Thread: Pup for family pet and deer stalking

Originally Posted by madmaori

Im in the same boat , really need/want a mate for in the bush aswel as a family pet but im really unsure as to what breed to go with.
not really keen on a pure lab as have been around them a few times in the scrub and on a hot day they tend to be quite noisey so was thinking more a working dog type breed that tends to be light on its feet with a few brains , what say you fellas?

Thats what im thinking madmaori

Originally Posted by matto1234

Thats what im thinking madmaori

Its so hard to pick a breed when there is so many different opinions of people out there.. @tetawa seems to know what hes talking about though

Originally Posted by madmaori

Its so hard to pick a breed when there is so many different opinions of people out there.. @tetawa seems to know what hes talking about though

There are many hunters with excellent indicator dogs, one guy I know who would be "as good as it gets" when it comes to hunting uses Vizslar's, he hunts for a living on "pest" control.But he is the sort of dog man that has always been able to get the best out of dogs. If your dog is going to be a family pet first, then that has to be the no1 priority. Over my hunting years even the pig dogs have been able to be loose around the family and friends without problems, we have "lost" an odd cat though.

Originally Posted by madmaori

Im in the same boat , really need/want a mate for in the bush aswel as a family pet but im really unsure as to what breed to go with.
not really keen on a pure lab as have been around them a few times in the scrub and on a hot day they tend to be quite noisey so was thinking more a working dog type breed that tends to be light on its feet with a few brains , what say you fellas?

Get a proper working lab then, most of them are fat noisy bastards so removed from being hunting dogs its not funny. The proper working ones are exceptional. and rarly noisy and almost always quieter than their handlers.

Go look at as many breeds/x breeds as you can find and form your own opinion from that.
You will end up with a top hunting dog or just a family pet based on your opinion in the end.

I'm in the same boat.

And I don't know if the opinions vary that much.

Everyone seems to say get a lab or heading dog as they're low maintenance and have a lower energy level and thus better suited to family living.

But I'm not listening cos my hearts set on a cool Vizsla or GWP...

I know for me it's more a conflict of what I want vs what I should get.

You're so 2005 ricochet. All the cool kids have heading dogs these days

So much of it will come down to you and your training mate. The end result will, given everything is even, be the same. With a Lab, Lab X, Heading dog, Heading dog X, Viszla, GWP, Drathaar anything... they will all perform too.they will all do the job. Some of these breeds are higher maintenance and will require 3 - 4 times the amount of time in training to get the same result as you will get from one of the less demanding breeds. I believe the breeds that require the most work have the ability, with the right handling and work, to reach much greater heights, but you really need some dedication to that. If you have a casual attitude to training, and there is nothing wrong with that if you are happy with it, then you need to get one of the "lesser" breeds which will still become a workable dog with the amount of work you are prepared to give.

Originally Posted by Ruff

So much of it will come down to you and your training mate. The end result will, given everything is even, be the same. With a Lab, Lab X, Heading dog, Heading dog X, Viszla, GWP, Drathaar anything... they will all perform too.they will all do the job. Some of these breeds are higher maintenance and will require 3 - 4 times the amount of time in training to get the same result as you will get from one of the less demanding breeds. I believe the breeds that require the most work have the ability, with the right handling and work, to reach much greater heights, but you really need some dedication to that. If you have a casual attitude to training, and there is nothing wrong with that if you are happy with it, then you need to get one of the "lesser" breeds which will still become a workable dog with the amount of work you are prepared to give.

Hey @Ruff , what do you determine to be one of the lesser breeds?

dogo argentina if you can get one. awesome dogs though mine is crossed with bull terrier. very friendly but amazingly powerful ( he chewed my alloy framed mountain bike)

Originally Posted by gonetropo

dogo argentina if you can get one. awesome dogs though mine is crossed with bull terrier. very friendly but amazingly powerful ( he chewed my alloy framed mountain bike)

seriously a dogo as a deer dog?????
they are usually mixing it with big boars not deer

Originally Posted by madmaori

Hey @Ruff , what do you determine to be one of the lesser breeds?

Dogs not bred with the specific purpose you have in mind as the main goal. Any dog will hunt, some will hunt better than others, some will train easier than others. Some will achieve with less work, some will achieve with more and if bred appropriately will achieve more than an y other breed provided you do the work. Lesser breeds are dogs not bred specifically for the task at hand, but if you put in the work will make a fist of it.

I have a cattle bully bitch here.
4 months old.
The only reason I think she'd be ok (not bred for deer) is her parents are extremely clever. Both are hard on pigs but beautiful natures and easy to train.
Have had these dog lines for 25 years now.
As far as breeds are concerned I think the largest influence is always going to be the owner however buying something that is quiet and clever is half the job IMO.


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@bigbear out of curiosity what's a kiddie eater breed?

then its not really a Dogo, its a mutt.
had purebred dogos myself, love the breed, never trusted them unsupervised round anything mind.