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.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Prey drive and retrieving drive are two separate things, and many dogs have one or the other. My guy would retrieve a ball all day and all night, he's obsessed with playing fetch, yet he has no prey drive at all. Rabbits and squirrels sit in my yard and thumb their noses at him. He never even tries to chase them. On four separate occasions, he has found a rabbit's nest, poked around, and left the babies unharmed. 

On the other hand, my friend's Lab-Schnauzer mix will kill anything he can get hold of; he once grabbed a robin in mid-air. I saw it with my own eyes and still couldn't believe it. He chases any creature that moves. Yet he has absolutely no interest whatsoever in playing fetch, frisbee, etc. and never goes after a ball. 

One difference between retrieving drive and prey drive is that a dog with a natural instinct to retrieve will do exactly that: it's not only about chasing something, it's equally about bringing it back to you. And releasing it without a struggle. 

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

Interesting....I'l be wondering what Teddy does when he sees squirrels, rabbits, or a deer this year.

Yesterday at the Dog Park all the dogs began barking furiously when a bunch of riders on horses came nearby.

[Amy and Annabelle]

If Teddy is anything like Annabelle he will chase everything if given the chance. It took a lot of correction training so she wouldn't follow her instincts. I think it will always be a work in progress. She found the way the rabbits were getting in and out of our fenced yard and followed one right under the fence and out of the yard. She was small enough she fit, a larger doodle wouldn't have been able to do it. It was so funny though because once she realized she was outside the fence and couldn't get back in, she was crying for me to let her back in. I hope you learned your lesson goofball. She has not pulled that stunt again. She would love to chase after rollerbladers on our walks, but never has, you can just see the longing in her eyes. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I have always said my next dog will have NO prey drive. Our Fudge could be a hunting dog in a heartbeat. She has such a high prey drive and her nose has gotten her in trouble on more than one occasion. I once had to have two fisherman bring her back to me after she jumped in the lake after some geese. They said they couldn't catch a fish, but they managed to catch a dog. Our Vern just follows her lead, but he has scooped up a bird or two and then drops it like he doesn't know what just happened :) Not Fudge...we have had one or two rabbits that were stupid enough to take a liking to our yard. Unfortunately, they didn't leave alive. We even named the one Stewpid. No one here hunts, but the nose work sounds like a great alternative to me. Fudge takes her aggression out on a tennis ball most of the time. 

[BG and Gavin]

I had a trainer that believed that every dog should have a job that matched their aptitude. She felt that it made for a happier and more balanced pup. In fact for homework, we all had to find our dogs a "job." Gavin has a job now with his therapy work that I believe meets his need to socialize with every person he possibly can. But that is only once or twice a week. His daily job that we developed for that class was to "find." This built on his love for playing hide and seek in the house. His job was to find my DH and bring him to me. For example...."dinner's ready, go find Scott." And off Gavin goes to the basement to get him. So I think teaching your dog to hunt or do nosework or whatever is a fabulous idea.