21 Best Hunting Dogs...

[Springer]

A fun article... http://www.fieldandstream.com/features/gun-dogs/?src=SOC&dom=fb#image-3

[Andrew6]

I will tell my little friend she is number 2 on the list:)

[Springer]

I will tell my little friend she is number 2 on the list:)

"in no particular order" Given that the world's best upland dog is at number 11, that should have been a clue :)

[Andrew6]

Ha, I was just looking at the numbers, I may have upset some GSP fans also:)

[Springer]

This was lovely:

And that, ultimately, is why we hunt with dogs: because they love it, and live for it, as much as we do. Check that: more than we do. We depend on their skill and artistry, we admire their tenacity and courage, but what keeps us going is their passion. It pulls us along in its slipstream and spurs us to hold up our end of the partnership as loftily as they do theirs.

[tracker]

For starters I hunt and run my pointers in field trials. So I'm biased.

Reading the entire article was special, all the breeds were described fairly.

I have tried on many occasions to describe a pointers style, speed and passion and have never really got it right.
I have copy pasted the relevant section, it gave me goose bumps

English Pointer: The Upland Demon

I maintain that there are two kinds of bird hunters: Those who think English pointers are the only dogs worth feeding, and those who are scared to death of them. Their intensity can be frightening. “When a good English pointer faces a bird,” marvels Guy de la Valdène in For a Handful of Feathers, “he does so with all but one foot on the coals of hell.”
Technically, of course, there’s no such breed as the English pointer. Its official name is pointer, period. Say “English pointer” south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and folks will look at you funny. By any name, the pointer defines high performance. Hunting over other breeds is like driving the family sedan; hunting over a pointer is like getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari. There are gears you didn’t know existed. You’d better keep things under control, though, because if you don’t a pointer can get away from you in a hurry. Ever heard a dog described as “too much dog”? That’s a pointer in the hands of an inexperienced trainer.
Hitch a pointer to a savvy handler, though, and the result is magic—especially in big country. A pointer doesn’t cover the ground—he scorches it. And when the dog strikes point—transformed from pure kinetic energy into quivering canine statuary—it’s hard not to shake your head in awe.
About the only chink in the pointer’s armor is in the breed’s ability to withstand cold. I’ve seen two dogs go down with hypothermia and they were both pointers, hunting late-season pheasants in single-digit temperatures.
Other than that, it’s hard to find much to criticize. Don’t believe what you’ve heard about the breed’s being aloof, either. Given half a chance, a pointer makes the sweetest house dog you could ever want. It’ll enhance his performance afield, too. And it never hurts to remind a pointer that hunting birds is supposed to be a partnership, not a solo act. —T.D.

AND THAT IS WHY I RUN POINTERS FINISH AND KLAAR

[Bowhunter]

Great article.

[GameFarmer]

Enjoyed reading that, thanks. Like their site design.

[shooty]

Great article.

But Why do you call a Beagle a Dog. Ive got one. And even my 8 year old daughter will tell you. They are not dogs. They are Beagles.
they are there own bread which is Beagle not dog.
They might look like dogs. But thats where it ends.

Do they listen with those big ears and droopy eyes when they ate up your wifes jewelry.
Or raided the tissue box. No.
Do there big ears and work. No. Only when there is food within 5km of them.

Anything you want to teach them has to involve food.

They can hear a fridge or microwave open about 20km away.
And when they get a scent. They are off. Hold on or stay close. They will find it, or die trying at least 3 times.

They are super family Beagles, as long as you take them Hunting in Winter time. Which we do at the Beagle hunts.
Which is not open for dogs. Because no dogs are allowed. Only Beagles.

I love our Beagle.

[Scratch]

I have to disagree with the article...

purely because the all round hunting dogs is the the jagd terrier... but not on the list....

Mine just landed last month ... think there are only two other people with jagd terriers in SA...