FT dogs do you hunt with them or not?

[Philip Carson]

Think hunting field trial dogs is great! Isn't that what it's supposed to be about? Pros may not like it, particularly if they've got a dog in training that they think can win, and particularly pheasant hunting. Agree that dogs know difference between hunting and trialing. Still, hunting can loosen them up. My AFC will break on hunting ducks, but never at a trial (so far). I see Canadian Nat'l Am winner hunts from earlier post.

[BonMallari]

there is a long distinguished list of champions and National champions that were hunted, going back to John Olin....I would venture a guess that the main reason that FT dogs are not hunted is that their owners may not be waterfowl hunters, add to that that many of today's owners have their dog being campaigned or trained year round, they might be reluctant to bring them home and hunt them...it has very little to do with the myth that you can't hunt a FT dog....ask Michael Flannery about hunting with Corky, or Tom Quinn hunting with Anny

If you hunt, and don't use your FT dog at least one in their career, you are depriving yourself of one of the great pleasures to be had in the outdoors....

But to each their own...everyone has their own agenda

[Dman]

Everyone that I know hunts their dogs.

[zeus3925]

I now have two trial dogs and I hunt both of them.

[canuckkiller]

Lots of general statements in these posts. Timing is everything. Hunting helps
to develope natural instincts and developes attention, desire and to a point
marking. No question hunting reves up the cadence ... it may be however, at
the expense of control, particularly in the F.T. game and what's demanded
today.

Steadiness in a 'field blind' or in a boat duck hunting and 'control' as to the
"order of birds picked up" also may influence results in a 'non-slip' F.T.

However, jump shoooting, quartering a field pheasant hunting, without question
erodes "trainable qualities" developed thru repetitive consistent training; lining,
stopping and accurately/briskly casting on today's F.T. blinds - land or water.

Everything is relative. Preparing for a series of fall trials with the goal of collecting
final points for a national, or if qualified, I for one would be hard pressed to spend
a week to ten days in Saskatchewan or South Dakota hunting Royal's Moose's Moe, Ripp'n Ready or any of my competitive retrievers I have had over the years.

W. D. Connor

[AmiableLabs]

If you hunt, and don't use your FT dog at least once in their career, you are depriving yourself of one of the great pleasures to be had in the outdoors....

QFT. ("Quoted for truth.")

[thelast2]

The reason I originally asked this question is there are so many books where this subject comes up and would seem the author's believe a hunting dog is different from a Field Trial dog and seems that a dog can be one or the other but not both. While I understand a dog trained specifially for hunting would by no means be able to perform at the level demanded for field trials, I just cant see why field trial dogs wouldnt be able to hunt, and from all the posts many of you do hunt FT dogs so Im gonna have to say that the common misconception, of either a hunting dog or field trial dog not both is a myth. As some have said I also believe the dogs know the difference from the line to the duck blind. And I guess the concensus would be that the only real trouble one could get themselves in would be if the dog starts breaking and show unsteadiness while hunting and then carrying that same behavior to the line of a trial. So that is good information to know.

[John Robinson]

The reason I originally asked this question is there are so many books where this subject comes up and would seem the author's believe a hunting dog is different from a Field Trial dog and seems that a dog can be one or the other but not both. While I understand a dog trained specifially for hunting would by no means be able to perform at the level demanded for field trials, I just cant see why field trial dogs wouldnt be able to hunt, and from all the posts many of you do hunt FT dogs so Im gonna have to say that the common misconception, of either a hunting dog or field trial dog not both is a myth. As some have said I also believe the dogs know the difference from the line to the duck blind. And I guess the concensus would be that the only real trouble one could get themselves in would be if the dog starts breaking and show unsteadiness while hunting and then carrying that same behavior to the line of a trial. So that is good information to know.

Like you I also read a lot of this stuff in books and gun dog magazine when I started in field trials in the early 90s. I wrote a whole article dispelling this myth a year ago for the Golden retriever news.

The "myths" as I see them are 1) Field trial bred dogs are too high powered for the average hunter to handle. 2) Field trial bred dogs are too hyper and figgitty, and are unable to relax in a hunting blind or home in the house. 3) Allowing your dog to relax his standards a bit while hunting, maybe cheat a bank or something, will ruin him as a field trial dog.

I started in this sport because I wanted a good, well trained hunting dog. I hunt lots of upland, but most of my efforts are geared toward waterfowl. I take every hunting season off training to hunt my dogs. Obviously the dogs love it, but I also feel they can use a break from the riggors of day training. My dogs definitely know the difference between hunting and trialing, I haven't seen any bad habits pass over from hunting to field trials. Also, my high powered field trial dogs are very well mannered in the hunting blind and at home. Like I said, I believe these issues are myths, plain and simple.

ps, the dog in my avatar is how my dogs sit and watch for birds, they will sit still and watch for birds from dawn to dusk. That incredible prey drive translates into an incredible focus and steadyness with experience in the duck blind.

John

[twall]

I remember reading where Mike Lardy stopped to hunt phesants in Iowa on the way home from the NRC in Oklahoma. I think that was the one Rascal won. There was something about hunting with multiple NFC's.

Tom

[John Robinson]

I remember reading where Mike Lardy stopped to hunt phesants in Iowa on the way home from the NRC in Oklahoma. I think that was the one Rascal won. There was something about hunting with multiple NFC's.

Tom

I've told this story before, but my wife was flying out on a business trip and got to talking with the guy sitting on the plane next to her. Turns out he was returning home after a wonderful ducking hunting vacation with his brother in law in Montana. They had great shoots every day, but all he could do was rave about the dog work. My wife asks him who his BIL is and he says Bill Totten. Well we know Bill and his dogs, so she asks him which dog. He says some dog Bill called "Shooter". She couldn't believe Bill was using FC-AFC Dust Devils Shoot The Moon, over 300 all age points. I asked her if you wanted to show your brother in law a great time and great dog work, who would you take over Shooter?

John