John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
I have seen some pretty good dogs that couldn't blow wind up a foxes arse Bb.
I find the above a tough task to believe old chap.
Any fox takes a very smart dog to get near.
HWV vs GWP
- Thread starter NigelM
- Start date
I find the above a tough task to believe old chap.
Any fox takes a very smart dog to get near.
Each to their own.
You're wrong though. Look for the right lines and you can find a good dog. Same as any other breed. A very different dog to a Lab and not for everyone.
yellow belly
Well-Known Member
What's he like on the runners totsy?
Totsy
Well-Known Member
Untested as yet.
jimmy milnes
Well-Known Member
Bugger me, Richard's looking old
jimmy milnes
Well-Known Member
Exactly right, dross in every breed type, prospective owners need to do some homework and not as so many do these days and just buy a pup cause its up the road. The right pup is never too far away to go get in my opinion.
Jimmy.
Alan_Hayes
Well-Known Member
He's not a wee lad is he! I thought mine was a good size. He has to be 40kg.
Totsy
Well-Known Member
He seems to hover around 37-40kg depending on how flush I am. 1kg - 1.5kg of meat per day plus enough whole mackerel to rival Shamu
He's a cracking looking dog, well at himself, I wouldn't like to carry him far tho haha.
Totsy
Well-Known Member
Thanks. In fairness theres less carrying involved these days.
Meaning what ? The Lab still ranks very high in the popular stalking dog if its not the most used !, The guy in the picture offering his had runs what ? Labs, that's what ! BTW to make this clear i have run 2 labs after a GWP , I would never have another GWP ! Yes i have seen a few good GWPs but i have yet to see a useless Lab and both my labs where just so easy to train. Of course Any dog can be used to track deer its about percentages and results
It a big leap for you to state I am "wrong" especially if you haven't trained both breeds and worked with them a while for the task . The ultimate choice is as always down to what the handler thinks they need . Just remember the Lab is the worlds most popular shooting mans dog , The longest standing sniffer dog for police and military , guide dog and the most popular family pet . etc etc etc .
When its time to look for my next deer dog ( hopefully a good 5 years or so into the future ) It will again most likely be another Lab. Other breeds interest me but i wont have another GWP personally speaking
TBF all the GWPs i have known and owned where different / very different in personality, no good just reading the label
jimmy milnes
Well-Known Member
To be perfectly fair you're not comparing apples with apples regards to the two breeds you discussed are you.
One "the one you prefer, was bred as a one trick pony, "fetch me that ole lad" the other is a multi purpose animal, hunt, point, retrieve, track, hold if necessary, kill fox if necessary, bay wounded game if necessary..
But I'm biased also, just the other direction to yourself.
jimmy milnes
Well-Known Member
I know labs that will take you to bits and ones that'd lick ya like a kid with a cornet.
Being straight up my previous Lab took hold of a fox " Twice " he simply could not keep hold as he still had his milk teeth !!! " On his last season in the field i took him out on a fox drive , he was the only dog running free hunting that pushed out a fox on the moor . too old to catch it ! He was mainly a wildfowling dog though never damaged a Goose or duck all the years , Also sorted a few Sika stags on the side . My current lab is really just a deer dog , he certainly dont mess about . Hunting Game like deer does not require a dog that has a poor temperament . I won't keep nasty dogs personally they are a liability . The Lab btw was used my some units in the Vietnam war to alert the teams to booby traps and enemy , None came home though as they all fitted into into hunting the enemy in a far more proactive manner . The actual issue of why the breed is rarely put to " man work " is the letting go bit . Even with all the HPRs and tracking breeds The Lab is still up there as a very commonly chosen dog for the work . Check out Niels Sondergaard book Working dogs for deer, his favoured breed ? The Lab . A friend of mine who is one of the founders of deer track UK also runs labs specifically for deer work.
Personally i do not keep any nasty dog and neither might i pass one on to another and a deer dog should never be of poor temperament , prey drive is very different in a dog against nasty , dangerous, poor temperament or just plain phycho etc
One trick pony ? The worlds most favoured pet dog ( although a young breed when compared to most ) The most favoured assistance dog ? Sniffer dog for drugs , Bombs , etc , Retriever of shot game . other assistance work ( my own now passed dog literally taught himself to monitor my youngest daughters 02 status and later as she started with seizures picked that up on the spot . They are now being used to indicate cancers in trials beating the machines . One trick pony ? Not at all ! and to think the "Small Newfoundland" that went into freezing sea to recover lost gear was re-named the Labrador retriever in the uk practically removing the flat coat from the big shoots in a very short window of time . Love to hear of a dog breed that really can even get someplace close ...... ?
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@Totsy I've got one of those 
Just turned a year and weighs around 40kg now and still filling out
mrs trying to get a before and after - 8 weeks to a year old
@Bowland blades keep your labs, I wanted a dog that was going to test me and push my patience I certainly got that. I had GSD's prior and frankly, a lab just wouldn't do it for me. I just find them so boring.
As with the rest of the advice already on here, get the basics down and they already know the rest! Recall, recall, recall. Once that was nailed for 99 percent of the time, the rest came naturally and he just got on with his job.
@NigelM another thank you for taking the time to have a conversation with me before I pulled the trigger on one so to speak!
Last picture was end of Feb, dragged the doe off a banking, in to a gulley and out of it without any encouragement... Then a 'gentle' shake to make sure it was definitely dead
Just turned a year and weighs around 40kg now and still filling out
mrs trying to get a before and after - 8 weeks to a year old@Bowland blades keep your labs, I wanted a dog that was going to test me and push my patience
I certainly got that. I had GSD's prior and frankly, a lab just wouldn't do it for me. I just find them so boring.As with the rest of the advice already on here, get the basics down and they already know the rest! Recall, recall, recall. Once that was nailed for 99 percent of the time, the rest came naturally and he just got on with his job.
@NigelM another thank you for taking the time to have a conversation with me before I pulled the trigger on one so to speak!
Last picture was end of Feb, dragged the doe off a banking, in to a gulley and out of it without any encouragement... Then a 'gentle' shake to make sure it was definitely dead
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Trust me a modern Lab splashed all over with red on the pedigree just wont ever create boredom but yes they are not much of a gamble regards ending up with a real asset@Totsy I've got one of those
Just turned a year and weighs around 40kg now and still filling out
@Bowland blades keep your labs, I wanted a dog that was going to test me and push my patience
As with the rest of the advice already on here, get the basics down and they already know the rest! Recall, recall, recall. Once that was nailed for 99 percent of the time, the rest came naturally and he just got on with his job.
@NigelM another thank you for taking the time to have a conversation with me before I pulled the trigger on one so to speak!
Last picture was end of Feb, dragged the doe off a banking, in to a gulley and out of it without any encouragement... Then a 'gentle' shake to make sure it was definitely dead
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