What is the best multi purpose dog if I want to squirell hunt, rabbit hunt, and bird hunt.

Any of the versatile breeds should work.

What about a pointer?

Gsp. Gwp V . Lots of different choices depending on what you want

I vote GSP.

What kind of bird hunting?

A gsp is to hyper for my 4 younger brother and sisters. I want to hunt quail dove ducks and hopefully squirrels. I thought a English pointer because there not as hyper as the gsp but still hunt kinda like one.

Gsp are wonderful house pets as long as you devote the time to working them that every working dog deserves...a tired dog is a happy dog

Vizsla

Well now, I've got to chime in on this post. Most EP's have had or been around have been pretty dang hyper and not great retrievers. I have only seen one that would retrieve doves and ducks. So, I'm voting on the English Setter. Great family dogs and excellent hunters. Not hard to force break to retrieve if they aren't natural at it.

I will put in my two cents as well...get a GSP...

What is everyone's opinion on Weimaraners? I grew up with a lab/weimaraner mutt that was never trained but pointed birds in the field and was one of the smartest dogs I've ever been around. I rarely see them mentioned on this forum and trying to find a breeder with a hunting emphasis in the state is pretty difficult as well.

Why a gsp though. What is the advantage?

As a whole they are more versatile than an English pointer.

What is the main goal of the dog? What do you hunt most?

The problem is that there is not one specific breed that will do everything as good as a breed that specializes. If you will be mostly hunting squirrels then get a hound or something like that. If you will be mainly hunting upland then get a pointer, if you mostly hunt dove and waterfowl then get a retriever breed.
The pointers will be better bird finders than a retriever breed but they wont be as good of a retriever as a retrieving breed.
So that's really what you need to decide. What will the dog be doing MOST of the time?

If you will be mostly hunting squirrels and rabbits then a springer spaniel would be a nice choice. If you do much duck hunting I would definitely look at a retriever breed, like a Chesapeake Bay Retriever or Lab. The Boykin Spaniel is nice little versatile hunting dog and they are better retrievers than other spaniel breeds.

But you need to really think about what the dog will be doing most of the time and base your decision on that.

Why a gsp you ask...because they are the best hunting dog ever created... they will out point an EP. Out retrieve a retriever...out set a setter....out run a V.....balance your checkbook and do your taxes....you ask 100 people you will get 100 answers...what it boils down to is your situation and what you plan on doing with the dog...

Pug... hands down. No lab can hold a candle to the pure retrieving ability of a pug. And they will out point any pointer. They will run all day in a pheasant field without getting tired, and sit in a freezing duck blind without getting cold.

They can even herd sheep and drive cattle.

At first I thought you were serious. lol

Who said I wasn't? lol

Especially outrun a vizsla

Well I knew this question was going to bring out the opinions do to the love of a breed.

Growing up with EP's, I would not go that way, we had labs for retrieving and flushing. But my family had always run this setup.

I hunted over tons of GSP and Brittany's and have often thought about them being the dog I would choose until I went on a hunt in SD for pheasant and saw the first Vizsla. Now comes my bias, I love our little Vizsla, big runner, loads of natural ability, loves to retrieve, will hunt anything you trainer for, and has on many occasion ran greyhounds to the point of exhaustion. And you can not find a better FAMILY dog. She has a few girls to share her love and still cannot get enough.

That is my bias! And the dog that you get that has a history/genes to be versatile hunting breed will work if you train it or have it trained for the purpose you want. I have a thing for rare or non typical hunting companions.

Whatever you pick train it your self if time permits, I have done both and always get more from doing it myself, currently it is not in the cards, new job has me travel to much.

Tex-x and Buffs-1, you guys are cracking me up!

What they said!! Unless you want to hunt waterfowl.. Then don't listen to what they said!!

Angie

Obviously, you haven't seen my Vizsla run!

What is "best" depends on what is best for you. A recommendation can't really be given on what that might be without a definition of "and bird hunt". And without an idea of the percentages of each type of hunting you expect to be doing.