Quote:
Originally Posted by elkhunter11
Of course this is opinion.. It may be a collection of several people's opinions, but it is still opinion. Anything that can't be measured using instruments, is opinion. A waterfowl outfitter whose dog I shot over for our NAVHDA tests last summer uses nothing but WPGs for hunting geese. I thought that this was odd, so I asked him why he didn't use labs or chesapeakes, and his answer was, that he wouldn't use the GWPs for his business, if they weren't good at hunting geese. Perhaps he trains them differently than other people, but he claims they do a great job, which certainly doesn't agree with the 1 on the chart you posted,
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Yup, you're absolutely correct...it's a conglomeration of several knowledgeable gundog folks' opinions based on their years of experience with many different breeds of dogs, hunting experiences, etc...no doubt about it, but overall I think it's a fairly accurate rating (understanding that there are always individual dogs of every breed that are the exception to the rule). And I agree...giving a Springer a rating of 2 on geese is a bit of a stretch. Perhaps some of the larger males might be given a "2", but a 35 pound female? I don't think so.....
Lots of things are based on supposedly experts' opinions (and biases). Field Trials, Dog Shows, etc. are all based on a judge's opinions...very subjective. Ditto for rodeos...judges award points based on their opinion of how a bull or horse bucked, how the rider rode, etc. I think for the purpose of someone selecting the right breed for the species they hunt the most, the chart is as close as any rating I've seen.