Hey everyone,
I've been looking into getting a new pup for a while and have come to the realization that the dogs I grew up with are not the best for my family at the moment. My whole life I've had coonhounds and after an attempt at introducing my wife to them (she hasn't ever had a dog) I figured out with the volume level and the difficulty of obedience training that we need something else. I decided to look into bird dogs since by rule usually are easier to train in obedience and easier to play with. Then came talking the wife into telling me what she liked as for looks. I wanted a large flat coat dog such as lab or weimeraner but she likes small fuzzy dogs. So I looked around and came across spaniels. They seem to have everything we want in a dog collectively but I can't seem to find any in what I consider a reasonable pet quality with hunting potential price.

So here I am asking you guys if you know anyone selling spaniel pups (springer, cocker, Brittany, etc.) At a price range of say 400 or less. Only stipulations I have is that at least somewhat field bred and parents are good with kids. (I have a 3 yr old and possibly another in the future)

If you know anyone please let me know as I really don't want my son to grow up and not know the joy I had of having a dog growing up.

Brittany's aren't a spaniel, the A.K.C. dropped the "spaniel" from the name over 20 years ago, Spaniels are a flushing breed & Brittany's are a pointing breed. But Brittany's make great family pets / inside dogs & are easy to train IMO. I don't know much about Cocker or Springer Spaniels, I do know Cockers have a bad reputation for not being great around kids but I bet if raised & trained right, they would be fine. Check out http://www.flying-o-ranch.com/ he has some great Brittany's.

I did realize that about the name of brittanys but regardless of the name they are a spaniel built breed. I looked at the website and it looks good. Definately be something to look into further. I guess I should point out that unless I find a place to hunt upland, my main focus will be retrieving dove and maybe a duck here and there. Also if it makes any difference I am looking at females only unless it is just a hell of a deal

Flying-O-Ranch has excellent dogs

Check out Boykins for retrieving. Heard good things about them.

Boykins are great for retrieving and duck hunting, but if the top of your price range is $400 that is gonna be tough... when I was looking for a Boykin pup last year the cheapest I was finding them was $800.

Same with English Cocker pups... and in addition, even though my little Millie (7 months old) is turning out to be easy to train, and biddable, when we had her in the house, it was like living with a wild monkey...she was into and all over everything. My wife couldn't take it, and she is so quick, she scared little kids. Don't think she would be a good candidate for a first dog or for a part time lap dog. She is a fast mover, and way to busy for that duty. I would think a mature dog would be better for your purposes than a field bred puppy.

Yea I definitely agree Pointer... Spaniels are great dogs but because they're so smart they can have a tendency to be stubborn (read difficult to train if you aren't firm enough), and if it is a field bred Spaniel then it will have tons of energy, especially as a puppy.

We love our Boykin (gets back from the trainer in 6 weeks!) but when he is home he has to be training, playing, or in the kennel otherwise he is on a mission to destroy everything! He's not a big dog, and he's not mean, but 40lbs of muscle that wants to run, jump, and play constantly could really scare a kid.

BigJoe you may want to look more toward an older dog (1-2 years) so that you can see its personality and temperament... I haven't seen too many puppies, especially gun dog puppies that weren't little balls of energy, and that might not work great with little kids.

Small and Fuzzy? Yes. $800 and up though. 2 1/2 year old Boykin Spaniel.



Great dog, LOVES retrieving.

Big Joe
Please take the advice of someone who has been where you are... Don't go the cheap route. Go ahead and spend the money on a Springer from good bloodlines. You will never regret it one bit!
Most people never have a clue about Springers. Their hunting style is breathtaking to watch. They work close in for good hunting action. Plus if you like to duck hunt they do all the same work of the retrievers. Before you get ANY dog come watch a Springer field trial, You will never be the same again. There will be a huge Springer field trial in Huntsville in November and the North Texas club has another trial in January

This is the pup I got just over a month ago

Wow thanks for the responses everyone. I do understand the point about puppies being a handful and a half. I had a blue tick coonhound not to long ago that my son loved but he was too loud and kept everyone awake when he got something on his mind. So we had to sell him. Now that my home life has settled down a bit due to in laws moving out again I want a dog to replace him. I really like the springers but I'm not sure how much my wife is going to allow me to pony up for. Hopefully I get a new job soon and then it will be much easier to talk her into it. Current job keeps me here too long and doesn't pay much. I really wouldn't be opposed to any of the suggestions I've gotten. Brittanys are good dogs and from the looks of it all 'm going to be able to get close to getting in the ole lady's OK list

I agree with Blanco. Save up for a little bit and buy a dog with quality bloodlines. You will be much happier in the long run.

This is great advice. I owned a springer many year ago and did not realize how good they could be until I went to a springer trial last year and watched the dogs work.

jason

BLANCO
WHEN AND WHERE ARE THE FIELD TRIALS GOING TO BE HELD IN HUNTSVILLE?

November 2~4 outside Huntsville
Here is the website for the dates ... Look up the Rocky MTN. schedule and drill down to November there are links on the dates

http://www.essft.com/alldates.html

By the way... That pup in that picture is 14 weeks old this weekend. He can already do marked retrieves to 50 yds in short cover, and will do short water retrieves. He will sit to whistle voice and hand signals. We are currently working on getting him to quarter a field puppy style.
Gator is from exceptional bloodlines and I must say IT IS IN THE BREEDING. Before getting a dog do your home work... Talk to people that know the dogs. NEVER buy or get a dog on impulse. Never take a pup from the first litter you look at.
Look at many talk to many different people. Then leave the wife and kids behind and get the dog that suits YOU!
It will not be cheap because the majority of FIELD BRED SPRINGER breeders are ethical and responsible. Most will have spent a considerable amounts of money having dogs tested to insure that their dogs do not pass on bad genes

Not to knock other breeds, But the Labradors in general are having a tough time because of irrisponsible breeding. Bad hips and EIC are rampant and there are some bad breeders doing the dogs a dis-service by breeding dogs with known faults.

Most all the Field Bred Springer litters I have seen from reputable breeders will offer a 30 month guarntee against a defective dog which include desire to hunt.

Sorry to rant.
I just wish there were someone like myself who spoke up to educate more people.
Just opinion here, but well bred Springer is hard to beat for bird doggin fun

Like others have said, Boykin all the way! I'm in the market for one myself. I have lots of contacts on SC, where they originated, and on my next business trip there I'm coming back with one myself.

If you want a Brit, I got my last one from Flying O. Nothing but good things to say. My neighbor across the street has known Ed for 20 years and Ed knows what he's doing. Can't go wrong there.

But, if you want a duck dog don't plan on a Brit. My old man raised them when we were kids and we had a couple that were great water retrievers, but most that we had weren't. They are hit and miss with it. My Brit thinks she is too good for stinky ducks and mud...

You might consider an English Cocker also. I have seen quite a few really nice ones. If you can deal with the small size they a fantastic little dogs

If you want the dog to be a retriever for the most part your best bet is a Boykin Spaniel, while they are a spaniel and they are great upland flushers the Boykin, speaks the retriever language better than any other spaniel breed. Train them just like a Lab and they will make a great duck/dove dog. But you will not find any dogs with health certs for under a $1,000. The market for Boykins is $1,200 for a male and $1,500 for a female, give or take a couple hundred. And dont gamble on a cheap pup without health certs, the breed has very high percentages of dogs with hip dysplasia so get a dog that is bred to OFA "Good" or better.

X2,,, I've trained springers, brittnays and boykins. Boykins are the way to go..

Sorry but your not going to find any kind of spaniel worth it's salt with clearances or pedigree for under $400.

Angie

What?? You can say that about any breed. Labradors are not having a tough time,,,, believe me.

You just have to find a good breeder and stop shopping in the wal-mart parking lot.

Angie

I just wanted to stop in again and say thanks for the info.. I'm definately going to wait till I get a new job then I might look into what's available then
My wife has decided at least for the time being that no dogs in the house rule is to be reimplemented so I might be looking for something bigger and better adjusted to the heat of Houston weather

The best all around hunting dog I ever had was a English Cocker, dove, quail, ducks, sandhills it didn't matter to him. He even went above and beyond the call one day and retrieved a bullfrog we couldn't get to. With the type of hunting I do and the area I hunt what I want is a good dead bird dog, I'll find the live ones. My old Gus dog is trained for the very same purpose and has worked out fine. He's half lab and half English Cocker.