[Patrick Johndrow]

Got into a discussion with a buddy today about how people are bent on this forum. So I told him I would start a poll. If you had to choose between Testing/Trialing dogs or hunting dogs, which would you choose?

 

[EdA]

field trial (and hunt test) dogs can hunt too.........

hunting dogs are only trained to hunt

if you care nothing about competition, it doesn't matter

for me, the competition dog becomes the finest of hunting dogs

 

[Patrick Johndrow]

Re: Choose?

Thank goodness I don't have to choose.


(Didn't vote.)

Amen Keith....and Why am I not surprised you didnt vote :wink:

 

[Fire Angel]

I train my dog mainly for hunting. I run hunt tests because it is a good way to keep my dog sharp in the off season and also a good way to evaluate my training. It also helps me become a better handler, therefore helping us become a better hunting team!

 

[Peake]

Even though I Luv to hunt and get to enter very few HT's per yr. I would have to say Train for and Run Tests. Only because I enjoy watching other peoples dawgs run and succeed as much as my own and where else can you see 75+ handler/dawg teams run in one weekend?
Peake
________
VOYEUR TEEN

 

[Tim Carrion]

I voted trialing. I would have voted training if that was choice. HTs, FTs, and hunting can get boring. But IMHO there is nothing better than a productive training session.

Tim

 

[Jim Person]

maybe I misunderstood. The choice between testing and hunting? hunting hands down,. the only reason I test is hunting season isn't open in the summer.

 

[Ken Newcomb]

I am assuming what you are saying is I can only hunt or I can only trial. Not I can have a trial dog and hunt also or I can have a hunting dog and trial also.

With that assumption I chose to hunt. I go to work each day so that I can go hunting. I train all year so I can go hunting.

 

[Ken Archer]

Hunting season is just too short. That is why I voted testing/trialing. There is no closed season on dog competition.

 

[Canman]

This is the first hunting season I could enjoy my oldest dog. She came into heat midway through the fall trial season and has been home hunting since then. She has made me proud with some amazing retrieves. She showed great perserverance by chasing down a cripple on the river which took her over 400 yards down stream. She dug out another bird from a hole in the side of the bank. At one point, I could only see the tip of her tail. Although she has never seen ice before, it never slowed her on retrieves. This past weekend, she retrieved eider in the ocean without hesitation.

Her trainers were up hunting this weekend and we discussed washing out one of my other dogs. I mentioned keeping a washout just for hunting and as a pet. But Hugh pointed out, once you have hunted with a good dog, it is difficult to be satisfied with anything less.

Trialing first, but I do enjoy the benefits of a good dog when hunting.

 

[Patrick Johndrow]

Very interesting results so far.

 

[KJB]

If the law allowed me to hunt as often as we train, year round, I'd never run a test or trial again. Given the current laws, if I could only do one, I'd test/trial. Just have to do a lot of "shot flyers"

 

[Vickie Lamb]

field trial (and hunt test) dogs can hunt too.........

hunting dogs are only trained to hunt

if you care nothing about competition, it doesn't matter

for me, the competition dog becomes the finest of hunting dogs

Ditto. What Ed said....


:wink: :wink:

 

[stephen brown]

Hunting is the real deal, whereas trialing and testing are mostly just mock senarios of what can occur while hunting. Given the option of going hunting or trialing/testing, I'll be hunting.

 

[Fire Angel]

field trial (and hunt test) dogs can hunt too.........

hunting dogs are only trained to hunt

if you care nothing about competition, it doesn't matter

for me, the competition dog becomes the finest of hunting dogs

But the question asks if you would hunt or trial. So if you choose to trial it doesn't matter whether your dog is the finest hunting dog because the two of you will NEVER be able to do it.

 

[EdA]

field trial (and hunt test) dogs can hunt too.........

hunting dogs are only trained to hunt

if you care nothing about competition, it doesn't matter

for me, the competition dog becomes the finest of hunting dogs

But the question asks if you would hunt or trial. So if you choose to trial it doesn't matter whether your dog is the finest hunting dog because the two of you will NEVER be able to do it.

So I didn't play by the rules........I hate hypotheticals anyway :wink: besides, were it not for buying a Labrador for a hunting, I would have never seen a field trial.

 

[Thomas Pe?a]

It is the hunt

The reason I got my BLF is to hunt. I don't put her in test anymore, but I use her as a test dog - I am a HRC Started Judge. My next pup will hunt and I will put the pup in tests too. The games are fun but the hunt is what turns me on.

 

[Goose]

Got my boat parked inside my garage and waiting for Saturday. This will be my new dog's first hunt. Pretty windy in McKinney today. Hope it calms down before Saturday.

There's nothing like hunting with a dog.

 

[mstreetman]

hunting is what got me into all this, but at this point i actually think i enjoy working the dogs more. not necessrily the trial itself, but watching and helping the dogs along in training. just great seeing the little light go on in their head when they understand something new. love training dogs.