GS Pointer

[HaveToShoot]

Well

 

The wife has just about conceeded defeat. Am now on the hunt for a good reference on where to get a GS Pointer. I think Im leaning towards a bitch as Ive had males and dont know if I want to go that route again. It sounds like these are good dogs with a very well rounded history pointing, flush, retreive and water. Plus I absolutely love the look

 

Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated

[ziplex]

www.birkenwald.co.uk..........have you talked at length about this breed to people in the know?.........they are a real handful and take an absolute age to settle down, if it's your first gun dog please take as much advice as you can get before you go ahead. They are fabulous dogs in many ways but they are most definately not easy to train, they don't take to the cold too well so not suitable for kenelling outside, can be quite sensitive, like to be at range etc. I found Springers very, very easy to train in comparison to the GSP I have now and with hindsight I may not of bothered. She is a cracking dog and she is coming on now but she has been sooo frustrating I have to say. Depends what you will need in a dog, what have you planned for her??

Edited August 4, 2008 by ziplex

[MartinP]

Hi there

I have a year old GSP dog. It is my first working dog. They are a real handful but if you take things slowly they are a joy. They are a very stubborn dog and will try everything to get there own way but at the same time very sensitive as i have found out the hard way. As with all working breeds, they need a lot of input to keeop them on track. I agree with ziplex that training can be very frustrating but disagree that they are not easy to train. Ours learnt commands very quickly and instictively but due to his stubborness, needed alot of input to progress quickly. Mine loves the retrieving from both land and water and loves the field work. Pointing is a little ragged as prefers to chase which i am trying to work on at the mo., but i think a bit of this comes down to his maturity They are a very loving dog and a great guard dog and very good with kids, ours transformed overnight with our recent edition. By all accounts, bitches mature alot ealier than dogs which is very evident in my beast as at times he can be soooo immature. Although he has been very testing to my patience and caused me untold amount of frustrations, i don't regret getting a GSP and probably would not change breed for my next dog. As ziplex advised, try and talk to people in the know. These breeders are very good and helpful and their litters are bred from pure working and field trial trained dogs. Contact them for advice and about any litters available. www.meadowdale.co.uk

[casts_by_fly]

I'm glad someone else asked because I was about to ask for recommendations. We're going to get one in ~8-12 months when my wife can move up here so I'm on the lookout for breeders now.

 

Anyone know of a breeder that is breeding solid liver GSP's for gundogs? Back home there were a few and I see quite a few on the continent, but nothing over here yet.

 

Thanks,

Rick

[casts_by_fly]

guess I should have checked the links first. Both of the above offer solid liver dogs. My wife is sold.

 

thanks

rick

[ziplex]

As an aside, the Birkenwald are full german blood and as such do differ it seems from english bred dogs. Mine is of such high drive that she really has taken a long time to respond to commands. She points well now though and hunts for a pastime, she blind retrieves well too, but isn't so keen on sighted retrieves. If there is a stronger swimmer who does it as effortlessly as Bree i'd like to see it , they are fantastic natural swimmers and have huge ammounts of lung capacity so can go on forever it seems. She is very well adjusted at home, knows her place, has never chewed anything that didn't belong to her and is very loving, (quite intensly so), and lives very happily with the one remaining springer we have, she really is not very tolerant of cold weather and I had her ear marked for wildfowling?, we'll see what happens there then!. I am not trying to put you off but it really depends on where you buy your dog, different breeding can offer different characteristics. I went to Birkenwald as I wanted a dog that I could be as sure as possible would have little chance of having hip displacia, her parents scores are very, very low and while it doesn't ensure problem free hips it sure helps. (Jazz, my springer who went last year, see my avatar, had god awful hips and it was pitiful seeing her in pain sometimes). I'm sure if you are commited you will be very happy with a GSP, if you are not 100%, have a chew on it first. If you want a highly driven quality dog, go and see/speak to Mrs Gill at Birkenwald, her dogs really are fine animals but they 'aint cheap.

Edited August 5, 2008 by ziplex

[casts_by_fly]

ziplex,

 

About how much do they run if you don't mind telling? In the states, most breedings of working dogs from quality kennels go for $400-$600. 'Premium' breedings will go as high as $1000-$1200. I see similar prices over here only in pounds instead of dollars.

 

How was Bree as far as natural pointing ability? Not being a pointer trainer that's one thing I want in my first pointing dog.

 

I think my roxy would give bree a run for her money in swimming ability. Her feet are partly webbed though so that might be an unfair advantage. She looks like an otter as she goes through the water.

 

Thanks,

Rick

[russuk]

I'd say anywhere from £500 to £700 will get you a quality bred GSP. Abbie set me back £600, and she is worth every penny.

 

Like with any breed you can't generalise, but I have a dainty GSP bitch who in the house you would describe as a 'daddies girl', get her outside and she is completely fearless, works for me, has more natural ability than at this stage of my gundog life I can take advantage of, and above all, she absolutely loves working. She is an absolute pleasure to take shooting.

 

People will tell you they'll shy away from cover, I haven't had that problem, people will also tell you they aren't natural retrievers, again, I haven't found that.

 

She has taken a while to mature, and training at first was frustrating, but if you go in to it knowing what you are facing, it isn't a problem. Join a training group, the time I spent with the GSPC was invaluable.

 

I have no doubt that I will have GSPs for the rest of my life.

 

Edited August 6, 2008 by russuk

[ziplex]

I'd say anywhere from £500 to £700 will get you a quality bred GSP. Abbie set me back £600, and she is worth every penny.

 

Like with any breed you can't generalise, but I have a dainty GSP bitch who in the house you would describe as a 'daddies girl', get her outside and she is completely fearless, works for me, has more natural ability than at this stage of my gundog life I can take advantage of, and above all, she absolutely loves working. She is an absolute pleasure to take shooting.

 

People will tell you they'll shy away from cover, I haven't had that problem, people will also tell you they aren't natural retrievers, again, I haven't found that.

 

She has taken a while to mature, and training at first was frustrating, but if you go in to it knowing what you are facing, it isn't a problem. Join a training group, the time I spent with the GSPC was invaluable.

 

I have no doubt that I will have GSPs for the rest of my life.

 

Bree is getting more fond of diving into cover now, she was reluctant for a while though. My only real reservation about her future is as a wildfowling dog, I fear she'll feel the cold too much....even on a day, (wet but not cold), like today she'll shiver for an age after going for a wet walk, even if towelled well down. Her retrieving is coming on, especially from water but is still too fond to hunt, it's like a drug to her . I've found she's calmed a lot since having her first season too, and she's much steadier now thank god. Her level of drive and determination has had me grinding my teeth on more than one occasion, she's one determined cookie but it's not like that for everyone it seems.....I think the info' above about seeking help from GSPC would be well worth considering. I thought my springers were a yardstick to how well I could train a dog, that has not been the case with Bree i'm afraid, but I am starting to see the results now...I had thought countless times about how i'd rushed in and bought her on impulse and was close to firing her off to an experienced trainer...so frustrated was I! but it's coming good now. They are magical dogs but you need the patience of a saint should they be remotely like this lump who's currently led across my lap snoring

[HaveToShoot]

Thanks very much for the info and input. First and foremost I want a new member of the family in the house and not a kennel. My 11 yr old boy really wants a dog.I have a big park nearby for training. I have done quite a bit of reading and asking about the breed which is why I posted on here. I am a patient guy who is willing to spend time with the dog. I have help from a couple of keeper friends as far as training goes. One gentleman named Joe Irving which has trained spanials for yrs is willing to help me along. I beleive he has also written several books on it. I want something a little different and the boys requirement is "floppy" ears. GSP fits the bill. Any more input would be appreciated

[ziplex]

Thanks very much for the info and input. First and foremost I want a new member of the family in the house and not a kennel. My 11 yr old boy really wants a dog.I have a big park nearby for training. I have done quite a bit of reading and asking about the breed which is why I posted on here. I am a patient guy who is willing to spend time with the dog. I have help from a couple of keeper friends as far as training goes. One gentleman named Joe Irving which has trained spanials for yrs is willing to help me along. I beleive he has also written several books on it. I want something a little different and the boys requirement is "floppy" ears. GSP fits the bill. Any more input would be appreciated

 

You're patient, have trainer friends, a large park, thankfully want the dog indoors and have a keen yougster...sounds like an ideal enviornment. They do thrive on family life it seems. Bree is incredibly friendly to all and everyone, to the point it can be annoying. If I could turn back the clock i'd probably of been more firm with Bree on certain things but it's a fine line as she can be very sensitive. I did find it hard to adjust from Springers who I found needed only asking, once aware, rather than commanding to do something...they are willing to please whatever. The Pointer on the other hand, Bree anyway, is a soft hearted but hard headed patience tester. She likes to be at range working independently, my springers on the other hand were terrified of losing sight of me and rarely were more than 20 yards away unless told otherwise. Other people don't have problems with their Pointers wanting to be a way off which again comes back to their breeding again I suppose? Another thing to consider is Bree is 17/18 months old now I guess and is still very much a puppy when the mood takes her, she is a natural clown when she wants to be When she is on the rabbits at a local common, watching her work is quite a sight, she'll stalk, crouch, hide behind cover and generally goes into SAS mode in an attempt to get as close as possible which is natural to them, she points really well now and more often than not holds steady when told. I'll be going out anytime soon with her with the gun to see how she behaves. She hasn't ever shown any fear with any noise, first introduction to gunshot produced a sit and a lazy scratch of her ear so i've no worries with that. I think if you go into Pointer ownership with your eyes open you'll be fine, but you'll need that patience especially if the dog you buy is naturally highly driven as is her ladyship here. Ask yourself what you want in a dog and go from there, rather than thinking, as I did, 'I fancy one of them' only to realise it won't be suited to what you desire?.....Bree is a big runner and although more obedient now, it can be tiring to keep commanding her back, she'll walk to heel no problem but you can tell she wants to be away running rather than happily walking by my side, she's like a coiled spring. Lovely dog,headcase,clown,hard working,frustrating,intelligent,stupid,impressive...you get it all with a GSP.

Edited August 7, 2008 by ziplex

[Bango]

Try Mike Roberts at www.miliscer.co.uk