i've got one. has been my favorite dog so far. have had him for almost 5 years.
has a strong hunting instict and has shown some promise on squirrels although I havent really developed. routinely brings home rabbits and birds to "play" with.
mine is not a "cuddler" as my wife says. he likes an ear or back scratch, from time to time, and not too much of that.
he will sit beside me and lay his head on my leg. I'll scratch his ear, and he'll shake his head and give me a look. he just wants rest his head.
he will let you know when something outside moves, whether its a car on the driveway or a leaf off a tree.
pretty smart, driven and hard headed. if you aren't pretty familiar with training dogs, i'd suggest classes as a pup, and lots of extra work.
its also good to socialize as a pup too. mine gets along with other dogs after a short time if they are allowed to run. not so much when stuck inside. oddly enough (mine just weighed in at 62 lbs), he was put in his place by a 3lb mini yorkie over christmas. they vary in size from about 45 to 100 lbs depending on breed lines.
lots of energy and if he doesnt get it out most every day he gets a little mischevious.
he's good with the girls (both teenagers), tries to herd the chickens when they are out and about, and not agressive, but very wary of strangers.
he has warmed up to everybody that has visited the house within 10 minutes or so - except one of my wife's cousins. he has never liked him, and I think he might be right.
he harasses the cat, almost constantly, but the cat deserves it.
my wife takes him to "daycare" on occassion, though it used to be a couple times a week. they give him one on one time with some grooming, and then allow for plenty of free time outside with other dogs to socialize and expend energy.
he's also a talker - not so much barking unless somethign has him alerted, but mumbles if we forget to feed him, or he needs out
2 things I'll reiterate (kind of 3)
training
exercise (give him a task)
we took ours to some local classes for about 16 weeks total his first year. the idea was to get the girls and wife in on how to train a dog so we'd all be consistent, but I shoudl have taken a class on how to train the kids first. he recognizes me as the leader, but probably thinks he's on the same level as my wife, and the kids barely register unless they are holding a treat. the kids did not participate the way they needed to.
I run mine good for about an hour almost everyday - he's not a huge fan of the cold, but he'll tolerate it if somebody is with him.
his task is to fetch, which also plays into the exercise. we have a large yard (3 acres), and a good supply of tennis balls...and he will bring back almost anything i toss, including throwing hickory nuts off the deck, or tossing firewood off the truck.
I try to get him out in the big woods every couple of weeks and let him explore on his own and run himself to exhaustion. for every mile I walk, he'll cover 3, but stays within a good distance of me and always returns on the whistle
