As my good friend Jon Christiansen says, “Your gotta show them the puppies…”
Well in this case, I’m showing the newest addition to our family, an 8-week-old pudelpointer named Maya. She’s as sweet as she looks, really sharp, and very active!
A pudelpointer, you may ask? Well, I was looking for a dog my son, Paul, and I could train together, and we were interested in a “versatile” breed. We love hunting upland birds as well as ducks. Supposedly, she will too. Pudelpointers originated from Germany, where they were bred to combine the best attributes of a German hunting “pudel” and the English pointer.
But when we were really thinking things over, tops on my wish list was a someday “boat buddy”—a dog who would ride in our dory, and if we happened to jump a duck or two on the river… well, you get the picture.
Right now it’s all about settling in and building the bond. But I’m eager to hear if you have any advice about dogs and boats… when should she take her first paddle around the pond? Any pudelpointer, um… pointers? Any votes for other breeds that make list of “best drift boat” dogs?
— Kirk Deeter