Taller Cover Dogs

[Neal 1,803]

I have three pure kelpies that I use for bushing/mooching. Rusty (20") is fifteen next weekend but, in his day, was a great bushing dog. I've even known him to "bush" rabbits from huge piles of builders waste...not to be recommended but he always came out unscathed. Scout (18") has been known to go to ground (not far though) and gets into really thick undergrowth...her ears are more scar tissue than leather now. Noggin's only nine months old but is already about 21" and 40lbs so not sure how his bushing career will go yet. I try to take him out on his tod as much as possible so that he doesn't rely on Scout to bush for him and learns to work off his own initiative.

[dogs-n-natives 1,181]

What drew you to the Kelpie Neal, rather than a native pastoral type? Just wondering. I like them too, I also really like the Ozzy cattle dogs.

[bullx100% 681]

Why gundog crosses are not more popular is a mystery to me. Thesedays Im all about the bigger dogs. Im hoping to continue from my German wirehair,and breed myself a good hunting pup that will work with its mother. She hunts hard and fast, can keep a wounded stag pinned, will hold a mark on a fox. Is keen on varied predators that we encounter here and abroad. She points birds well. She loves a boar hunt. Though the pup will be for big game not birds,. I like the speed of the hunt with the bigger dogs, I like their ability to hold big game in a more certain manner. And for now, I dont want or need pure scent hounds, as I only have medium tracts of land, but they are in the pipeline for the future. Good hunting

Any recent pics of your dog mate.? What are you planning on putting to her if/when you do. I like the look of the pointers a lad I new had a pointer cross what he worked under a hawk and also the gun. The dog would point when working with the hawk untill told to get on but when rough shooting and working hedge and brambles the dog would just bush. Was a good strong dog with plenty of nose and plenty of drive unfortunately the dog was a Jaffa

[dogs-n-natives 1,181]

I will sort you a few pictures tonight. Yes an extremely versatile breed.

[Bossie 90]

Think the lack of popularity in HPR/gundogs is similar to why non Brittish pastoral dogs are not more popular in Brittain. Availablity, cost, non native/brittish/ kennel blindness all of which I can understand.

FFS, on the continent we even use setter on boar.

Especially in the Ardennes you come across every cross you´d be able to imagine, gwpx jagd, all kinds of hpr crosses, pure hprs, hound hpr crosses, hound terrier crosses etc.

Think those scandinavian greysters (gspx runnning dog) would make nice hunting companions.

One thing the HPRs lack imho, is consistent protective/guard instincts. The weimaraner and gwp are ok but still a bit hit and miss. As a true allround dog that would be something I'd like, but that's just because my situation requires such a dog.

 

The choice for a small or big dog imho depends on what and maybe even more so where you work your dogs. Letting dogs catch for themselves on shoots/driven boar often is a very big no go over here, all the rich folks want to shoot. If you'd be on your own ground that's different and if it would be all out boar pest control as well. Two to three proper GWPs or dogs of similar size will tackle and hold most boar if you'd like them to.

The semi pro-pro dog men and women involved in driven boar around here, which actually get payed to bring dogs, all use terriers or terries crosses, jagd, fell, patt, russell, teckel etc. Similar to the dogs in your Hunguray thread. Small, less chance of damaged dogs, less chance of dogs catcing on their own, less pressure upon the game-animal which they think means more chance to shoot etc etc.

 

Have also thought about a kelpie and cattle dog myself, shame they cost an arm and a leg around here.

[Tozer 385]

 

I honestly couldn't tell you, I was 11 and wanted a terrier to go ratting. We responded to an advert for a JRT pup (no internet then), and was met with 2 bitches that at 8 weeks old stood as tall as the dam, their tails were docked, with the bone poking out and had mange. We said we would take both, but someone else had put a deposit down... bullsh*t .

 

Took a shaky, nervous and ill pup home. Got it treated and turned out to be an epic dog, retrieved winged geese from water and did everything I could have asked, had a proud place in the house. The most loyal dog I have ever known. I loved that dog.

Amazing how she turned out mate. Shame about her bad start but obviously you done her proud and her you..from the pic she looks like a good size and at first I thought it had some Alsatian in it due to the ears ad strong muzzle (might just be pic) either way she sounds like a handy tool to have had around .

 

 

 

I always wished I had put her under a whippet. But she died aged 16 two years ago.

[Tozer 385]

Why gundog crosses are not more popular is a mystery to me.

 

Thesedays Im all about the bigger dogs. Im hoping to continue from my German wirehair,and breed myself a good hunting pup that will work with its mother. She hunts hard and fast, can keep a wounded stag pinned, will hold a mark on a fox. Is keen on varied predators that we encounter here and abroad. She points birds well. She loves a boar hunt. Though the pup will be for big game not birds,. I like the speed of the hunt with the bigger dogs, I like their ability to hold big game in a more certain manner. And for now, I dont want or need pure scent hounds, as I only have medium tracts of land, but they are in the pipeline for the future.

 

Good hunting

 

gundogs were bred for very similar roles to what is needed, I have read a hell of a lot about GWP and I think they have a lot to add to everything from lurchers to bushing dogs.

I still think a lab would add to a good lamping dog.

[dogs-n-natives 1,181]

I agree with you, makes sense. I saw a few hungarian pointer cross Jagd's working boar in Hungary. Yes I was paid also when I went beating there, met some nice old fellers that went all season.

 

Though, on the protective side... my wirehair seems a natural guard dog, well, she barks at everything if were at home lol and she will protect. I sent her to Canada with the Mrs, who was working up north British Columbia for a summer, in grizzly territory. To protect her from bears and moose. She saw bears straight away, and it went just as planned, she would drive them away hard, baying all the while and she treed a sow one day. Sensible enough not to get messed up, which is important to me nowadays, Ive had harder dogs in the past and they would not last long out there lol But she can be hard at times. The local stalker has a nice liver/white dog, and he's the same, always has to have the last bark, nice dog, but hes intimidating at first. Hes a strong fecker he can drag stags around.

None of my past dogs would guard at all lol they would have gone away with anyone, so friendly. But again, the pointer is friendly unless your sneaking up on us, which is very hard to do with her around. It was a bit of a shock to me to suddenly have a guard dog again, when I was a kid we had a collie and he would guard the property, he stopped a crazy b*****d horse from trampling me one time. Normal for a collie I guess.

 

Yeah I wouldnt know where to look for a decent kelpie or cattle dog.

[dogs-n-natives 1,181]

 

Why gundog crosses are not more popular is a mystery to me.

 

Thesedays Im all about the bigger dogs. Im hoping to continue from my German wirehair,and breed myself a good hunting pup that will work with its mother. She hunts hard and fast, can keep a wounded stag pinned, will hold a mark on a fox. Is keen on varied predators that we encounter here and abroad. She points birds well. She loves a boar hunt. Though the pup will be for big game not birds,. I like the speed of the hunt with the bigger dogs, I like their ability to hold big game in a more certain manner. And for now, I dont want or need pure scent hounds, as I only have medium tracts of land, but they are in the pipeline for the future.

 

Good hunting

 

gundogs were bred for very similar roles to what is needed, I have read a hell of a lot about GWP and I think they have a lot to add to everything from lurchers to bushing dogs.

I still think a lab would add to a good lamping dog.

 

Definitely... Ive never been a huge fan of Labs, but they do cross very well, they are hardy dogs too, that pass on a good thick jacket. Keen dogs.

[Neal 1,803]

Dogs-n-natives, I started out with collie crosses and, while I liked them, I felt there was something missing. I'd heard of kelpies but nobody was breeding kelpie crosses at the time and I wanted (or thought I wanted) a lurcher so forgot about them. Several years later I got a kelpie/collie x greyhound from Dave Sleight's first litter of that cross and was so amazed at the difference in temperament that I eventually bought a pure one. He was initially intended as a starting point but I completely fell in love with him and have only had pure kelpies since. I know I've said this lots of times on here before but...I'm not saying they're better than collies, just better for me.

[dogs-n-natives 1,181]

I'll have to upload some more recent pics of the pointer, only got stuff from last season. This is her pointing snipe.

I will also ask the owner of the dog, if I can post a picture of him on here

 

[bullx100% 681]

I'll have to upload some more recent pics of the pointer, only got stuff from last season. This is her pointing snipe.

 

I will also ask the owner of the dog, if I can post a picture of him on here

 

I'm liking the idea of a pointer cross more and more.defo something I'm going look in to in the future.

 

I in this mite sound like a stupid Q but what is sh like with hard thick cover ? Will she push in on her own ow will she point from outside ?

[dogs-n-natives 1,181]

They will hit cover hard at times. But they wont be hammering it like a spaniel all day.

 

I reckon pretty much any working gundog crossed with a working terrier or hound will give good hunting dogs for cover.

[bullx100% 681]

They will hit cover hard at times. But they wont be hammering it like a spaniel all day.

 

I reckon pretty much any working gundog crossed with a working terrier or hound will give good hunting dogs for cover.

Do you think a small gwp put to a leggy pat will produce more of a busher for someone who works them to a lurcher rather than a gun.? A half cross or something maybe with abit of other stuff in the mix also? I think this cross would have a good size,coat,build,and also have the stamina and drive to work larger quarry abroad..