Flusher "vs." Pointer

[Teach34]

I lost my 7 year old Lab this past month and my house has not been the same since. I am now starting to look into a new pup and I am not sure if I should go with a flusher or a pointer. Having had a flusher and now would really like a pointer, but like have my dog close to me would a pointer hunt close or run out of sight. I am really looking at the GSP. I also have two young boys (5 years and 2 years of age) My Lab was great with them, would a GSP be the right breed for me. Thanks for any help.

[The Wadd]

GSP are great dogs! I have hunted with them many times! I myself fell for the Vizsla breed. My liberty hunts out to forty yrds,give or take a few yards!

[Setterman]

Pick a breed for the game you are hunting and the style of hunting you prefer. Most hunting breeds make great family pets as well.

[Hookemhigh]

Hi,just wanted to say flusher or pointing have hunted with both for years but for the hunting we have here my preference is flusher,you do a good job training and you can keep any dog as close as you want,sorry about your dog,one other thing you might want to consider is what other type of hunting are you going to do,that's why i went with a lab. Good luck:D:D

[Esetterman]

depends on what you want ... the dog will hunt how you train it... generally flushers do work closer than pointers, however i have a setter he tends to work closer in thick cover and further out in the open. most dogs will naturally do that if they know what they are looking for. also depends on the game you hunt most, pointing dogs arent the best for birds that run a lot like pheasants, for woodcock and grouse i wouldnt use a flusher they generally hold good enough. if you hunt with big groups id gowith a flusher if your solo most of the time i think a pointer is more effective... lots to consider but it all comes back to how well its trained

[Unami]

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to this question. They are both great. My lab works pretty close and he doesn't flush unless I tell him to. It's all in how you decide to train them.

[Bird Boy]

my brittanies are great. they hold the point and are eager to flush. they stay close. around 35-40 yards or so. great family dog and beutiful looking.
http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww63/Theosname8/Annas9thBdaySleepover6-21-08060.jpg

[Bird Boy]

hears binx pointing
http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww63/Theosname8/theoandbinxhunting024.jpg

[Esetterman]

only problem with britts is they have no tails!!! J/k good looking dogs bird boy

[Bird Boy]

only problem with britts is they have no tails!!! J/k good looking dogs bird boy
actually i think they're better without the tails. when you play with them they don't whack you in the face with it. instead they just jump on you while your sitting down gettin your boots on and punch you in the face. by the way thanks. i love them to death. if your wondering no they are not show dogs at all. we hunt with them 20 times a year and run them another 30. i don't know how the heck they stay clean.

[Esetterman]

yeah i was joking about the tails because i have a setter..... the woods have a funny way of cleaning them up and keeping their coats shiney

[Bird Boy]

ill say. its embarrassing when other hunters come up to you and say "wow is that dog afraid of mud or somethin"

[uncleyips]

Hey birdboy , looks like you have two great friends there, sometimes their better then humans.

[Bird Boy]

Hey birdboy , looks like you have two great friends there, sometimes their better then humans.
thanx man i love them. their great in the field and so funny to watch at home:thup:

[RUSS0079]

Teach,
I hunt and train GSP's for my guide business. I take exception to the comment that Pointers aren't good for pheasants, as they run. I've hunted wild birds in Kansas and South Dakota and my dogs did just fine. You just have to have a good bloodline and train the dogs. When you see the bird is running or sense it, you can teach your dog to circle the scent to cut the bird off. Dogs are amazing animals. We'll be having puppies in the spring. If interested send me an email.

[Setterman]

I would agree with the sentiment that pointers are more than adaptable for pheasants. While pheasants will run, a good pointer with a nose will certainly trail them and I've seen good dogs evolve and adapt themselves to the situations that pheasants present and be successful.

Another reason I like a pointing breed is indicative to the picture below. I snapped this yesterday in New York state, south of Wurtsboro. While we didn't find many pheasants on our club property that day, there were woodcock aplenty. My Setter found a bird every 20 minutes in the 2 1/2 hours we hunted. When I see a dog solid on point like this, it reminds me why I like bird hunting over a pointing breed so much.
http://i578.photobucket.com/albums/ss225/setters4life/031209-1.jpg

[Esetterman]

i couldnt agree more nice pic!!

[Esetterman]

i didnt say they were no good .... i said flushers are generally better on running birds.... i own a setter and hes great at circling a running bird ... it was just a general statment... somewhere for someone to start research on flushers and pointers... and im sure you would agree your pointers are better with birds that sit..... i never once said they werent good at it .... read my friends read

[RUSS0079]

pointing dogs arent the best for birds that run a lot like pheasants, for woodcock and grouse i wouldnt use a flusher they generally hold good enough. lots to consider but it all comes back to how well its trained[/quote]

I read it as such. If the dog has the desire to make game and is in tune with the handler you can make the dog do anything. I hunt grouse and woodcock, during the migration, most of my days in the field. As an experienced dog handler, I'm sure you've seen a grouse high tail it through the woods, especially in an area that is know for its raptors, instead of making flight, while being sented by a dog a ways off. So to say "generally" they hold good enough. I think alot of variables have to come into play. A "wild" Pheasant will not run in an open corn field as much as he will in a partially cut milo field. A grouse will not run as much in a barberry tangle as he may in mountain laurel patch. Many variables. I think if Teach is used to flusher/Retievers like his old dog, he may want to stick with it. I'm speaking on wild birds mind you. Not pen raised pheasants that must be kicked to flush, as to clear it up. Once again as was said, it is a matter of preference. Where we hunt, how we hunt and what type of birds do we hunt. If you hunt stocked birds or chase wild quarry. Either way, give me a German Shorthair and my 20 gauge and I'm happy! Don't have to worry to much about the burs and such.
Not here to bust chops, but I'm partial to the style and the breed, because I hunt wild birds.

[Esetterman]

Russ, I agree with you on everything but the last line .... gimme a SETTER and my 28 gauge double.... and im HAPPY! your right though all depends on the situation i dont think any grouse encounter is the same....Getting back to the main post here "flusher vs. Pointer" you made a good point with the hair which is true to any hunting dog.... short hair less maitenance ... after a week of hunting my setter looks like a rag because i have to chop all the hair that is matted from burs .... there is a reason im a hunter and not a barber...but to me nothing prettier than a setter locked up.....

[RUSS0079]

I'll give you that, Setters have style! But so does a street corner PIMP! :) Just kidding, they are pretty dogs. My family has been hunting and training German Shorthairs for four generations. I bucked the system with my first hunting dog, which was a 13 inch beagle. Good dog, just damn stubborn. So I caved into my genes and got my first. I've never looked back. The kennel will be full come the end of spring, when the female has her pups.

[Esetterman]

yeah my dad has had setters my whole life so naturally thats what i got, we do not breed them but it has been something i have wanted to get into, but i kinda put a cramp in that by moving away. i guess ill have to do it myself ... when i move to PA :).... i was considering a GSP when i got mine but my dad told me i couldnt use his kennel with one of them tailess ground scenters.... so i got a setter... J/k... keep it up