I am 67 and have owned alot more bird dogs (well over 200) than I have hog and squirrel dogs. Some of the guys I hunted with when I was a kid were old men then and long since dead. One guy used to take a buggy 16 miles, hunt quail all day, 16 miles back and then clean birds. They would tell me about the days when they did not have any vaccines and many a good dog died from destemper. Some of the things they told me and I have found them to be true.
A dog with dark spots inside their mouth have better noses than the ones that don't.
Mix a cup of tannic acid in a quart of pine tar --t as a coating for pads. Absolutely the best thing I have ever found.
A dog with dark pads has tougher feet than ones that light colored ones.
I don't like rat headed dogs.
Mix white vinegar, alcohol, and enough 7% Iodine to make it the color of stout tea and use it for ear mites.
A dog with a lower set tail on its hind end has more muscle and drive than a dog with the straight up poker tail.
Pick a dog with a tight foot not one that is sloppy an spread out.
If you can get a dog out of a proven repeat mating it would be good.
You cannot fool mother nature in your breeding program.
I still use terpentine, pine tar, and kerosene for cuts and such. I never use anything on my dogs that I won't use on me.
My daddy got snake bit in 1907 by a copperhead at about 5:00 in the evening. All they did is put coal oil (kerosene or no 1 diesel) on it because the doctor did not get there until after 9:00 that night. That is all they had. His hand, arm, and entire left side of his body swelled up (he was 5 at the time) and the doctor really could not and did not do anything. He finally got OK.
This is good stuff right here...
