Which HPR for my small farm’s walked-up days?

I have a small farm that has lots of rough areas where wild birds thrive. We have a few walkedup days through the season and shoot wild duck off the river and off ponds as well. We do our own keepering to keep the vermin down and use my two spaniels on shoot days. They are good at flushing but a bit wild; they are not good at finding the birds afterwards and get tired before the day is out. I thought a couple of HPRS of some sort would probably be better for us, but I need advice on which ones are best.

A good HPR that will cover ground freely to locate and point game is a joy to shoot over and will produce more game than a wild spaniel on the type of ground you shoot. There are at least 12 different HPR breeds available; the more popular would probably be the best choice for the novice trainer. The German shorthaired pointer is possibly the most popular for shooting people, though the wirehaired and longhaired are also worth serious consideration. I have seen many good examples of all three breeds working in field trials.

The different action of the smaller Brittany is also exciting, and the silver-coloured Weimaraner is a real eye-catcher if you can find one from a true working background. Field trials are the shop window and a good place to see many of the different types working, but a breeder of the working types should be able to set up a thorough demonstration.

Training any type of HPR is quite specialised and can take much longer than the conventional gundog breeds, so you should seek advice from an HPR expert before you choose a puppy to ensure that you are prepared for the challenge ahead. PR

The German wirehaired pointer is worth considering as an HPR