Play off Weimaraner Post

My vote is for the GSP, or German Shorthair Pointer. Originally developed to be a both a companion and versatile hunting breed, it continues to be the best of both in my experience. Our GSP is a far better retriever than any Goldie or Lab I've ever met, and she points like a dream - something your straight retrievers are never going to accomplish. They are a mellow house companion and a firecracker in the field. We use our dog for duck hunting (water retrieves) and all types of upland hunting.

It may be tempting to save money in the shortrun by getting a 'back yard breed' litter, but this will likely cost you in the long run. It's worth it to pay $900 - $1000 for a dog that's had it's lineage kept in check and the genetic testing done. Think of it this way - would you rather spend $1000 now or $200 now and $2000 down the road to fix hip problems only to end up with a lame hunting dog?

German Shorthair Pointer.

We had O. growing up--so sweet, and he was a great hunter!

Why don't you check out your local shelters? I heard that 25% of those animals are usually full breed dogs and they will be so grateful. It's sad how many dogs are put down every day.

Or petfinder-i've never tried it but after seeing an HBO special on animals this weekend-give a dog a second chance.

We had two coonhounds, they were really sweet dogs. They are big, weigh about 120 pounds, and very gentle with children. Hunting comes naturally to them, they keep squirrels and racoons off your property - if that is what you are looking for a dog to do.

Why not a Lab? They fit the bill of everything you're looking for, except the fact that they're "Labs." In my opinion, they're the best of the hunting breeds with kids.

Other water breeds include Golden Retrievers, American Water Spaniels, Standard Poodles (many people don't know these are dogs bred for water fowling), Chesapeake Bay Retrievers

Good upland hunters- Weimaraner (very good with kids), Cocker Spaniels (can be very sweet with kids), Brittany, Springer Spaniel, Visla, Pointers, Rodesian Ridgebacks

My BIL had a Water Spaniel and he was stoic...no mean with the kids. He had no patience for the pulling, climbing, rough play. My dh's Chesapeake when we first met was very possessive and pushy...took alot to get him to warm up to anyone other than hubby. DH's best friend has had two Goldens from two different breeders and they were both difficult to train and acted like the dog in the movie "Marley." Our labs have been fantastic. They thrive off the kids and are very, very obedient, fast learners, smart, and eager to please. Love our Labs.

what type of hunting? As in, what do you want the dog to hunt? If you want a dog who hunts small rodents, then a Jack russell terrier is the dog for you. They are also VERY high energy though. Great friendly family dogs as well. German shorthair pointers make great hunting dogs, and if you find one that is a mix with that and Lab of some type, (black lab, chocolate lab, etc) it becomes the IDEAL hunting dog for hunting and retrieving the game. Also they are great family dogs. We had one that was 1/2 lab (choc) and 1/2 german shorthair pointer. We never used him for hunting, but he was a great hunter when there were birds or squirrels in our yard. Poor dog WANTED to hunt. LOL! I hope that you find what you're looking for!

German Shorthaired Pointer (though they are better on land) or a retriever (golden,ducktolling, etc). Retriever you do have to make sure you get one from a hunting line and you may end up paying a bit more.
A versatile, but smaller (~30-40lbs) and possibly more expensive hunter would be a small Munsterlander. They make excellent hunting dogs on land and water, they point and retrieve and they are wonderful family dogs. I grew up with them and would LOVE to own one - but we don't hunt and they are rare in the US, so can be quite expensive.

curious what you want the dog to hunt. that will determine the best breed (we duck hunt - by we, I mean my husband - so we do have a lab). From my experience many hunting dogs are high energy, but that makes them so much fun to play with when they aren't out 'working'
Friends growing up had an English Bird Dog (so wonderful) but again, full of life. I like that EBD are short hair and they are sooo pretty:)

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/5-hunting-dogs-for-...

English Springer Spaniel.