Question: I have a four-year-old Gordon Setter that I use for pheasant and grouse hunting. I went goose hunting with some friends last fall and found that I really enjoy the sport and plan on doing more next season. Since having a dog along is a big part of the day for me, I tried taking my Gordon Setter. What a disaster. He went crazy running around the pond we were at, barking at the decoys and he didn't retrieve a thing. I realize that this is not his specialty and don't expect him to be a goose hunting dog, but I would like to get a dog to hunt geese with. I'm not sure what breeds to consider. Should I get a pointing dog that could do both upland and waterfowl or should I get a retriever? What about hunting a flushing dog with a pointing dog? I am told you should not hunt two dogs of different styles together in the uplands, that it will ruin my pointing dog. I would appreciate any advice you can give me.
Terry L., Battle Creek.
Answer: It appears to me that you did nothing to prepare your G.S. for your goose hunt. He should have been introduced to decoys and the idea that he needs to sit for long periods of time well in advance of your hunt. You also should have gotten him accustomed to the sound of goose and duck calls and the idea of sitting still while you are shooting. So I don't see a dog that failed his owner, I see an owner who failed his dog. That's not to say that this dog could be an asset on a goose hunt. I would have to evaluate him before I could advise you one way or the other on the prospect of turning a four-year-old upland dog into a waterfowl dog. Is he any good at retrieving and does he like to swim? If not, start looking for a pup.
Gordon Setters and English Setters were not bred to do waterfowl work, although the Irish Setter was used for both upland and waterfowl hunting in the breed's early days. My first gun dog was an Irish Setter pup that I found running along a dirt road on my way to a fishing trip. I stopped to pick up the pup, afraid it might get run over. After knocking on several doors in the area, I found a woman who said the pup had been running loose for several days. I took him home and he grew into a beautiful dog and a good hunter, retrieving game from both land and water. Those of you who are regular readers of this column will remember me telling you that there are exceptions to every rule. I know of someone who did just fine duck and goose hunting with a Gordon Setter. I have heard of someone using English Setters for waterfowl and I have a friend who took his English Pointer duck hunting once. She retrieved ducks but would not sit in the blind for long. To her credit, she had not been properly introduced to the sport, either.
Looking at the prospect of getting a second dog requires some soul searching on your part. If you lose interest in goose hunting, will your new dog still have a place in your hunting plans? Remember that buying a dog is a fifteen year commitment on your part and is not like buying some piece of equipment. Let's first look at the three basic breed types to consider, flushing, pointing, and retrieving. Flushing breeds are usually spaniels. I say usually, even though I have never heard of breed classified as flushing. The Brittany Spaniel is the only pointing dog in the spaniel lines and the Irish Water Spaniel is a retriever. The most common in the U.S. are the Springer Spaniel, the American Water Spaniel, and the Clumber Spaniel. The American Water Spaniel has two opposing factions. One group calls them flushing dogs and one group calls them retrievers. Why this is, I don't understand, considering that the breed was developed during the market hunting days primarily for retrieving, as was the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. The flushers were originally called a ‘rough shooting' dog because they were used to hunt fur as well as feather. Their job was to hunt the thick tangles and hedge rows and to flush out anything hiding there. The term ‘springer' comes from springing game from the dense hedge rows in England. The American Water Spaniel and the Springer Spaniel have both been used for waterfowl retrieving. They are busy upland hunters who are not normally hunted with pointers and normally do not like the heal while another dog does all the hunting.
The two most popular retrieving breeds are the Labrador Retriever and the Golden Retriever. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever and the Nova Scotia Duck Toller are the only American-bred retrievers besides Water Spaniels, the Flat Coat, Curly Coat, and Irish Water Spaniel, which are less popular. These dogs were bred specifically for water work and retrieving. They can upland hunt just fine but do not point and will flush game when it is encountered, thus causing come problems when hunting with your setter. Exception to the rule: Pointing Lab. There are breeders for pointing instinct in the dogs they pair up. By breeding a Lab who points to another Lab who points, they are able to produce a pointing Lab with some regularity. When I hunt retrievers with pointers, I expect the retriever to stay by my side. After the pointer finds a bird and points, I use the retriever to flush and help retrieve the bird. I find retrievers will adapt to this type of hunting once they realize they are in on every flush. And besides, a good waterfowl dog should be trained to heel and say with you in the field, around flushing game, and on gunfire. This requires a lot of self control and steadiness training.
There are many pointing breeds that were developed for multitask hunting. Once call the ‘Continental' or ‘European' breeds, we now classify them as “versatile'. German Short-haired Pointer, German Wire-haired Pointer, Munsterlander, Wire-haired Pointing Griffon, Pudelpointer, and some Brittany Spaniel lines are a few of the more popular breeds. Except for the Pudelpointer, which I've never owned, I have hunted waterfowl with all of these breeds with good success. You have many options, good luck in making up your mind. If you need the Gordon Setter evaluated, call me.
Charlie Linblade
Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club
Michigan Pheasant Hunting
Michigan Bird Dog Training
