Thank you for your kind comments regarding Ella. She is certainly a joy to hunt with, and I am fortunate to have such a fine hunting buddy. There are several are attributes that a dog must possess to be a really great hunter like Ella, and in my opinion it is almost impossible to narrow it down to just one. However, I truly believe that there is one combination of characteristics that all truly great hunting dogs have: an extreme desire to retrieve coupled with a high level of tractability. Obviously, all hunting dogs must possess some desire to retrieve, but that alone is not enough. To be great a dog must also be smart enough to adapt to any hunting situation, and willing to work with it's handler to get the job done. Inevitably, a dog that lacks drive will let you down when the going gets tough. However, a dog with loads of desire that is not trainable or runs out of control is more of a liability than an asset. For that reason I believe that having the two attributes in combination is really what it takes to have a great hunting dog. Thanks again for the great question and comment.

Sincerely, J. Paul