What kind of dog should I get for ice fishing?

[skifisher]

dabills...
You can't go wrong with a lab-golden retriever mix. Best damn dog I've ever had! Loyal, playful, retrieved like a champ, and a great companion. Whatever kind of pup you decide on, be sure to bring along something for them to lay on. Booties and vests aside, that ice can get mighty cold for a pup. Good luck, and Good Fishing!
Ski

[grizzlyhackle]

jiggenfrogs beautiful dog man!

My vote is a Springer

[fishlessman]

used to always have german shepards, my last one pulled the sled and carried a pack, great dog for the snow. had a brittany american bread, hated the really cold days. now have a french bred britt (epagneul breton), there isnt a duck or gull that gets close to my setups now, swims in zero degree weather, just loves it. i prefer the smaller 40 pound dog now, just fits better in the truck boat shack etc

[massNtrash]

Got agree with pfscott. About the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Forgot about them. Had a friend who had one as a kid. That dog sat out in the snow and waited for him at the bus stop every day. A very hardy dog made for cold and wet conditions. They are not for the inexperienced owner though.

Chesapeake  Bay Retriever, damn intelligent dog, had 4 of them. Waterproof, strong, real loyal. Read up on them if not familiar with the breed.

I would third that for the Chesapeake bay retriever. Between me and my parents and my I laws we have four. They are great dogs. I think they are not as hyper as a lab when they are young but they can be stubborn at times. They live to hunt and be outside especially in the water. I have had mine since the day he was born and he is now seven best dog I have ever been around.




I can go on and on about them so if you have any questions shoot me a message.

[joefishmore]

Great dog pictures...hope to see more, but remember they are almost like children, they depend on you to
provide food,shelter,bathroom service, and healthcare. All this takes time and money to do it properly. And they need to
be trained not to bark all day, don't jump up on people and don't piss on peoples' gear. Everybody does not love your
dog.....they may have had bad experiences or may be allergic.

[kb]

One that can tolerate the cold. Please don't take a short hair dog out and make it suffer.  Research cold hardy dogs if you have to bring one out.   Boots to prevent ice build up between toes, and a coat to break the wind.

Also provide someplace to get off the ice and out of the wind. You have to think for them, they are too eager to please to worry about themselves.

I've seen too many dogs suffering at the hands of their owners, who are oblivious to them.   Remember they are running around barefoot and naked.

Ok I'm off my soapbox.

Carry on...

[grizzlyhackle]

used to always have german shepards, my last one pulled the sled and carried a pack, great dog for the snow. had a brittany american bread, hated the really cold days. now have a french bred britt (epagneul breton), there isnt a duck or gull that gets close to my setups now, swims in zero degree weather, just loves it. i prefer the smaller 40 pound dog now, just fits better in the truck boat shack etc

Not a big fan of the American Brittany, but I really like the French Brittany. A good buddy has one - extremely well tempered, loves attention, and hunts hard. Sweet dog man!

[Trapper-Randy74]

Hi y'all .  Just thought I would give my opinion. Last year was my first year ice fishing and my sidekick was my black lab pup. He was about 10 months old and had a blast out on the ice. Only problem was he wanted everyone one the ice to pet him and he had a problem with swiping some of the other guys fish!

[kb]

Ha ha. My wife brought my boys out to visit me one time, and after they discovered the live well I had chipped in to the ice, they kept diving into it stealing the fish and chewing their heads off. 

[Trapper-Randy74]

I forgot to give my opinion.   Get a Lab!!!!


T-R

[jethro]

Here is my girl Madaket. No pics of her on the ice, sorry. I don't actually take her much, she usually just gets too restless and then goes off to bother the neighbors.

[Drifter_016]

Consider an Alaskan Husky.... they'll want to spend more time on the ice than YOU do !!

Just be prepared to deal with their extended stubbornness while training and they don't start to mellow out until they are around 5 years old.
Don't ask me how I know.   

[hardwater diehard]

I'm a dog lover ...but seen some undisciplined K9s on the ice ...blame the handlers mostly ...had some instances with K9s ..grabbing fish ...any unattended wool outerwear (gloves ,hats etc) ...even grabbed a steak off another parties grill (friends but not funny) . Still K9s don't bother me as long as they are discipline and well maintained/prepared for the days outing .Keep the pics coming .

[Nightbird]

Some small dogs can be cold hardy. I've got some kind of an 18# mix from a shelter. He grows a dense undercoat in the winter and isn't at all bothered by the cold..

[Duke M]

One you can leave at home when you are out ice fishing on public water please. Sadly too many dogs are undisciplined nuisances on the ice.

[Mainedog]

One that likes to ride hopefully.  I must admit though, I have had to discipline Fazby on several occasions for thinking that the Jack traps are the flags for a slalom course out on the lake.  I took the keys away from him when he was topping 50mph between the traps and the other
folks were complaining that 1) their kids on their sleds couldn't keep up with my dog on my sled 2) they were scaring all the fish away 3) Faz
hit a trap and didn't stop to offer to buy the fisherman a new one 4) Fish and Game came out and wanted to write him a ticket--I said go ahead, he needs some smarts drilled into that thick skull of his--but they couldn't get him to identify himself, so they just called animal
control.  By that time, Faz was long gone.

MD

[Mainedog]

Here is my girl Madaket. No pics of her on the ice, sorry. I don't actually take her much, she usually just gets too restless and then goes off to bother the neighbors.

(Image removed from quote.)

Nice looking pointer, Doctorgee.

[Nightbird]

I'm never bothered by a Lab dropping by to say hello. All are welcome!

[Bearsfan]

I'm never bothered by a Lab dropping by to say hello. All are welcome!

All dogs welcome at my fishing hole, as long as they don't pee on everything.

[royjulius]

This will keep your dog warm: I bought the Clam Nanook because it has a back door. But any 2-man with a back door will do. I just unzip it a bit and Boner (seen in my avatar) can come and go as he pleases. I only put one seat in. On the side with the "doggie door" there's a blanket for the dog.

As for dog breeds, I'm a mixed breed lover myself. Boner is a lab/springer/shepherd mix and he's one hell of an awesome dog. At 12 weeks old he was using the doggie door at home and letting himself in and out. This is a great thread. Great pics guys!

[kb]

Here is one of my boys, when my wife brought them out to visit:





We had a tent with a heater set up for them to get off the ice.  Mastiffs are fair weather dogs, not too hot, or not too cold.