The wire hair from the original poster shouldn't be too bad. The bristly hair will not be as clingy to burrs, but they will get some. If we are going to a particulary bad spot or going on a long hunt, I will hit my dog with a little pam cooking spray. That will help bunches. The soft hair on the brittany or irish setter is a disaster in cocklebur country. My little brother would comb out his dog for hours before it could come back into the house.

Gun Nut

Twenty-fiveYard, I don't remember ever seeing a pup I didn't like except for poodles. Is your dog going to be a family pet as well? You going to competition it? I tried Nite hunting hound competitions for a couple years. Really soured me on hunt competition. Have no intention to get into it with a bird dog. This setter is the first bird dog I ever owned. Lucky for me he just does it. I never fooled with wings or any of that stuff. I did buy 10 pen raised quail for his first exposure a couple months ago. I put out three of them. He did what he was supposed to so I just killed the other 7 without even putting them out. I was afraid dumb pen birds would screw him up for wild birds. Every time he hunts he gets a little better. I have to drive a ways to get into wild birds. This dog is a great house pet. He hasn't met a human he doesn't like. If a cat runs he chases it but not to bite them. He just likes to play if they will cooperate. Never seen him get aggressive with another dog either. Squirrels get him going. He wont bark at them. Just stares up the tree. So far though out where he can hunt birds he forgets about squirrels. Geese flying over low and honking get his attention but he minds good. I just call him back and he goes back to looking for birds on the ground.

Question for y'all bird dog folks.

Why the long haired breeds?

While I understand the protection from weather thing if you're hunting snow or wet and there's not much prettier than a brushed out and slicked up setter.

But you guys hunt in cocklebur country.

The wire hair from the original poster shouldn't be too bad. The bristly hair will not be as clingy to burrs, but they will get some. If we are going to a particulary bad spot or going on a long hunt, I will hit my dog with a little pam cooking spray. That will help bunches. The soft hair on the brittany or irish setter is a disaster in cocklebur country. My little brother would comb out his dog for hours before it could come back into the house.

Gun Nut