Those with more than one dog

[KurtR]

I think if you want do it right the lab walks at heel with you and then you walk up and flush with the lab and he retrieves it. Don’t really know but that’s how I have seen people use them together.

While guiding we had one shorthair that ran with all the labs and they figured out quick when he went on point what it meant. That pointer wasn’t steady to flush or shot for that reason. Bird finding machine though.

 

[loganwayne]

We have 3 dogs all French Brittany's. 12, 5, and almost 2. They all are different but I love them all. Hardest part was training my wife to understand how to train and handle them (I had 2 before we got married), they also got really spoiled by her.
The next biggest challenge is traveling with or without them. We bought a camper so we could go anywhere we wanted with them.

 

[tops911]

I probably would not recommend mixing pointers with flushers if you want to hunt them together. I also have a teckel (wirehair dachshund) that goes out with us when I'm not real serious about getting birds. She learned real quick when the big dogs go on point there is something there and she will go at a dead run (I can't even come close to out running her) and bust the birds. But she has also found and flushed out birds that the big dogs did not find, and has recovered wounded birds (she is not the best of retrievers though, LOL).

 

[Jason Snyder]

I just added a second pup this year. I echo most of what’s been said above.

You can mix pointers and flushers, but youlll need to enforce some obedience on the flusher. A friend uses a cocker with his GWP dogs. Cocker stays at heel until released to flush.

Edit: use collars that allow you to train more than one dog. I use Sportdogs for everyday walks and training, and can train up to three with one controller.

Don’t compromise discipline and training expectations because there is more than one dog.

 

[jimh406]

It depends on what you do with your dogs. If they are kenneled all of the time, maybe double the amount of work.

Otherwise, I think two dogs are at least 4 times as much work. I also feel that two dogs are less than 1/2 responsive than one dog. Some of that may have to do with the relationship/interrelationship difference between human/dog and dog/dog.

 

[AK_Skeeter]

It depends on what you do with your dogs. If they are kenneled all of the time, maybe double the amount of work.

Otherwise, I think two dogs are at least 4 times as much work. I also feel that two dogs are less than 1/2 responsive than one dog. Some of that may have to do with the relationship/interrelationship difference between human/dog and dog/dog.

I always felt that pup quickly understands he is at the bottom of the food chain and picks up quickly that the older dog is submissive to the owner. Adult dog must wait for verbal release at feeding, followed by pup waiting after adult dog begins eating.

Plus pup learns early on swimming by following the older dog's lead.

And pup learns that if he whines, older dog gets the retrieve reward, so pup soon learns to be quiet:

 

[jimh406]

I always felt that pup quickly understands he is at the bottom of the food chain and picks up quickly that the older dog is submissive to the owner. Adult dog must wait for verbal release at feeding, followed by pup waiting after adult dog begins eating.

Plus pup learns early on swimming by following the older dog's lead.

And pup learns that if he whines, older dog gets the retrieve reward, so pup soon learns to be quiet:

Still, more than double the work.

 

[KurtR]

Still, more than double the work.

Or double the fun. Double the chance to learn how to read dogs. Double the times you can run that hard off the point blind.

 

[AK_Skeeter]

Still, more than double the work.

Always have a back-up if one gets injured and can not hunt.

I hunt my 1-year old mornings of Monday, Tuesday, then 8-year old Weds,
then 1-year old Thurs, Friday, then 8-year old Saturday. (retired)

Plus travel to train, might as well take both dogs to train.

 

[ianpadron]

I've got a 2 year old pointer (Brittany) and 6 year old Field Golden. Lethal combination on upland birds of all varieties, with of course a few frustrations along the way.

They are my 2 favorite breeds and they excel in different situations, so I think I'll likely always have at least 1 of each. I would prefer 2 Britts and a Goldie long term for maximum scorched earth bird hunting. Allows the big runners to rest up on longer trips too.

The Britt can put in 30-40 mile days effortlessly and locates most of our birds. He's a smooth operator and very agile/stylish. The Golden is the dude that shows up with the battering ram and throws a flash bang grenade into the room blasting heavy metal lol. The Golden is the finest quail and thick rooster cover dog I'll likely ever have the pleasure to hunt over, and it's due to his combination of minimum required brain cells to function and a world class nose He usually looks like someone took a razor blade to his face by the end of a hunt and simply doesn't care.

The ONLY issue we ran into was our Golden suddenly went hard mouthed at the tail end of last season and actually destroyed a couple birds, which was insane because he'll carry an egg in his mouth and not break it as a fun trick to show friends.

We realized it only happened when he thought our younger dog or a buddies dog was going to steal his bird...a little revisit of force fetch and having him watch other dogs get a retrieve before he was sent fixed that real quick.

You absolutely have to keep an eye on your flushing dog if you're going to run him in tandem with a pointer. I have my Golden sit when his collar beeps to allow myself to get into position without him busting the Britts birds. He occasionally busts a covey before I realize what's going on as he can read the pointers body language better than I can.

All in all I love em both to pieces and they each seem to turn in a couple "WOW" hunts every season where I'm convinced either breed is the best thing ever gifted to man.

Of course the best benefit of having multiple dogs is not to you at all, but to the dogs themselves. Having a buddy to hang with is healthy for them and the bonds they build with each other are priceless. Our Britt is legitimately co-dependent on our Golden and it's about the cutest thing ever.

 

[Wheels]

I’ve got a 10 year old Chessie and a 5 year old black lab. I alternate dogs when duck hunting with other dogs, they both go when I’m hunting alone. Upland they both go. We hunt with other guys that have pointers and when their dogs go on point, I whistle sit my dogs until the flush.

 

[Jason Snyder]

The only real drawback to having two dogs is deciding which one has to stay home on big game hunts.

Other than that they hunt upland and waterfowl together. It is more training and more cleanup, and it’s also more enjoyment.

 

[ianpadron]

The only real drawback to having two dogs is deciding which one has to stay home on big game hunts.

Other than that they hunt upland and waterfowl together. It is more training and more cleanup, and it’s also more enjoyment.

Easy decision for me haha, the Brittany can't sit still for more than 10 seconds without starting to fidget and look for grouse.

 

[loganwayne]

Guess we're going to show how much more work 4 dogs are than 3. I was gone for a week hunting woodcock and came home to my wife telling me she put a deposit on a puppy..... good news is she knows enough to know the kennels I like, and the kennel owner was holding two pups back for himself and told her to pick one of the two.

 

[DuckDogDr]

When i first started i had only one dog and only wanted one . Then after he passed fate would land me 2 dogs almost at the exact same time . (Seemed to be something in the air.. had several classmates that lost dogs at similar times and then everyone wound up with 2)

It’s been a learning process for sure and sometimes a pain in the ass.. but overall it’s been worth it.

 

[WCB]

Only downside is double the food cost and maintenance. Also, if you have to leave town not as easy to dump two dogs on someone (or pay double the doggy daycare).

Other than that...cover more ground, usually get on crippled birds faster, when your older dog gets to the point they can't go all day you can with the younger dog. If conditions are not "ideal" you can rotate.

 

[Front Range Gun Dog]

 

[CobraChicken]

I have two labs. About a year apart though. It's been great for both of them actually. They have a playmate and imo when bird season rolls around I can cycle them to keep stress and wear and tear down and keep them ready to go.

I will run them both together sometimes but it's great. Plus two pooches are better than one and none!

 

[AndrewMT34]

We have two bird dogs, it really makes trips to the field much easier. If a dogs pad's get beat up or injured you can rotate dogs. I try to hunt them separately, but on half day hunts I will run them together.

You will still bond to both dogs and they will still bond to you, just be sure to give them both solo time with you.

 

[tops911]

I will add that there is nothing better than watching 2 Drahts working as a team on a running rooster. I find it very enjoyable to watch the teamwork on running birds.