Michigan Sportsmen’s Web

We are working on compiling a list, photos and qualities of hunting dogs to help you choose a hunting dog that is right for you. If you have any additional comments or tips that would be helpful in this category please feel free to use the comments box at the bottom of this page.

The Deutsch-Drahthaar belongs to the rough haired pointing group and so do it’s ancestors with the exception of the Deutsch-Kurzhaar (known in the US as the German Shorthair). The founding breeds were the Stichelhaar, the Pudelpointer, the Griffon, and the Kurzhaar. The dogs were bred for hunting in field, forest and water. They are truly a versatile with good inherited qualities, better-than average performance, practical coat and conformation, stamina and endurance, courage and tenacity, intelligence and keenness, passionate desire to hunt and provide good and faithful companionship.

The German Shorthair Pointer
is a clean-cut, lean, well-balanced, hunting dog with an elegantly chiseled head. The muzzle is long, but never pointed. Nineteenth-century German hunters required a dog with a good nose that would point within a reasonable distance for a man hunting on foot. The dog needed to retrieve both fur and feather, from water or land, and also be a fine tracker. The German breeding incorporated the Old Spanish Pointer, Hounds of St. Hubert, the Foxhound, other hounds, and eventually the English Pointer, which made it faster and more energetic. Today’s German Shorthaired Pointer is the successful result of the German hunters efforts. The German Shorthair is a versatile hunter and an all-purpose gun dog capable of high performance in both field and water. He is a fine natural retriever, an excellent companion for a hunter on foot, and requires little training.The German Shorthaired Pointer is an ideal dog for the weekend hunter who also wishes to own a bright, agreeable family companion and watchdog. Due to the breed’s natural ability, German Shorthairs are campaigned successfully in the show ring, obedience and tracking trials, field trials, and hunting tests.

The Chesepeake Bay Retriever

The Chesapeake’s unique retriever qualities, are his coat, hare shaped feet, high hindquarters, and his prideful loyalty and protectiveness towards his owner and his possessions. He is the toughest, tallest, heaviest, and hardiest of the retrievers and will work hard and long under almost any conditions. While he is sensitive and gentle with his family, he can also be very protective of them as well as his territory. His conformation demonstrates a true relationship to the performance expected of him. His short, harsh, oily, wavy, coat is unique in the dog world and enables the Chesapeake to work in almost any cover without picking up brambles, burrs, or other debris. It retains very little water and does not easily ice up. His heavy undercoat enables him to work under harsh weather conditions. His hare shaped feet enable him to dig in and climb steep, muddy banks. His high, well muscled hindquarters provide the strength to work in thick, deep marsh mud and the tremendous power needed to swim against strong winter winds and water currents. His small ears are placed high on his head to help prevent water from entering his ear canals. His tail is strong and slightly curved with moderate feathering in order for him to negotiate water turns easily. His chest is deep and wide and his ribs are well sprung to provide the great air capacity needed for endurance. His strong bone and balanced conformation further contribute to his working ability. Although used throughout the world for hunting waterfowl under rough conditions, the Chesapeake is very versatile. He loves to work and is at his best when working for his master or the family. He is an excellent guard and a quiet calm house pet. He will kennel well as long as he has plenty of human companionship. Chesapeakes have been successfully trained and used to do search and rescue work, as guide dogs for the blind, for tracking humans and animals, and for competing in obedience and agility trials. In Europe, Chesapeakes are used for pulling carts and sleds for the handicapped, tracking elk, hunting rabbits, upland game, and waterfowl. In Canada and Alaska they are especially prized for hunting large geese, ducks, as sled dogs and for hunting Kodiak bear.

The Beagle

The Beagle is a breed of medium-sized dog. A member of the hound group, it is similar in appearance to the Foxhound but smaller, with shorter legs and longer, softer ears. Beagles are scent hounds developed primarily for tracking hare, rabbit, and other game. They have a keen sense of smell and tracking instinct that often sees them employed as detection dogs for prohibited agricultural imports and foodstuffs in quarantine around the world. They are popular as pets because of their size, even temper, and lack of inherited health problems. These characteristics also make them the dog of choice for animal testing.

Although beagle-type dogs have existed for over 2,000 years, the modern breed was developed in Britain around the 1830s from several breeds, including the Talbot Hound, the North Country Beagle, the Southern Hound, and possibly the Harrier.

TheLabrador Retriever

The Labrador Retriever (also Labrador or Lab for short), is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. The Labrador is widely considered the most popular breed of dog (by registered ownership) in the world, and is by a large margin the most popular breed by registration in the United States (since 1991), the United Kingdom, and several other countries. It is also the most popular breed of assistance dog in the United States, Australia, and many other countries, as well as being widely used by police and other official bodies for their detection and working abilities. They are exceptionally affable, gentle, intelligent, energetic and good natured, making them both excellent companions and working dogs. Although somewhat boisterous if untrained, Labrador Retrievers respond well to praise and positive attention, and are considerably “food and fun” oriented. With training, the Lab is one of the most dependable, obedient and multi-talented breeds in the world.

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