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Or two.
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Doggone good dog thread
- Thread starter hickslawns
- Start date
My wife and daughter have been talking about another dog quite a bit lately. Then my wife will say "I'm okay with only one dog. We don't need another one. . . Hey look at this one at the pound!" She is pushing towards a weiner dog. No. No. No. I don't want a little yapper. She said I could get a shirt that says "Have you seen my weiner" with a picture of a dashund. Tempting. Funny. No. Not doing it. I'm leaning towards a cur dog. Maybe another boxer. I would like another shadow that minds me like our last two boxers or Hank the GSP. Hank was perfect other than his weak security system. I like a nice door bell in the form of a healthy bark. Where we live we don't see a lot of visitors. Be nice to let strangers know the house is never empty. Don't want a "mean dog" but I do miss the firm bark and protective instinct of a boxer. I'm thinking a cur might be the compromise between GSP and Boxer. Affectionate, protective, smart. Need to do more research. Need to wait a bit longer. Maybe next month.
Phil, I can tell you that my Mt. Curs are as protective of their territory and pack as any dog I've had. you don't want to be the stranger at the door when these two answer it. barking is part of their job, and they do it well on trees and at the door. lots of different Cur dogs with different builds and natural tendencies, but every one I've ever been around that was worth a shit was really smart, really loud, really affable, and really protective. they are athletic and energetic, so they need LOTS of exercise. they can get a little unruly when they have too much pent up energy.
Um. . . Hank was hunted over. LOVED the water and begged to retrieve. Stupidly eager to please. Beware though as I believe this is the reason he ended up killing my wife's chickens.
I'm aware that GSPs are excellent hunting dogs. But they're not built to retrieve birds in single digits and icy water. It'd be ignorant of me to use a short haired dog to hunt waterfowl in the conditions we typically get. If I hunted upland, doves, or only early waterfowl, that's a different convo. I'd love to have a GSP for their hunting prowess, but I don't hunt what they are built to hunt. I need the right tool for the job.
Very fair and valid points. I would say you are correct. I only worked him in summer waters. Never looked at it that way. They are a great utility dog. Probably not as desirable for your specific needs.
So this thing happened today. I have had 3 boxers. Saw one on a boxer rescue site and asked about him (as did many others.) The person who posted it on FB suggested anyone interested fill out a foster application at their website. I did thinking if not this dog. . . maybe down the road there would be a boxer we could foster to adopt or possibly even just foster temporary/nurse to health/rehome boxers. Said to expect 7-14 days for a reply. An hour later I got a phone call. Not sure if I will commit to fostering the white boxer. I want to meet and see if he would be a good fit. This might turn them away from trying to use us as fosters. Some foster groups are wonderful. Some are finicky. We have been to a boxer foster before to look at a dog. The guy had 9 dogs in a small house and they were all caged and only let out a couple times a day. We didn't "qualify" as a good adoptive family. Huh? He was more like a boxer hoarder dressed in "foster dog parent clothing." Long story short, we will see where this goes. If it is meant to be then "Otis" will end up with us. If not, down the road the right dog will find us.
Matt
Active Member
Take this anecdotal evidence for what it's worth. My brother in Alaska has a GSP. He takes that dog everywhere with him, including ice fishing. Granted, he uses shanties, but the travel is gruesome. He did have one occasion where he had to unstick the dogs nuts from the ice with a pot of warm water.
I know it's not the same as a dog going in the water repeatedly, but still a funny story. That damn dog is tough as nails.
Take this anecdotal evidence for what it's worth. My brother in Alaska has a GSP. He takes that dog everywhere with him, including ice fishing. Granted, he uses shanties, but the travel is gruesome. He did have one occasion where he had to unstick the dogs nuts from the ice with a pot of warm water.
I know it's not the same as a dog going in the water repeatedly, but still a funny story. That damn dog is tough as nails.
Webbed feet perfect for swimming. Water doesn't seem to penetrate their coat. Not sure if this means they have a double coat or what. Not the most educated about specifics on dog fur I guess. I know it was always a 2-3 shampoo application process to get him clean. Had to really work to penetrate his coat it seemed. Not trying to talk you into a GSP. Just another thought after Matt's point. Hank did pretty well in his outside kennel before we made him an inside dog. Only put him in the shop when it got extreme cold temps or windchills.
I'm sure some GSPs are tough enough to have their nuts freeze to stuff and live to tell about it! But I can't recall a single instance where I've seen an experienced waterfowler using a GSP. I have little doubt they can swim and all that good stuff. But I would still feel like I was not taking the dogs best interest to heart if I sent it into 40 degree water on a 10 degree day repeatedly. Remi loved that shit cause he was breed for it.
You can drive a nail with a screwdriver, doesn't mean it's the best tool for job.
You can drive a nail with a screwdriver, doesn't mean it's the best tool for job.
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Matt
Active Member
Agreed. My brother uses his dog for the occasional duck jump shoot session, but that dog lives off ptarmigan hunting. He doesn't see cold water on a consistent basis and I doubt it would be a good move for late season.
Lundy
Member
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My new dog has long hair and will never be hunted but he will chase the geese off of my pond, that is all I need. He took a road trip yesterday to Tractor supply to pick out some new chew bones.
Watch out for Lyme's disease, fellas! My older dog (he's only 2), woke up lame on Tuesday morning. He seemed paralyzed from the middle of his back down. I took him to the vet that day and he tested positive. He's now a month worth of antibiotics and pain killers. Thankfully he seems to be rebounding pretty good, but he isn't out of the woods yet.
To top it off, he had been vaccinated for Lyme's.
If you take your dog out in the field or even live by one, be sure to check them frequently.
To top it off, he had been vaccinated for Lyme's.
If you take your dog out in the field or even live by one, be sure to check them frequently.
triple_duece
Ragin Cajun.
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Damn that sucks. I know you said your dog had the lyme vac. Was the dog on flea and tick preventative.
Matt
Active Member
That does suck Mike, sorry to hear. I just heard today a rumor that they determined those Lyme vaccines aren't really that effective. Also, it sucks because other than dousing your pup in DEET or some other nasty shit there isn't much you can do. The preventatives require the suckers latch on and feed for a day or two.
I'll admit, I slack on keeping up with treating my dogs with Adantix or whatever else. I need to be more vigilante in that regard. My vet recommends a good collar over any ointments. Makes sense since them suckers latch on around the neck area where the dog can't reach them most of the time.
Update... Billy is pretty much back to his old self. He's been up and about and wrestling with our other golden again. Hopefully after all the antibiotics are gone he will be cleared up for good.