grouse dog?

[setterguy]

Duckbuster-

The point that I was trying to make is that different breeds of dogs scent in different ways. Not all are going to have the nose or the abilities that others are. You're right grouse do run as well. But when pressured grouse more than pheasants will break cover and flush. It all has to do with the cover they live in, when a pheasant flys it exposes itself to hawks, or owls or other predators, grouse usually don't break the canopy of the trees they live in when they flush. I will also say this, grouse will tend to run more in front of a dog like a lab, one that is a little slower working, they whole idea of a pointing dog is to confuse the bird. The bird can hear that dog coming, no doubt. Then suddenly the dog stops, confusing the bird into hunkering down until the gunner can break the bird of cover. I have never heard of a dog catching a wild, healthy grouse before, you must have one fast dog.

Grabs- As far as the male/female debate goes, here are my pros and cons of each, do with the info what you will. Again these are generalizations there are always exceptions.

Female- Pros: 1.Generally catch on to training more quickly. 2. Usually not aggressive with other dogs. 3. The puppy factor, if you end up with the dog of a lifetime you can always have some pups and try and get another one.
Cons: 1. The mess of dealing with heat cycles. 2. Not as physically strong as male dogs, tend to tire more quickly in heavy cover.

Males. Pros: Stud factor, if you end up with a great male you can easily make 300-400 dollars for stud fees. 2. Stronger, just like in most animals the males tend to be bigger, and stronger. This may not be a positive in the grouse woods where I like my dogs no bigger than 45 lbs.

Cons: 1. Aggresiveness with other male dogs. 2. Tend to take longer to train. 3. Marking. 4. Do not live as long.

Like I said earlier, all of these traits can be different from dog to dog and it all comes down to what you are looking for and what things are important to you in a dog. As far as when to get it, it is easier to potty train a dog in the spring or summer, I would pick out the breed, then the breeder, then the actual litter that you want to choose from. Then get one of those pups, no matter what season it is. I would make a decision pretty soon, there tends to be a waiting list for most real good breeders of puppies. The guys that I run dogs with have litters sold for months before the b*****s are even bred.

[Guest]

More news to me, Male dogs dont live as long as a female.

Never heard of that before, how do they figure that one out?

My uncle had a 13yr old male, and If I remember correct he was still half azz hunting at that age.

What kills the males before the females?

[setterguy]

Q. Why do males die before females?

A. Because they want to!

Serioulsy, of course this again is a generalization. Look at any species of animal, males tend not to live as long as females, humans included. If I had to guess I would say that body mass has a lot to do with it, carrying around a bigger body your whole life is going to take its toll. Agian no scientific proof to back that up, just a guess.