Here at Pleasantview Kennel we hunt our dogs!!! We pick DK’S that perform well at many different functions. We hunt grouse, geese, ducks and woodcock all of which they handle quite well. I should also mention that they have tracked and found many deer (not all mine of course). They also fit into the family life very well.
What is a good dog? It is an ongoing debate among breeders. In our mind a good dog should of course have title to all of the obvious good traits (nose, desire, cooperation, conformation, ect.). Furthermore and perhaps more importantly would be the DK’S mental stability. Example: a dog that transitions well in different types of hunting situations. We look for an animal that can cover a ton of ground in a pheasant field, and also tighten up in the Grouse woods another example would be a companion that can sit in the goose blind and hold still with 40 birds in the air and all kinds of gun fire (Cali vom Gansehimmel) . Some may argue that these results would be due to training but I still say you can only teach a dog so much and genetics will do the rest.
