"Pointers are one function dogs that need to be worked and then kenneled". I have heard this some much on the website lately it has become quite disturbing that people could actually be taking this information as fact rather the uninformed straight rubbish. To all those that are looking for new dogs and family pets do your research, and be careful of opinions that are not based with factual information. Even though I am still fairly young I have had many different dogs all from the English Lab, Vizsla, German Short Hair, and have worked very close with a German Wire Hair and a Wired Hair Vizsla. So as to not use someone else's dogs in my example I will only talk about my dogs. Labs are great even though I think that back yard breeders have almost ruined the breed itself, this new American Standard has just gotten way out of hand, with the dog getting bigger and bigger. None the less both English and America Labs can be great dogs for every aspect of life, they are great family dogs and can be awesome hunting partners. Now to the real point of this post, The Pointing Breeds. Yes they are hyper but how can anyone say they are one function dogs that need to be worked and then kenneled? This kind of response usually comes from someone who doesn't know that they have to exercise hyper dogs to keep them from going stir crazy. I currently work both a Vizsla and a GSP for Quail, Ducks, Geese, and Dove, they both do exceptionally well. To single out characteristics my Vizsla has no problem in making very long retrieves that would make even a Lab jealous, and she can do it faster. She is not as good of a pointer as my GSP is but she holds her own. My GSP is a pointing machine, she cant get enough, she loves to retrieve dummies and anything you will through for her. Both work great together and compliment each other so well. The best part of all this is that when we get home from hunting they get a bath and then they are the most perfect house dogs, and by the way they are not kenneled. They play and lay around the house and don't bother anyone, they are both well behaved and have great house manners. My year and a half old Vizsla that had never really been around children plays great with my Brother in laws young kids and enjoys being around them. I have had 3 Vizsla's now, and everyone has a different personality, but I can say this with the utmost certainty that all dogs are different, if you want a dog to be a hunter and a house dog, then don't do what others say and put them in a kennel, make that dog a part of your life, take it every where with you and your family. Any dog can be trained to hunt and go into a kennel but I don't think that most of us want that.

On some occasions you can hammer a nail in with a crescent wrench but not always. Even on the occasions that you can it still doesn't make it the best tool for the job.

"Never, ever spoil your bird dog ..... If you train your dog yourself, make sure it understands and follows your commands, give it lots of love and spoil it whenever you can, it will work harder for you in the field because it loves you and wants to please you!" ~ Dez Young

I don't think anyone on the forum said you have to kennel a certain breed.
I've only read that some breeds deal with being kenneled better than others.

+1.

Post up the links to the posts you are talking about.

I hate to see kenneled dogs. I took two that were kenneled their entire lives (7 and 8 years) and rehabilitated them both to be great family pets as well as great hunting dogs.

I agree with what John posted. You will have a better hunting dog if the dog wants to hunt for you and isn't forced to hunt for you.

I think cc is a great example of why that's not always true.

I hate to see hunting dogs locked in a plastic crate all day when they could be in a kennel that they can actually, oh I dont know, Move? yeah thats it. I think you are a good guy Stink & I like you but if you think you can force a dog to hunt, you know alot less than I thought.

I don't mind one trick ponies, if it's a good trick. Shaquille O'Neal was a one trick pony.

You can have the one trick pony Shequille O"Neal and I will take the well rounder Michael Jordan.

: Best beginner bird dog [Re: Turkeyslayer1221]
Don Dial Offline
Veteran Tracker






This is the quickest one I could find with the limited amount of time I had.

Did you read any of the posts in response to that one?

You are missing the point. I said I don't mind one trick ponies, not I prefer one trick ponies. In a perfect world, all pointing dogs would always be steady to wing and shot. They would never false point. They would not chase rats, and rabbits. They would all retrieve to hand. They would honor other dog's points. They would all quarter perfectly. Shock collars would never be needed.
You play the cards you were dealt.

I have a friend who had a female Brittany. She was the most hard headed dog I've ever hunted behind. She hunted for herself. She allowed you to tag- a-long. What made it worse is that he would yell and scream at her, ALL DAY LONG.
She had the best nose I've ever seen. She was a bird finder. She found birds when no other dog could, so I didn't mind.

I like all pointing breeds from pointers on down, but I only hunt wild bobwhite quail and do a few NSTRA trials. Given the choice most dogs of any breed would rather be out in the back yard. Cracker's kennel stays open. I'll find her in her kennel at times. She's now in my sunroom on her pad. She'll stay there until released.

I like both of yall, and I marked the key words.
To be honest, I've seen both crated and kennel dogs hunt for their owners.
Mine spend half the day lounging on the couch. I think they would be easier to keep in shape if they were kennel dogs.

I have a Back Yard, a Kennel or dog run, A plastic crate, and a wire crate. And today I am working on converting a mud room to a dog room.
My Vizsla Blaze is 9 has had the run of the house since she was two and it is her choice when she goes in the back yard. She spends most of her time on the couch or laying in the sun. Because she is blind we do close off part of the house when we are not home. Blaze is the Queen of the house and no longer has a servants heart, but she has earned her retirement.
My Vizsla Dash is 2. He can have the run of the house when we are home and though allowed on furniture and bed, he prefers the floor and spends most of his time in my office. If we are not home he stays in a crate. If he is annoying us, he goes in the crate. Someone is almost always home and there are no long hours in one of the crates. He does not like to go in the back yard by himself. Lives for training sessions and goes everywhere with me.
I had hounds before I had Vizslas. Annie out of a World Champion dog and one other Treeing Walker both were very much one purpose dogs. Hunting with their nose to the ground every waking hour. If they lived in the house there would have been trails worn through the carpet. There was a deep track in the back yard where she moved non stop. At night both kenneled outside. Rarely allowed in the house.
Another was a Walker Hound I rescued that had been abused and was living in a 4x4 plywood mud floor pen when I found her, so I took her from her owner and dared him to stop me. She stayed in her dog run during the day by her choice and slept in the house at night.
My Redbone stayed in his dog run pretty much 24-7 when not hunting which was three nights a week. He had grown up a local family's pet but showed aggression when they had a child. Rescued by me to do what he was born to do.
My Brittany, before I had hounds was an outdoor dog that lived in a large fenced off portion of yard and given exercise daily. Never allowed in the house.
I once had a Labrador. A rescue. Lived outside in the back yard, trained at other sites weekly. Never allowed in the house. He would have destroyed it like he did the back yard.

All were spoiled in their own way. What defined spoiling depended on the dog. Every dog is different with different needs and not always a stereotype of it's own breed.