Help! Springer or Lab?

[gahlD]

Should i get a English Springer Spaniel or a Lab? I will be hunting alot with him or her.

[MN Shutterbug]

It depends a lot on what you'll mainly be be hunting. If for waterfowl you might be better off with a lab. A springer has a tough time sitting still. If pheasants, a well trained springer can't be beat. They also don't eat as much. IMO, they are also a much better looking dog. Labs are so generic.

[PurpleFloyd]

Agreed. If you waterfowl hunt then the lab would be better served. For Pheasants a Springer is a better choice than a lab. That being said, there are some other great all around breeds that you may want to consider such as the Pudelpointer, the GWP, GSP,Munsterlander and others that depending on the game you are after may be excellent choices as well.

[RangerJack]

x3...springer for upland, lab for waterfowl...

Springers can do both, and labs can do both...

Springers can be high maintenance, labs can be high maintenance...

To each their own...I have two springers and I love them dearly.

[Walleye Guy]

Get a lab that points and have the best of both worlds.

[onthefly]

Good luck finding help here! I'm betting that you'll only be more conflicted when you read the responses

I'd say lab... They're the canine equivalent of a "4 sport athlete" in my book. There's a reason they're so popular! And, it's what I spend the Fall behind. But, if you only want to play baseball (hunt pheasants or grouse) a Springer is probably a better choice.

I say, make your choice and enjoy what they add to the experience.

[gahlD]

thank you for the responses by the way i will be mainly hunting pheasants with him or her

[MN Shutterbug]

I've never had a lab, but the springer I had was easily trainable, eager to please and once in the field, all business. She made the hunt enjoyable even when skunked.

If you plan on doing the training yourself, I'd recommend the book Game Dog by Richard Wolters. I followed that book almost to a T and it worked out really well. I've hunted with "professionally trained" dogs and they wouldn't hold a candle to my springer. While in the field you should never have to yell at your dog. After all, pheasants do have ears.

Good luck and enjoy whatever you get. But please, do not do like so many and utilize for a month of hunting season and then practically ignore it the rest of the year. The dog deserves so much more. They can only be "man's best friend" if treated like a friend.

[tfran123]

Have owned two of each, like both and a top notch springer might be a touch better in the field, not so over water. While you say you hunt a lot I can tell you that our seasons are short and all that other time when you can't hunt I strongly believe the lab is the better companion, hands down. So with that alone I'd pick a lab, versatility, disposition & other breed attributes make them pound for pound very tough to beat . . .

[TylerS]

Get a lab that points and have the best of both worlds.

Except springers don't point...they're flushing dogs.

[PurpleFloyd]

thank you for the responses by the way i will be mainly hunting pheasants with him or her

I have a bias towards Springers because that is what I own myself but honestly there are so many good upland dogs out there from Setters to Pointers and retrievers that I would just say you should first look at how you hunt, where you hunt and also when you get home what do you expect from a dog. We didn't want a big dog because we keep them in the house. We wanted a great family dog and for me, I don't shoot waterfowl and I hunt smaller tracts of land with lots of cattails and tall grass, ditches etc and a flusher is a great dog for that. I don't want to go into the cat tails and flush a bird because the dog is locked up on point, I just want it flushed and brought back to me if I hit it. A Lab would do that too but not necessarily a Pointer if you want it to do things the way the should.

If I hunted a lot of big, open areas then a dog like a Brittany, GSP, Setter etc would be great because they would be able to range out and cover more ground than a flusher can.

To keep it as short as possible you need to define they way you hunt and what you hunt first and then look to see what dog best fits your needs. They are all great and all fun to watch when they do what they do. The rest is personal preference.

[CANOPY SAM]

My vote goes to Labrador Retriever. In fact, if your significant other doesn't mind, get TWO of em'!

Just the best all around dog you can own.

[tfran123]

Not a doubt in my mind, Lab is a far better pet - that's painting it with a broad brush and there are always exceptions. As for hunting, a well trained lab or springer will do what you need but it all depends on the individual pet, start with a dog with average/below average lines/instincts and you'll end up with just that. Find a good breeder and go with what suits you and enjoy it! Pets are rewarding.

[Glock]

Purchase the best pedigree you can afford as the purchase price is a small portion of owning the dog. I was in your position several years back. Now that hunting land is scarce it seems like hunting those nasty areas that are full of burrs and other nasty clingy weeds is the norm. Not wanting to have to brush them out of coats was what won the lab as my choice.