Will your dog sit still and keep quiet in a duck blind? My beloved lab is getting old, and I am thinking of another option, including something better able on upland. GWP, Brittany, DD, GSP, maybe even Vizsla. But I've got a lot of concerns, and since I do hunt mostly ducks, I want to be sure it can handle that. The sitting. The patience. Any thoughts? Also, is the boundless energy of some of these dogs exaggerated or real? We have a unique living situation where we are five days a week in the city, no real yard, two days in the country with acreage. The lab adjusts beautifully. In the city she just sleeps, except the twice daily exercise, in the country she is a bundle of energy. But could a dog like a GWP handle that? There would be exercise and attention, but could a pointer handle living inside five days a week, walks/runs only 2 or 3 times a day? Thanks much in advance.

What I can tell you is a bored or ignored Vizsla is one of the most destructive animals on this earth.

Dont u worry so much
A dog is a mans best friend and then some
I had my dog for 15 yrs now, if he pees on the hardwood floor i am ok with that.
Unconditional love!
When the dude is gone, only then would you realize you went to hard on him (i am not talking about you, just in general)

But to answer your question, a pointer is rough in the city.
I would get a female smaller lab.
My favorite are pure white labs

Thanks for the input. That's what I fear. But what causes it? Can you please be more specific? I work from home, so attention would be almost constant. No being ignored. If the dog gets antsy, a walk would happen. But would just being inside make the dog bored?
Here's my experience with labs: A small fenced yard is overrated. Maybe even a bad thing. The lab gets left out there, the family inside, when the door is opened, he is starved for attention, the dog goes crazy. Let the dog stay inside all day, give him some attention, a couple walks, retrieves at least once a day, a couch to sleep on for 20 hours of the day, he will be fine.
Versatile dogs I don't know.

Truer words have never been spoken!

For a Vizsla and Brittany as I have not owned the others.

Will your dog sit still and keep quiet in a duck blind?

Now that I have more time.
My younger Vizsla has an AKC pointer title, but also a HRC retriever title. So yes, mine do, but took lots of training, lots of repetition, lots of on the job waterfowl experience. It is not the normal kind of hunting most Vizslas do. Also they are single coat dogs. I have been able to acclimate and accommodate my dogs to work around it, but they can not take to cold water near as well as a Lab.

My beloved lab is getting old, and I am thinking of another option, including something better able on upland. GWP, Brittany, DD, GSP, maybe even Vizsla. But I've got a lot of concerns, and since I do hunt mostly ducks, I want to be sure it can handle that.

Many Vizslas are smaller than some labs. Mine are bigger than some labs. My Brittany was small. I would never have considered it for large bird retrieving. Both my Vizslas were from a breeding that I and the breeder felt right for my purpose. Both were hand picked by the breeder for my purpose. Research the line accordingly. This goes for any breed though.

The sitting. The patience. Any thoughts? Also, is the boundless energy of some of these dogs exaggerated or real?

Real, but you have to harness it for retrieve work. At first you will need more patience than the dog. Training will take lots of patience. They are soft dogs that usually require soft training methods. Harsh training will shut most Vizslas down. My older Vizsla had boundless energy. My 5 year old Vizsla has that and more. Both with more energy than my Walker hounds had. Yet both are 100% indoor dogs. Both my dogs were not trusted outside a crate in the house alone for about the first two years. But have free run of the house after two years. Still my old blind Blaze destroyed a potted plant and nearby vacuum cleaner cord a week ago when she got riled up by the younger dog Dash. She has destroyed plants her entire life and our fault for leaving it on the floor. My Brittany had similar energy, but was a 100% outdoor kennel dog.

We have a unique living situation where we are five days a week in the city, no real yard, two days in the country with acreage. The lab adjusts beautifully. In the city she just sleeps, except the twice daily exercise, in the country she is a bundle of energy. But could a dog like a GWP handle that? There would be exercise and attention, but could a pointer handle living inside five days a week, walks/runs only 2 or 3 times a day? Thanks much in advance.


All of the NAVHDA breeds have water retriever work included in the testing. So yes they can do it, but it will take more work and patience for retriever work and should be used for upland hunting as well to be happy.

Vizslas are often called velcro dogs. They starve for companionship. They really will be glued to you at every moment and bored when alone. They will entertain themselves when alone, thus why I had to crate mine for the first couple years. Blaze shredded a couch the first time she was free and alone for a day. I had to remind my wife what her sweet Blaze did when young Dash did the same thing. But Blaze became the most well behaved, easiest trained, most versatile in every way dog I ever owned. Lifetime dog. That hates houseplants. Dash was tougher to train, can't be shut down, outsmarts me in training, gets in trouble often, runs and never walks anywhere even in the house so drives my wife nuts, but the best hunter of any dog I have ever owned.

Hope that helps. Here is what the right Vizsla with the right training and the right experience can do.

I have run field bred English cockers for last 15 years. Small labs better for real big water- hunt my 28LB fire plug in wetlands and 20+ acre lakes no problem. You won't find a dog (good genetics of course) with a better nose or more natural Drive. Breed not as watered down or overbred like most labs. Steadiness, blind retrieves and advanced training they handle and aim to please. My current dog is extremely steady. Typically hunt her without collar 75% of time. When she cheats she gets collar next hunt- typically just putting on is enough to straiten her out and settle her down. They hunt for the gun, but are typically a 1 gun man gun dog- as far as instruction is concerned

I like small labs as well- female dogs. The EC is not the best dog in heavy ice- too small. Hunted mine 2x in 17-19 degree weather this year- which is pushing it a big w breed.

They are born to please. Excellent retrievers. Hunt dead and easy to train. Mine thinks she's a 90lb lab. Lots of attitude. Great house dog and companion as well. Hard to screw them up- even w e collar. I have lit her up pretty good a few times (bad owner not dog) out of frustration- but you get live game under their nose- keep on rolling.

I second the Field Bred English Cockers. My first one is as impressive of a young dog as I have owned in 60 years on this earth and 52 hunting years.

Since you are a lab guy and primarily hunt ducks I would recommend looking into getting a 'pointing lab.' They will never cover as much ground as some of the other breeds but they are about as versatile as they come.

First time posting and also first time DD owner. I have always been a duck hunter with a lab until now. This has been my first full hunting season with my DD and from my point of view I could not ask for a better hunting dog. I am not new to the dog world as I have and still do run Bluetick coon hounds and have had labs for waterfowling. with a versatile hunting dog your opportunities for hunting are endless. This year alone I have hunted Sandhill Cranes, pheasant, quail, duck, geese, and a few rabbits for kicker points. Next year I plan to add Snipe and Woodcock to the list.

As far as patience, My DD is laying here in my office asleep in his kennel just like he has been doing every day since I got him at 8 weeks old, he lets me know when he needs to go for a walk and it gets me out of the office at lunch so I can let him do his yard run and we also work in a little training too. In the blind, he does his normal puppy tricks but will sit and watch the sky for hours.

My pup is not 2 yet and we will not leave him alone in the house and we kennel him at night and other than he likes to bring any and every stick when he comes in from outside, my wife really enjoys him and we all know that is very important

Great first post!

If mostly duck is what you hunt, maybe another lab would be better but it sounds you want more options to hunt so a v dog would be perfect.

My V dog is patient calm and quite. This is related to their temperament which comes from their breedings. If getting a field bred v dog, i would get one that also has done well in navhda. Yes there are some V dogs that have a ton of energy and are loud and annoying so you just have to do your homework like any other dog.

I've had three versatile dogs and all three of them have been a different experience. Right now I have two GSPs from different breedings and they couldn't be any more different than if one of them was a cat. Their personalities, traits, mannerisms, drive, etc.. are as different as day and night. One of my dogs is quiet, patient, deliberate and makes a great waterfowl companion. The other is a total nightmare unless she is running and working. She has so much drive and energy that I believe it is physically impossible for her to calm down and be still. I'm sure a lot of this is training but I've done the best I can with her and she is manageable at best. If birds are working she whines and gets very excited. She is great chasing birds but not so much at watching and waiting on them. For the most part, I leave her at home when chasing waterfowl and take her with me when chasing quail or hunting dove. About the one thing these two GSPs share is love. They love to be part of the family, love to cuddle on the couch in the evening, love to follow you wherever you go, love the water, love to hunt but do everything differently.

The best thing to do is seek a breeder who's bloodlines represent the characteristics you are looking for. Until I had these dogs side by side I would have never believed that two animals from the same breed could be so different. I honestly got one "best case and worst case" scenarios.


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Wirehaird Pointing Griffon. They naturally work closer to upland hunters than other upland dogs. They have a double coat and at hypoallergenic. They need to be part of the family, like labs, so kenneling it in the yard isn't the best option. They are very trainable and have somewhat of an off switch in the house. They do well with water retrieves.

My buddy has one and she is great. She is very smart and a great water dog. There aren't a lot of breeders in the US, but I think there is one or two in Texas and my buddy bought his out of Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Thanks for all the really excellent posts. Very helpful.
I didn't want to turn this into another "What dog should I get instead of a lab?" thread, of which there have been many. But some of you have asked questions, so I probably need to explain why I am considering the switch.
What I love about a lab: Steadiness. Tractability. Patience. A perceptive intelligence that allows her to understand that she needs to just sleep when there is nothing else to do. A recognition that she better stay very still when being transported in a small and heavily loaded canoe. Or in a blind with ducks working.
I have trained two labs myself, and I did reasonably well at it. Sometimes I think I am pretty good with dogs. Other times I think I am just lucky to have gotten two really smart labs, dogs that are very easily trained. Now, I don't want to anger the spaniel owners, please understand I am seriously considering getting one. But in my research I ran across a quote attributed to British trainers: "Labs are born half trained. Spaniels die half trained."
Here is what I don't like from my lab: She has the worst nose ever. It's funny. She comes from excellent lines, and she does ok at scenting up crippled ducks even in heavy marsh grass. But she is the worst ever on dove. Completely worthless. This shapes the kind of hunting I do. I don't hunt dove because my dog will just frustrate me. I thought about trying to train her for flushing work, but I'm fairly sure she wouldn't be capable. I do hunt snipe, keeping my dog at a heel. I really want to hunt woodcock. With the right dog, I could see that becoming my favorite kind of hunting (I used to love hunting grouse and pheasant in another part of the country). And if I had the right dog I would definitely drive overnight for quail and pheasant.
Here is why I worry about size: Because my current dog is a female, I am told my next dog should probably be a male. Unless I go with one of those "canoe labs," a male lab would probably be too big for the way I frequently use a canoe to get back in the marsh.
Greek's suggestion of the field-bred English cocker is really intriguing (Greek, I sent you a PM asking about breeders). I am now researching differences between EC, Boykin, AWS. For various reasons, I am also considering a DD. VERY different dogs, I know. With an EC, I'm guessing I would have no worries adjusting the dog to family life, but I would need to be very careful to find a dog that is birdy. With a DD, I'm guessing the concerns would be the opposite.
Anyway. A lot to think about. Thanks again for the replies.

I've got a gsp that does duck dove and quail. It's been a crazy road of training, but I spend at least 15 at a minimum minutes a day going over fetching decoys, obedience, pointing etc. I love working with my dog and watching her get better and better. Gsp does have tons of energy and are great dogs, but they are work. I knew what I was getting into when I got her so it doesn't surprise me. She's a great companion for my wife and kids, but wakes up at 5am ready to hunt w me any day of the week. Any of the breeds your researching put in your time and do your work with your dog and you ll get results. I couldn't be happier

Unless you have boundless energy and room to run I would pass on the vizsla. My "Major" is 13 years old and he still can't sit still. I have to kennel him so I can watch TV and the dude is 13 yrs old of that says anything.. He never could make it in the dove and duck field b/c he couldn't sit still long enough and it really wasn't an enjoyable experience. He needed to run. My guy was a specimen as a pup. Handsome, super strong and prey driven. But I duck and dove hunt and he was really an attempt to square peg a round hole. His new Brother is a Boykin Spaniel and I couldn't be happier with the dog as a companion, amazing house pet, and retriever. His size is awesome in the house. He still has a hard time sitting in the blind for too long. He has a hunters nose and I have to let him run during the down time. I walk in hunt so it works out really good for him since he gets a 45 minute walk in the woods before we settle into a spot. Late season this year we walked in and unexpectedly there was ice in the water. I didn't have his vest and towards the end of the hunt he shut down. He wouldn't go back in and I had to carry him out of the marsh (another bonus for his size). A vest would have helped but my point is he isn't a lab. Knowing what I know now...I would never have gotten my vizsla unless I would have had fields for him to run and point game in. That is what he needed to do. He would have picked up a duck but waiting for them would have made him crawl out of his skin. I'm always impressed by the pics I see on the forum of guys with their vizsla retrieving dove and duck. It must have taken some serious work.

I saw a Weimaraner for the first time in an airboat duck hunting the other day, to each is own.

If the dog works then it works. I have a 9YO yellow (white) lab that is 95lbs and have enjoyed every second with him duck hunting, dove hunting, quail hunting, fishing, or just hanging out.

Now that he is older and I have phased him out of being my go to beginning this last season, I recently just got a Flat Coated Retriever who will be smaller (length and weight)=won't take up as much room in a boat. He is 1YO now and did well when I took him out this past season marking ducks, retrieving, and being still even though he is a puppy and a nut job the rest of the day.

The problem with 'trying out' different breeds than you are used to for duck hunting is that you won't know until it's too late and you have to either decide to keep them for other purposes or try try again.

I love GSPs but it would be a gamble as to whether is would even work as a waterfowl dog. Most are high energy and would drive you nuts in a blind but great on the upland. A GWP or PP would be closer to what you want or better yet. Buy a lab from Kansas that's bred to point and you will be so happy.

I have a dual champion lab (AKC & UKC) He flushes and retrieves quail, retrieves duck and geese, retrieves doves, sits in my deer blind with me and trails wounded game. You want versatile?? Spend some time looking for a breeder that understands what a dual purpose dog is all about...