Everyone's experience with a Runt.

[Dmagz]

Hello All,

After a few years without a dog. We have come to a point in life where we feel we can handle another dog.

We have done our research on lineage, huntability and recommendations etc.... and have found a great breeder. We wanted a male and with our luck the had 3 males and that was all... the breeder gets first pick which leaves us with a 50/50 choice. The breeder is getting one of the larger Males. I have yet to meet the pups but I know the traits i am looking for. One of the pups is noticeably smaller than the other. Now I love the colour of the Fox Red that is the Runt but colour is not what I'm basing choice on as that would be ignorant.

But let's say this small guy has all the traits we are looking for.

My question is what is the likelihood that it will grow to the full size goose hauler I'm looking for?

I shoot around 500+ birds in a season.

We would like some input on people that have chosen or received a Runt and What the likelihood of it achieving good size is...

Thanks in advance

Dave

[Sharon]

My setter is a runt and a fantastic hunter.... 12-15 pounds off the normal sized dog for her breed. A runt stays a runt normally and never reaches the size of a normal sized pup. Normally I would say it is heart, not the size. However, in your case, if you want a dog to retrieve 500 +- geese a year , you need a full size dog. jmo

[Longgun]

I bred a runt 1 time and she grew to be a normal size dog. She had caught up to the rest by 6 months of age.
deb

[MikePal]

This is T.J. Was not only a 'runt' but was born with a defromed/crippled front (rt) paw that has only one pad and two toes. He uses it like a cane for stability but essentially is a 3 legged dog. I picked him up the day the breeder was putting him down.

Took him to the deer camp 1st year and lots of negative looks/comments. Put him out with the other dogs and he did very well. By the 3rd day he was out in front leading the pack on a buck...

Dogs don't know they are the 'runt' and it's all about their ingrained skills (genes) and attitude.

[quackaddict2]

ive had one litter to date and jess had 11 pups,one concerned me for sure for she was half the size of the next smallest one.spent the next 4 weeks making sure she had a teet before realizing she could hold her own.

well of course I fell in love with her and pretty sure no one would pick her, had her slated for myself ( my heart sank as she was briefly considered by someone wanting a smaller dog but then quickly changed their mind)

as far as drive,talent and heart she excelled though a bit sensitive,placed in two all age events,a 4th in a open and a 2nd in a amateur at the age of 2 yrs,gave her mother more breaks this past hunting season and hunted over her more extensively,after two solid days of grouse hunting up at Kap she showed no signs of letting up,duck hunts no issues with one particularly extreme conditions where she was required to fight current and flows of slush while going 150 yds on some memory birds when having more than one bird down(this includes 2 doubles on canadas but on water)
ive had her on several field hunts but cannot say she has been really tested there with what I would consider a real pile up but she can pick them up and carry them in and tackled a few cripples. ive run 300 yd blinds with her using a full size Canada after the hunt and she looks good

this is my one and only experience with a runt and have to say I do not regret my decision ,on the other hand without knowing the back ground on the litter you are looking at and the amount of field hunting canadas I think you do, I would suggest the bigger fella your looking at,
still does not mean that he will grow into a big dog though,that second smallest female I had grew into a good size girl while the biggest female I had grew into second smallest adult so this choosing a pup is really a crap shoot

anyways im at work here while posting this and when I get a chance at home will post a pic of the squirt with the results of that river hunt if anyone care to see it

today she weighs in at 49 lb at the age of 3 yrs

[Cass]

A lot of times runts are just smaller as they aren't feeding as well are the others. Could very well end up being normal sized. My cocker was smaller when we got him and he actually ended up being way bigger than the average working cocker. They should be 25-30 lbs and mine is 40 and lean.

[krakadawn]

I wouldn't worry about size, lots of other things to consider when predicting a good duck/ goose dog
My smallest lab absolutely hates geese! He can scoop them up so fast ur head would spin. For him jts about technique.
You don't have to be the biggest hockey player to have the hardest shot!

I'd be more concerned with pedigree, health history, health warranty etc

Good luck!