How much do you guys buy into this bloodline idea? That being the idea that a dog taken from 'serious field lines' (as TaxPhd put it) will be unlikely to make a suitable home pet.
That's not exactly what I said. You just need to be careful with a dog like that, and realize what you are getting into. My Gordon is wound tighter than an eight day clock most of the time, but he is an in the house (not kenneled) dog. As long as he gets to hunt and run regularly, all is well.
No it isn't exactly what you said, I just borrowed a phrase you used, which as Stand_Watie suggests reflects a sentiment I've heard expressed elsewhere.
Stand - most of the dog hunters I know were and are tenant farmers, some of them were wealthy-ish 15-20 years ago, but few make much money now. They raise the pheasants and provide the dogs and beaters for others to do the majority of the shooting. Between that and B&B and dairy they get by.
Not to suggest that all dog hunters in Britain are wealthy, or all dog hunters in the US are poor, Ian. Just a differing culture. Back to the day when any hunting not done by nobles in Britain was "poaching", and to the days in the US when hunting was the generally the preserve of those who couldn't afford to buy their meat.
Obviously today anyone who sets their heart upon it can hunt in Britain, and it's typically cheaper to buy your meat than hunt it in America, but social mores linger for hundreds of years.
