Hi All
I went pheasant hunting on Sunday with a old guy with a GSP. This was the first time I saw a pointing dog in action and it was very impressive. She managed to find and flush 2 pheasants in about an hour. The first one I forgot to take off the safety catch of teh shotgun and when I had it off it was too late to shoot but with the second one I were ready and mananged to drop my first hen pheasant. The dog then found it as well as it fell into heavy bush. Was quite a lekker fat one as well. I skinned it and it is now in the freezer waiting for some more mates to join before I make a nice dinner.
So that decided it for me - I'm getting a hunting dog. Since I were small I wanted a labrador. I love their looks and the few that I met were lovely dogs.
So now my questions.
1.) Will a Lab be able to find and point or flush a bird like the GSP did?
2.) I obviously don't want to use it for pig hunting but chances are very good that we'll cross pigs when hunting. Is that OK? I don't want to invest time into training a dog and then losing it to a pig.
3.) How do I train the dog to hunt?
4.) I would prefer a female - for having pups. Dogs here in France are super expensive. Labradors start at around €900. So I would like to sell a few pups if I can.
5.) We already have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - obviously not for hunting although she loves feathers. She isn't trained or anything. How will that impact the Lab?
6.) How does the Labs handle kids. I have a 2 and 7 year old.
Regards