Labradoodle hunting dog?

[Gunnar's Dad]

Okay, so I'm sure with the title I've already alienated some people.  Hunting is a politically charged topic and I get that.  So before I get to my question I will explain my thoughts very briefly and we disagree philosophically so be it, hopefully we can do so respectfully.

-I am a gun owner and believe in responsible gun ownership (different topic to argue if you disagree)

-I am fairly neutral on hunting.  I have done it, and I think it is important to conservation for some hunting to be done.  I haven't hunted anything in over 10 years.

-I am not currently an avid hunter by any definition of the word.  I don't even fish.

-I eat meat, but don't care if you do or do not.  Live and let live.

-I will NEVER kill an animal for that I am not excited to eat unless they are vermin or a threat to my life.

-I even let nonvenomous spiders and snakes go when found on my property.  (the tarantulas are awesome)

Whew.

Believe it or not, naming our dog Gunnar has nothing to do with guns.  It is to do with our Danish and Norse family background.

Has anyone had experience with a Labradoodle as a hunting dog?  Gunnar ran down and actually caught a quail this morning during his early morning potty break!  To my surprise, he soft mouthed it and the bird was unharmed.  He dropped it on command and after I checked it over as much as I could through its struggling, we let it run away.

Gunnar is only 4 months old.

Both Labs and poodles are hunting lines, but Gunnar did not come from specific champion hunting dogs or anything.

A number of web sites list the following as hunting dog traits

• Irritability: This refers to the dog’s five senses. The sense of smell will be the most acute. One of the primary functions of a hunting dog is to be able to detect scents.
• Reflexes: The ability to change directions quickly when they pick up new scents is very important.
• Instinct: Dog’s from the wild have an instinct to hunt and capture- this kind of instinct is ideal for a hunting dog.
• Emotions: Behaviors such as wagging its tail or whimpering will be evident in any kind of dog, but this is a way that your hunting dog will share what it is feeling and will be how they share in companionship.
• Intelligence: This may be the most important out of all of the levels. The ability for your hunting dog to understand what to do in different situations and the ability to listen to its master at all times is critical.

Gunnar seems super smart, is very obedient, loves to retrieve and hunt, loves to bury his head in the snow and follow scents, does not puppy bite or compulsively chew and has a soft mouth which is supposedly good for bird hunting.

I do like to eat pheasant quite a bit but it is at least an hour- 2 hour drive to get anywhere where I could hunt them.

That said, I'm highly tempted to let this dog follow what seems to be his calling and train him as a hunting dog.  

That, or distract him with a frisbee.

[Stella]

Someone on here did use their doodle for hunting, but I can't remember who it was. As both labs and poodles are hunting dogs (although different types of hunting) i'm sure you could successfully train a labradoodle to be a hunting dog. He definitely appears to be showing hunting instinct. You could reach out to your local gun club, kennel club or lab owners group to see if there are any good trainers in your area that teach hunting / field work skills. The only problem is they may be snotty with you because you have a doodle, and not all hunting trainers are R+, although there are some tpreally good ones out there :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I have heard of doodles being trained for hunting.  If you are interested in it, I would suggest that you inquire through some breeders of pure breed hunting dogs.  I have been brought 'presents' by my Springer and two of my doodles.  The one that appears less prey driven has taken care of opossums, but thankfully, left them in the yard.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Although Gunnar may be a very good hunter perhaps you could consider finding another sport that can satisfy his drive and also be something that you enjoy more too. 

Have you heard of Nosework for dogs? This allows them to use their hunting instincts to search out certain hidden scents.  It is something you can do at home and/or take it further into competition. 

Many doodles have high prey drive. Tara who is just a mini ALD runs our hedge and flushes out the sparrows every time she goes outside. LOL She love the nosework which we just do around home.

There are many videos on YouTube about Nosework and Lure Coursing is another activity available in some areas that Gunnar might enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7q_WX6gqlY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0vJKpq1iBA

There are so many wonderful options available now for our doodlesfriends to enjoy. I hope you find the perfect thing for both of you! 

[Amy and Annabelle]

In one of Annabelle's training classes there was a big Labradoodle rescue that was going to be used for hunting. The poor dog had a lot of issues and I think the owner ended up returning him back to the rescue. But he rescued him specifically for hunting as he said they made good hunting dogs, just not that particular dog I guess. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

That must have been a crummy rescue group, Amy.  Reputable rescues will adopt only to people who want a beloved pet.  IF it turns out that that pet has an aptitude for hunting or service or therapy, it is a bonus.  Poor doggie.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You beat me to the punch, Nancy. No legitimate rescue would have adopted out a dog under those circumstances. 

[Gunnar's Dad]

No doubt. How sad.

We certainly didn't get Gunnar with hunting in mind at all. This is more like discovering that one of your kids has a talent and then deciding how far you want to take it.

I won't compromise his place as our beloved family dog to put him to work, but I may talk to some friends with hunting dogs and see what they think.

We are very outdoorsy and can't wait to get Gunnar out hiking and swimming this summer, but maybe a hunting trip with some experienced dogs could be fun.

[Amy and Annabelle]

I have no idea what rescue group it would have been. It has been almost 2 years now since then. But, we all felt sorry for the poor dog. My guess though, is it was a county shelter he got him from. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That's possible, the county shelters do no screening of adopters whatsoever. But there are also some really bad "rescues" out there who will adopt a dog to anyone, no questions asked. 

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

There is a Hunting Doodles group:  http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/huntingdoodles

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I think it is Gina Buddy and Kona in the Las Vegas group that does Nosework.  That to me seems like a lot of fun personally.  I personally would like for my girls to not have such a strong prey drive and I think teaching them to hunt would make that even worse.  I hate it when we are walking and their nose catches a scent!  I also wouldn't even consider this with my girls because I can't even imagine all the briars and stickers and things in their coat as a result of going out through the fields.  No thanks.    To each his/her own, but just wouldn't be for me.

[Gunnar's Dad]

I guess that is another benefit of the Labrador style coat is that apart from the shedding, I am not having to pick out briars, mats and snowballs... they just mostly shake right off.  

He even shakes and wipes his feet on the doormat before we come back in, something he started doing himself but quickly earned him treats.

We have a lot of deer in our immediate area so my main concern is ticks.  (and yes Gunnar thinks he can hunt the deer too, he has the cutest big boy bark coming out of that little body whenever he chases them out of the yard)

Also concerned a bit about the rattlesnakes when the weather warms up (there were 5 killed by neighbors over the course of last summer right on our street), but that's not really much different than keeping my kids away from them.

Ah, life at the edge of civilization...