Re: Suggestions on how to choose the right Fishing Dog?
I'll share my two experiences.
Sophie: She's a Boston Terrier, which means she's high strung, a bit difficult to train, but more than smart enough to figure it out in the end. She has learned to sit beside me on the bank on the side I don't strip line to, she's small enough to join me in my float tube, and as long as we go for a good walk first she is very patient, which makes her an ideal companion for walk-in fishing trips. She does like to chase frogs and swims like a fish, but through the years she has learned there is a time and place for it. When I get out the rod, she knows this is a fishing day, noy a frogging day. Sometimes we go out on frogging days just to keep it fair 
Toby: Toby's my fiancee's lab dachshund mix (don't ask). He's a work in progress, we've only been fishing together for a few months. He still needs to learn that the only thing that needs to go in the water is the fly, but he is getting the idea, and like Sophie, some days we fish, some days we swim. It'll take a little longer than Sophie did because we have a lot of lab instincts and bad habits to break. He's two years old; we had Sophie out from day one. There's hope for Toby; he's coming along fine. At a very long 60 pounds, Toby will probably not be on the float tube with me.
When we fish areas where there are other people and/or other dogs, both dogs are on a leash (many places I fish have leash laws). They are cool with that, they know what it means. I have a retractable leash. When we are fishing,I stand on the end so I have both hands free to fish. I'm a big boy, neither dog can pull away. They've tried, they learned, neither tries anymore. It all works out pretty well really,and the real key to training both dogs has been to get them out and do it, then be patient while they learn. Just like fishing with kids.
If it swims and eats, it'll eat a fly.
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Originally Posted by akalooker
