Yes, I do know how to spell the name and what it's for, thanks.

As I said; gun dogs make lousy house dogs - they are very active and become frustrated without a job. Now if your housemate is a jogger or is willing to go lure coursing ro agility or something like that, there's hope, but otherwise he needs to look for another type of dog.

Paula

[QUOTE=PaulaEdwina;431779]And as a rule, gun dogs generally make lousy sit-around-the-house-dogs.

Paula[/QUOTE]

You give them a good workout every day, and they actually make good pets and loyal companions. That's been my experience. Heck I took a trip across the country -- 2,000 miles each way -- with two big gun dogs in a compact Toyota a few years back. And they got along just fine. As long as they have something to engage their attention, they do well. It's when they get bored that you have to watch out.

In particular, my dogs seemed to get a huge kick out of going right though the middle of St. Louis during rush hour. They'd never seen anything even remotely like that.

But I would agree that somebody buying one of those breeds just because they "look cool" or whatever is a huge mistake. Those dogs are to dogs like a high-performance sports car is to automobiles. They are driven, intelligent and extremely energetic.  If you don't know what you're getting into, you're setting youself up for a whole lot of trouble.

I can see some of the points people make about breeding. The cost of a purebred is a good chunk of money. Then you have "on the one hand I can get some back or even profit by puppies" vs the added cost of fixing the animal.

But you might point out to him that there is a reason that breeders keep the animals in pens, or at least on large estates. Unless he is planning to keep his purebred dog inside all of the time then there is going to be a chance that he will end up with a large litter of really ugly pups. Even walking a dog on a leash means that it can happen.

Personally I dont feel that any litter of puppies are ugly or worthless but the possibility might convince him.

bluehorserunning wrote:

Gandalf- he's not likely to be buying a high-quality puppy from a serious breeder of hunting or show dogs; more likely a puppy from some backyard breeder who dosen't even know the meaning of 'sickle hocks,' much less how to look for and eliminate it from a breeding program.  Ie, still not cheap but not as expensive as a used car, either.

I understand. But he probably doesnt so the point would be moot. Such people rarely consider the worth of the puppies in such a consideration. But the realization that they mighthave a litter of "just dogs" to find homes for has often been a deterrent to people I talk to.

When I was a kid, my mom was the leader of my brownie troop; she took us on a field trip to the local SPCA once, and we learned all about spaying/neutering animals and how so many get put down.  Maybe I can arrange some sort of 'field trip' to our local shelter, here.  It worked for me...

I know that we loved it whenever someone arranged a tour. The same goes for any animal group on any level. Of course the spay/neuter programs are beginning to show their pro/con but an SPCA is unlikely to get into that. It has caused me to remove breeders from such a list though.

Well, I talked to his partner about it and apparently I have an ally there.  :)