Dang yall!!

I've been wanting another lab to hunt with for over a year. All of a sudden y'all are on here talking about Pudelpointers and DD's and now I'm infatuated with these versatile breeds that I'm not sure I can afford, train, or even find one to buy.

So thanks guys, thanks a lot.

On a serious note....for those that have PPs, DDs, etc. did you train them yourself or are there some pros out there that are experienced training a versatile dog?

Other breeds in the versatile family I should consider? I'm mostly a duck hunter but I like upland hunting too...if there were birds to hunt. Want a dog that can be a family member and not just live in the kennel.

Doc, that's how it started for me... train mine myself. Very easy dog to train in my case. Very committed to his work. Worst part about it is explaining what a Pudelpointer is.
Other breeds to consider that are somewhat similar:
Drathaar
German Wirehaired Pointer
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

If you are a bird hunter, I can't imagine regretting it.

I would never kennel my PudelPointer, she goes everywhere I go, best family dog that I have had. I have trained her and she has trained me, they already know how to do it, you just fine tune it. Very intelligent dogs, we can communicate with saying a word, she just get it somehow.

Ducks and uplands birds are just a small part of what these dogs do.

You'll be hard pressed to find a squirrel better dog than this one, she is a fur freak.

You're welcome !!!
If you can train a lab, you can train a PP!
Just get on the list, and thank us later! You won't regret it!

Oh and smokey is absolutely right about the worst part! I just tell most people he's a German pointer!

Heck even I learned just to say she is German. That normally stops them.

Someone was trying to tell me about their double-doodle, I said mut and walked away. SMDH!

I trained a PP last year. One of the smartest dogs I've ever put my hands on with the same drive of most high powered labs. He was a blast to train.

I have a German Wirehaired Pointer that is the smartest dog I have ever put my hands on. If you show these dogs what you want to do, they will figure out the rest. Very easy to train and easier to break. He stays in the house with us and has an excellent nose and very biddable. I would recommend one just based on my personal experience. He has been used to guide wild birds for the last 2 years, as well as run and placed in NSTRA trials. He won't run like a pointer, but he is a bird finding machine. I would vote for a GWP.

I think I’ve seen that dog. Did you get him from Sterner?

I was a lab guy for years, until I got a DD. Mine is 3 now and I have been duck hunting him since he was 7 months old. what I like about the DD is all that I can hunt with him, so far I have hunted pheasant, quail, sandhill crane, duck, woodcock, and dove, used him to blood trail and is about the toughest dog I have seen on furred game ( I own 3 coonhound also and they don't hold a candle to him on toughness.) I like the versatility of the DD. I have been on upland hunts where we have jumped a rabbit or even pointed one we can have a good rabbit race or not as he knows the difference and has a good recall.

As far as a family dog, I could not ask for better. As with any high prey drive dog they need to have lots of exercise but the DD has that off switch that I like. I did all my on training but in the DD family when you buy your pup the breeder has a vested interest in it also, my breeder wanted to see my dog succeed just as much as I wanted him to. I have meet a lot of good people through the VDD, they hold training days and your breeder will be more than happy to answer any question you have about training. Look up VDD.ORG, there is a lot of good information there about DD's. I have owned labs, bluetick coonhounds, curs, and beagles over my years and I have already have my name on the list for my 2nd DD. The only problem I have with the DD is explaining to my wife why I still need coonhounds when my DD hunts coon and so much more.