Just something I mentioned to DH. By purchasing an older (maybe even retired breeder dog?) who has either been started or is seasoned on waterfowl and is being sold would allow us to get his bird dog faster, spread out the ages of our dogs, and since neither of us have consistently worked or trained a gun dog that would kind of get our/his foot in the door as to how to handle them vs bringing a puppy up and training on his own the first time around. Whew, that was a long sentence.
I know the gun dog population isn't huge around these parts, Shai is basically the only one I can think of tbh, but hopefully somebody has some insight.
What to look for in a started or retired dog. What to beware of when purchasing them. Where to begin a search/gain the right contacts. Pros and cons of started vs puppy that I may not have thought about. We/he would be looking for waterfowl (ducks/geese), maybe a touch of upland. Not looking to trail at this time and would be just used for recreational hunting.
I know the gun dog population isn't huge around these parts, Shai is basically the only one I can think of tbh, but hopefully somebody has some insight.
What to look for in a started or retired dog. What to beware of when purchasing them. Where to begin a search/gain the right contacts. Pros and cons of started vs puppy that I may not have thought about. We/he would be looking for waterfowl (ducks/geese), maybe a touch of upland. Not looking to trail at this time and would be just used for recreational hunting.