only covering the same ground as one dog. And essentially one dog is being wasted when he could be kept to shoot a diff spot thus covering more ground .My dogs would hunt independent of one another (2dogs covering the ground of 2 dogs if ye get me ! ) in a glen or say woodland which often makes it very hard to shoot over two springers at once.because while watching one dog the other can be flushing game which can be very frustrating. I can obviously understand lads shooting over a pointer or setter and a springer at the same time for obvious reasons. But surely one springer at a time is enough? Just sparking debate to see what lads think ..

For me - hunting 2 springers together is ideal. One working & one on heel & alternate them to give them a rest. Ideally a older dog on heel whiles you bring on a young one.
If you had the same the other side of the ditch then 4 max. After that as you rightly pointed out how could you watch them.

cubbyleader

Myself and my father shoot over two springers one each for if we're hunting both sides of a ditch or are spread out in a turnip field or a bog but it only works because the two dogs work independently of each other but if it's just one of us shooting then one Springer is usually plenty

charlie10

i got a springer from a friend of mine who wants me to hunt him this season,so took him out with my own cocker and they seemed to hunt independant and then two of them got on the same cock and they nearly knocked the ditch to get him needless to say that cock came out roaring. on a side note would ye recommend running say an 8 month old pup with a 4 year old dog to show him the ropes??????????

nowwerehurlin

EPointer=Birdss wrote: »

For me - hunting 2 springers together is ideal. One working & one on heel & alternate them to give them a rest. Ideally a older dog on heel whiles you bring on a young one.
If you had the same the other side of the ditch then 4 max. After that as you rightly pointed out how could you watch them.

Ah yes i usually shoot with one to heel like this.. But the point i was making is that it surely isnt manageable to have two dogs going at once ? I believe so anyway ..

terminator2

hunting 8 hours is a big ask for one dog , i had three dogs with me today , the young vizla pointed a hen ,i was chuffed my older springer ran outta steam but she flushed and retrieved a nice cock , we kennelled her at lunchtime and fed her , the younger springer hunted on goodo and was rewarded when she flushed and retrieved a nice woodcock , if im going shooting so are my dogs

nowwerehurlin

Id hate for this thread turn into a debate on these mens dogs.. They (just like the rest of us!) prob think their own dogs are great.. The point at hand here is what fellas think the manageable no of dogs to have going at one time would be ? For me it would hav to be 1 per man..

charlie10

alot would depend on the amount of training your dog has .i used to shoot with a lad that had 4 springers one would not leave his side the other ones were like anti-christs in my opinion they were 4 useless *&^%$

EPointer=Birdss

nowwerehurlin wrote: »

Ah yes i usually shoot with one to heel like this.. But the point i was making is that it surely isnt manageable to have two dogs going at once ? I believe so anyway ..

But sure isn't that what I said.
1 working per man at a time at either side of a ditch.

EPointer=Birdss

charlie10 wrote: »

i got a springer from a friend of mine who wants me to hunt him this season,so took him out with my own cocker and they seemed to hunt independant and then two of them got on the same cock and they nearly knocked the ditch to get him needless to say that cock came out roaring. on a side note would ye recommend running say an 8 month old pup with a 4 year old dog to show him the ropes??????????

Have seen 2 dogs work independantly & 2 dogs work with one just following the other. So i'd say be careful...

With one good dog either side they should both be up on the ditch anyway so 1 per man at a time should be loads of dogs in a ditch...

sonofthegun

i hunt two dogs always but the retriever is a good lad to walk to heel and let the seter due the donkey work but the retriever is a better dog to bust into cover for birds but its horses for courses and depends on how well trained your dogs are iv seen the uncle take out his four springers but the training he has put into them is savage





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John_Rambo

Any of you work with dogs that aren't bred for what they do? Sorry if I'm derailing the thread, I'm just interested and love the idea of you lot working with animals in real tangible way where the dog isn't just a companion or for show. (in saying that, your dogs are stunning and E-pointer, sorry to hear about your last dog, sounds like you did the right thing)

I had a gundog that was a CRACKING guard dog. I mean, he was really really good and only guarded when someone suspicious was around. He was very Dobermann like in his ways.

owelfisherman

John_Rambo wrote: »

Any of you work with dogs that aren't bred for what they do? Sorry if I'm derailing the thread, I'm just interested and love the idea of you lot working with animals in real tangible way where the dog isn't just a companion or for show. (in saying that, your dogs are stunning and E-pointer, sorry to hear about your last dog, sounds like you did the right thing)

I had a gundog that was a CRACKING guard dog. I mean, he was really really good and only guarded when someone suspicious was around. He was very Dobermann like in his ways.

2 dogs one each side of the hedge cant be bet

EPointer=Birdss

John_Rambo wrote: »

Any of you work with dogs that aren't bred for what they do? Sorry if I'm derailing the thread, I'm just interested and love the idea of you lot working with animals in real tangible way where the dog isn't just a companion or for show. (in saying that, your dogs are stunning and E-pointer, sorry to hear about your last dog, sounds like you did the right thing)

I had a gundog that was a CRACKING guard dog. I mean, he was really really good and only guarded when someone suspicious was around. He was very Dobermann like in his ways.

Thanks John.

To answer your question. Was talking to our oldest member the other night & being regailed of the dogs he had.
His half mongrel setter that used set, wait, go up or down & then outside the ditch on command & flush the bird through to the gun. Maybe some poetic license but you have to enjoy those chats when you see an old lads eyes glint at the thoughts of past companions.
Said he had 2 sheepdogs (border collies) he used use to apparent great success as well as all sorts of terrier crosses & what not...

nowwerehurlin

EPointer=Birdss wrote: »

But sure isn't that what I said.
1 working per man at a time at either side of a ditch.

Apoligies! Replied to that post with one eye on the tv watching reeling in the years !! Hardly knew what id said before id posted it !! Ha

nowwerehurlin

terminator2 wrote: »

hunting 8 hours is a big ask for one dog , i had three dogs with me today , the young vizla pointed a hen ,i was chuffed my older springer ran outta steam but she flushed and retrieved a nice cock , we kennelled her at lunchtime and fed her , the younger springer hunted on goodo and was rewarded when she flushed and retrieved a nice woodcock , if im going shooting so are my dogs

8 hours hunting for one springer is not possible .. And anyone who tells me that their dog can do this is talking through the back of their trousers!! .. I couldnt see anyway how one could get more than two hours out of a springer that hunts hard in cover all the time (properly imo) not just goung along the ditch and going in when he scents something . I hunt 4 springers with two hour stints each. Equating to 8 hours quality shooting as opposed to two with the other six spent with the dog walking along beside me bate out ! Before boys descend on me for saying this
. This is just my two cents !!

snipe02

can only speak for springers one dog per man both in the ditch or one on the ditch and one running a dyke if there is one if the dogs are doin there job would be plenty but all depends on what ground your hunting and what cover your hunting out and if ya have an extra one to walk to heal sure ya cant go wrong we are only hunting one at a time because of shortage of dogs but we are hitting bits of ground we know we cant possably cover with one its a pain in the whole but trying to spare them they get broke from being constantly in the ditch\cover 5 dogs sounds a bit mental to me i know a few lads that do this but they would even have four month pups walking around there heals boring the **** out of em and prob ruining em and teachin em to jack

on a side note how many trips would ye get out of yer springers had my bitch out yesterday and today and she looks like her head was in a blender she will be in for the week how often in a week do ye generally hunt yers

nowwerehurlin

snipe02 wrote: »

can only speak for springers one dog per man both in the ditch or one on the ditch and one running a dyke if there is one if the dogs are doin there job would be plenty but all depends on what ground your hunting and what cover your hunting out and if ya have an extra one to walk to heal sure ya cant go wrong we are only hunting one at a time because of shortage of dogs but we are hitting bits of ground we know we cant possably cover with one its a pain in the whole but trying to spare them they get broke from being constantly in the ditch\cover 5 dogs sounds a bit mental to me i know a few lads that do this but they would even have four month pups walking around there heals boring the **** out of em and prob ruining em and teachin em to jack

on a side note how many trips would ye get out of yer springers had my bitch out yesterday and today and she looks like her head was in a blender she will be in for the week how often in a week do ye generally hunt yers

Id agree with what ya said there snipe! I only get out twice a week sat and sun my only days off .. Btw my dogs do be destroyed from the briars and i usually use a nappy rash cream called bepanthen. Smother their eyes in this stuff for a few days and theyll be perfect again by the following weekend ..

cubbyleader

snipe02 wrote: »

can only speak for springers one dog per man both in the ditch or one on the ditch and one running a dyke if there is one if the dogs are doin there job would be plenty but all depends on what ground your hunting and what cover your hunting out and if ya have an extra one to walk to heal sure ya cant go wrong we are only hunting one at a time because of shortage of dogs but we are hitting bits of ground we know we cant possably cover with one its a pain in the whole but trying to spare them they get broke from being constantly in the ditch\cover 5 dogs sounds a bit mental to me i know a few lads that do this but they would even have four month pups walking around there heals boring the **** out of em and prob ruining em and teachin em to jack

on a side note how many trips would ye get out of yer springers had my bitch out yesterday and today and she looks like her head was in a blender she will be in for the week how often in a week do ye generally hunt yers

Ive hunted my year old bitch every day since opening morning in two 2 hour runs with about an hour in between but that's just this week because I had no school so it'll be just weekends from now until Christmas but I find she starts every day like she hasn't hunted the day before

rugerman

i use pointer and springer because i shoot alone and springer walks to heel and when pointer points i can stand on ditch where i can get shot off both sides and send on the springer works every time.always met lads out and they wonder how i always have birds in bag when i shoot on my own.pointer nice and steady and springer worjin only when asked get full 8 hours only thing be bet are the knees