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Clumber Spaniels


Casperoz
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Do you mind if I ask a 100% dumb question, I am not being facetious, I just want to know.....

how exactly do gundogs "work" seeing as guns are banned in this country?

Guns are not banned in this country and you can shoot birds over dogs in Victoria at least. You can shoot fur (rabbit) on private property in most states I think,

You can also do field work and retrieving work towards titles.

Mercedes, here's an English photo of working Clumbers - far less heavy in body, coat and flew than what we see in the ring out here IMO.

dog%20photos%20688.jpg

Edited by poodlefan
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Do you mind if I ask a 100% dumb question, I am not being facetious, I just want to know.....

how exactly do gundogs "work" seeing as guns are banned in this country?

Guns are not banned in this country and you can shoot birds over dogs in Victoria at least. You can shoot fur (rabbit) on private property in most states I think,

You can also do field work and retrieving work towards titles.

Mercedes, here's an English photo of working Clumbers - far less heavy in body, coat and flew than what we see in the ring out here IMO.

dog%20photos%20688.jpg

They're not? I honestly thought they were. What was with the gun amnesty a decade or so ago then?

What do you mean "shoot over dogs"?

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They're not? I honestly thought they were. What was with the gun amnesty a decade or so ago then?

What do you mean "shoot over dogs"?

That amnesty saw certain types of firearms banned (mostly hand guns and semi-automatics) but not all and certainly not the kind of shotguns favoured by working gundog people. My family probably own about 20 shotguns (all quite legal). They are clay target, rather than gundog owning hunters though.

By shooting over dogs I mean going out with a working gundog, finding and flushing game (sometimes the dog does this), shooting it and having the dog retrieve it. People still do this. Its more difficult to do it here than, say, NZ but some kind of game shooting is legal in most states.

Edited by poodlefan
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GayleK - I think that was a particular type of gun :laugh:

I am training my pup for retrieving trials (which are bloody hard work!) and you do fire the gun. I don't have my gun license so have had someone else 'shoot' for me when I handled a friend's dog in a trial. In some states, the club owns the licence and competitors come under that but in Vic you need a gun license. Hope that makes sense! Some people still hunt during duck season - which is what I think PF means???

Gorgeous photo BTW :heart:

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You can't own semi-automatic or pump-action shot-guns but there is plenty of work for gundogs in Australia. Tassie has a duck hunting season, Vic opens it when possible. There is also Quail, Pheasant, Geese, Rabbit (everywhere in Australia), pigeon and Hare. All gundog work; find, flush and retrieve.

For the hounds there are deer, fox, goat, feral cattle, roo, wallaby and even camel. Pigging is very popular here, and a variety of dogs are used to track and hold pigs. Rifles are legal and used for this sort of hunting. There are also sporting pistols, not used for hunting. Bowhunting is quite popular in Australia, though rarely with dogs.

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Thank you all for your opinions!

We are in the early stages of research right now. I want to make sure i get the right dog for us! I am not so sure about the drool! I owned German Shepards for a few years and love the heavier dog and i understand about proper training, diet and exercise, I have also read some where that Clumbers can have bad knees if they are not exercised properly or they get too heavy.

I have to admit i love the way they look and their general qualities. Perhaps i should make contact with a couple of the breeders and offer to help out and get to know them better. I dont mind pick up poo's, bathing or brushing in return for first hand knowledge!

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PF ---

:thumbsup: Great photo .... dont you think they are spectacular animals... but I have to admit they are more destrcutive than Labradors and have a strong will.

some of the difference comes from the fact that these dogs get far more exercise, so it is not exactly different lines.. we have a couple of bitches here that we shoot over and when the season is on they are much leaner than normal ... as would we all if we ran and swam all day :D Despit the fact that we actually increase thier meals a little during the season.

Casperoz you are correct in some ways about the damage from being overweight... like all breeds that are or could be classified as giant breeds they have to be kept a bit lean as pups and of course you can not over exercise them as babies.. However the same should be said for any puppy.... a Lab if over exercised as a pup is just as likely to have hip trouble and no doubt that goes for many if not all breeds..

Edited by mercedes
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Do you mind if I ask a 100% dumb question, I am not being facetious, I just want to know.....

how exactly do gundogs "work" seeing as guns are banned in this country?

Guns are not banned in this country and you can shoot birds over dogs in Victoria at least. You can shoot fur (rabbit) on private property in most states I think,

You can also do field work and retrieving work towards titles.

Mercedes, here's an English photo of working Clumbers - far less heavy in body, coat and flew than what we see in the ring out here IMO.

dog%20photos%20688.jpg

They're not? I honestly thought they were. What was with the gun amnesty a decade or so ago then?

What do you mean "shoot over dogs"?

Gaylek let me try to describe it to you...

firstly it was not all FIREARMS but only certain types such as semi automatics and certain calibres that were banned. To shoot today you must have a licence, be a member or a regular organised club and in NSW have a mandatory number or attendances at that club to justify the keeping your licence. You must also have a valid reason for applying for a licence in teh first instance... such as hunting and / or target shooting... think about the logic of banning fireames - where would our olympic standard shooters come from?

When we shoot over our dogs they are already extremely well trained, not only in obedience work but also in field work - just as spotted devil is training her dog now - the animal sits beside you (this is a gundog) and waits for instructions and they depend on whether she is a retriever, flusher, pointer or utility gundog.... lets look at a Labrador

She sits beside me and waits for me to fire ... I aim and shoot at a rabbit, or duck during duck season,... she watches me and eyes the target (what I have shot) and when I send her, she swims out to the duck, picks it up and returns to sit in front of me and gives it to me.

Hounds work slightly differently and I will leave that up to a hound person to explain to you....

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I have seen Clumbers at breeders - and they are mostly as the ones in the photo - perhaps the show boys carry more condition?

I believe that any dog with the correct genes and correct training will do what he was bred for.

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