Gun dogs and coat thickness

[Villager]

Hi I have been doing a lot more shooting recently and I believe its time to get a dog. Most people I go shooting with own dogs and iv always kind of relied on them, however I believe the time has come to invest time and money of my own. I’m no expert however, Iv all ways had dogs round the house but this will be my first gun dog, iv got a little experience with collies growing up on a farm however my gun dog training knowledge only comes purely from books.

 

My hearts set on a German Shorthaired Pointer after working with my mates. Ideally I would like a dog to do a verity of things as most in this type of breed do (Finding deer, Pigeon a rough shooting) However I’m not sure how cold weather effects these types of dog (German shorthaired, Hungarian Vizsla, Weimaraner ect) as they seam to have very short coats. My friend was keen to show me a wirehaired pointer however my experience of dogs with beards and this type of coat gives me images of tangled up fur and trying to clean the animal up before the rest of the house will let the dog in! Can these dogs be clipped like other breeds or is the frowned upon? (For example keeping the dog looking as it should do) I’m planning on moving to central Europe in the near future and I understand that winters there are very cold, should I get a dog that’s coat is more winter hardy or not get a dog at all for the time being.

 

Apologies for all the questions!

[Browning]

Hi Villager,

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

I run a couple of GSPs, a dog and a bitch, and so far I've not experience problems with cold weather

affecting them. However I do try to keep them moving, and not let them stand still for too long

when they're wet and it's cold. I always dry them off when we break for lunch and after we've finished

shooting, and they have girlie fleeces to wear after we've finished....much to the amusement of the hardcase spaniel owners.

 

They make good all round shooting companions, both working in the beating line (light cover), picking

up, and best of all as a rough shooting dog, and will run their socks off all day long.

 

I've just started training mine to follow a bloodline, so can't comment just yet, but having seen how

excellent their scenting capabilities are with birds etc, I have no doubt in their capabilities to find shot deer.

 

My pal runs two GWPs and I have to say they are harder than mine, entering denser cover and never hesitating at water, even when it's icy, whereas mine really don't like icy water.

 

One thing I've noticed over the years is that the GWPs seem to have a fairly aggressive tendancy towards

other dogs, I've noticed this with four out of the six GWPs that I get in contact with, both dogs and bitches, so this may be worth looking into deeper before you deside to go ahead.

[RobF]

I'd go for Wire's, our 2 are OK around other dogs (but not strange cats!) and can stand any amount of weather and cover. Like Browning says though, there are temperament problems with some lines, so if you're after one, get some advice from gwp owners.

 

While capable of doing both, most owners use their wires for either birds or deer, as doing deer can make them a bit hard mouthed.

 

If its a correct coat, it will only need stripping (not clipping as this would knacker it) occasionally and is fairly tight and coarse, doesn't tangle and is very waterproof. Our 2 gather as much muck as our 'english' pointers, and definitely less than our springers.

 

 

 

Rob

[Villager]

Many thanks for the replies I’m looking at both at the moment.

Another question, I was told by an old Shepard friend of my fathers to look for aggression in young working collies. Does this apply to gun dogs? Or would this be undesirable (Problems with other dogs ect)

Iv seen a Labrador used as deer finder however in the beating line and the pigeon hide it doesn’t seam to be interested.

[new to the flock]

There are many differant breeds out there that will do what you want. isuggest that you start by doing some google searches for differant types and styles of hunting breeds. You do not have to go with the main flow of labs and springers, look outside the box.

 

You do not want aggression in a Gun Dog. When selecting a pup be sure to watch the parents work and interact, and then perform a puppy test to see what puppy you want, and to weed out any aggressive tendancys. If you are interested in seeing the test let me know and I will post it up along with its purpose later today....just on my way out right now.

 

NTTF

[tiercel]

Hi Villager,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

The last thing you need is an aggressive GWP as a first gundog. There is a way of avoiding this, go for a dog with no recent injection of continental bloodlines. I have a GWP and I can say with total honesty that he does not have a nasty bone in his body.

That does not mean that he is shy or retiring just that he has been socialised with other dogs since a pup.

I do know of GWP's that are out and out nasty dogs and when you enquire about their pedigree, all seem to have had a recent injection of Continental GWP blood into the bloodlines. I have met quite a few owners with similar bloodlines to mine's, they seem very stable dogs.

If you do decide to go for a GWP there are a few thing that you should consider. They can be the devil to train, but if you have never trained a dog before, you will know no difference. Also they are slow maturing mine was still a pup @ 3years old. But when it does click with them, boy are you in for a treat.

 

Tiercel

[Villager]

Thanks all. Have been looking on the internet over the past few days. Iv read about breeds of dog that I never heard about! Still doing my research at the moment really want a GSP or a GWP still. Are there any good books about them? Iv got one by Michael Brander which is quite good.