German Shorthair Pointer input

[golfer]

We have come to the decision that we are considering getting a German Shorthair Pointer. We have narrowed it down to a couple breeder's. For those GSP owner's what advice would you give on looking to purcahse your first GSP? What have you found to be pro's and con's of this breed? Any and all input is greatly appreciated!

 

[LaSportsman]

Not an owner but have dog sat for a buddy with a GSP. Very loving and smart dog but definitely high energy. Nothing wrong with that as long as you know it but if you can't get the dog enough exercise your life may be painful. I'm looking at GSP or Pudelpointer in a few years but need to get my life at a pace that I can adequately work and exercise the dog.

 

[JLS]

I would go to each kennel and spend some time with their respective dogs.

 

[dwatling]

We have a 2 year old GSP and he is the most high energy dog I've ever been around. He'll run our 4 acre property non stop all day long chasing birds. It's hard to keep weight on him because he runs so much. He's also one of the smartest dogs I've been around. Quick learner and easy to train. Hunted quail, dove, and waterfowl over him. Very birdy and great point but once the bird is dead he loses interest, working on his retrieve Haha.

 

[Irrelevant]

What @JLS said. if you don't like the parents you wouldn't like the puppies (after they grow up). My GSP loves to hunt, just not very often for me, she hunts for her. And as a pretty fit dude, I really struggled to keep her fully exercised. They are such endurance athletes. But we may get another again, but I'll be pickier

 

[Mule3006Elk]

I have a 2 year old GSP. She is very smart, great family dog, loves attention, turning into a lap dog. Absolutely obsessed with birds. Taking her on walk is hilarious because everything comes to a stop for any bird, squirrel, doesn't matter.
Fastest dam dog I've seen. Hunts really hard nonstop. Slows down some around mile 10. Best way to have a calm GSP is to put some miles on them. I didn't really appreciate this when I was doing my research. She is great on the leash after hunting/obedience training. My runs don't do it for her so now I take her on bike rides, 5 miles, 11-12 MPH, makes her happy. The wife is happy because the dog is calmer. Ha! Her favorite game: hiding bird wings in the garage. Easily took to sleeping in her kennel as pup. She stopped crying within 3 days. Traveling in the kennel no issues.

I only got this dog because the breeder, who I had been talking to for close to a year, praised one particular sire. This sire finally had a litter so we jumped in feet first. She is my first hunting dog.

Negative with my GSP: loses her mind when she greets other people. Cheerleader on crack. You could argue energy but she makes me exercise, which I appreciate, especially on days I don't want to.

If I could rename her I would call her: Kenya!

 

[Mudder]

My daughter had a German Shorthair, like mentioned high energy, that sucker could really run. I'd take him out for exercise periodically, usually late at night in a nearby park. I put a flashing locator light on him, it was a real show watching how much territory he could cover in a short period of time. I called him disco dog because of the light show.
He dove into a bush once and came out with a flapping angry @#)(# Pheasant in his mouth and brought it to me. I never did work him with a gun, but he definitely had the right stuff.
I watch them for a while as puppies, preferably in a yard or someplace out of their pen. You can spot tendencies. I wanted a strong nose dominant dog the last time and picked the one with his nose to the ground largely ignoring his littermates and wasn't disappointed when he was grown. They'll also point as puppies if something piques their interest.
Maybe it is just me, but I've found females to be more empathetic and trainable than males, just my experience.

 

[Addicting]

I need to rename mine to Shadow. He has everything mentioned above plus he is constantly in my shadow. He imprinted on me and only me. My wife and kids struggle trying to get him to do anything but play. I cannot move without him getting up and wanting to see where I go.

By far the smartest dog over ever owned. Be prepared they will go from being a sleeping lap dog to running full bore out the door to chase a bird/squirrel/rabbit/wind in under a second.

 

[Camdu7]

Pro. Smartest, most athletic, loving, bird driven, goofiest dogs I have ever owned. By goofy I mean lots of personality.

Con. Must have exercise and mental stimulation every day or they will make up their own...

They are always hunting when they are awake, hold point forever and will cover more ground than most beeds.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Camdu7: Good looking dogs!!

 

[golfer]

Do you guys kennel your dogs during the day at work or how do you handle the day with them? Exercise morning and evenings? How are they as far as barking goes, by this I’m curious do they sit and bark for hours on end or does a bark collar eliminate this or is there a better method?

 

[Salmonchaser]

Cheer leader on crack, perfect way to describe a well socialized GSP. Mine are 7 and 8, Molly severed her tendon connecting her bicep to her shoulder blade three years ago this week. Prior to the injury she covered six to seven times the miles my hunters did. Post injury she does about five times.
I’m heading out now, today is run crazy day. I hike hard for 1 hour, they get to go as hard as they want. Tonight after dinner we do a little training, quartering and such.
Pretty rare they don’t get exercised twice a day.
Best dogs ever

 

[Addicting]

Do you guys kennel your dogs during the day at work or how do you handle the day with them? Exercise morning and evenings? How are they as far as barking goes, by this I’m curious do they sit and bark for hours on end or does a bark collar eliminate this or is there a better method?

Large Indoor/outdoor kennel, and a bark collar to keep the neighbors happy. Every Robin in the yard is whined and barked at. Here is mine.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Mine get kenneled if I need to be away. I’ve a neighbor kid who will come by and turn them out if I’m gone for more than 8 hours or so. When I’m home they are typically running around the place. I have an elderly neighbor who loves the dogs. They jump the fence to go see him every day at 0700. They get one small pancake, spend about 1/2 hour there, come home.
Barking is not much of an issue here, but my experience is a bark collar will solve the problem quickly.

 

[Salmonchaser]

As mentioned, spend time with the sire and Dam if you can. You will see very quickly if they have attributes you like.

 

[MO Betta]

Do you guys kennel your dogs during the day at work or how do you handle the day with them? Exercise morning and evenings? How are they as far as barking goes, by this I’m curious do they sit and bark for hours on end or does a bark collar eliminate this or is there a better method?

Our last GSP passed away when I was about 14, but we had an outdoor kennel/run for him during the day. Would usually only bark at the few trucks that came down the county road.

Like others have mentioned they are super intelligent, and can be a bit bullheaded but if you keep up on training/have had a few hunts then later in bird season most of that gets worked out. Give them plenty of exercise, and let them work off some energy before a hunt. Wish I had their energy. Quail were getting very few in number locally and we just didn't make many trips to chase roosters in western Kansas by the time he passed, I keep thinking if quail ever rebounds I'll get another GSP.

 

[Gut Shot]

We kennel ours when we are away. Never had a problem with barking, our dog and the one before only barked when they thought something was wrong.

Get a "chuck-it" and rubber balls and get the dog interested in playing fetch. You can sit on your butt and throw the ball around the yard so the dog gets exercise.

When you are picking out a pup, clap your hands loudly. Avoid any pups that cower or shy away as they may end up being gun shy.

 

[JLS]

Here are a few more thought, FWIW. Most folks aren't going to take the time to go visit the kennel, and for those who are more dog experienced I don't think it's as big a deal. I do think this is very important if you're not familiar with the breed and either have first hand experience or have a trusted source of information. All that said, if your only contact with the breeder is via phone then you better be willing to have a very open and frank conversation that entails the following:

1) Is my situation right for one of your dogs? Don't describe as what you hope it to be, be honest and real. Don't make shit up to try and make the environment sound better than it is.
2) What are the strongest attributes of your dogs?
3) What are the weakest attributes of your dogs?
4) Any history of aggression in either line?
5) Rate cooperation on a scale of 1-10
6) Do they require you test the pups in NAVDHA? (Shouldn't be a deal breaker at all, but good to know up front)
7) How many litters has the breeder had?
8) How have past litters from this dam performed? (Get a couple of names and call pup owners)
9) Any health issue history in either line?
10) How are they around strangers, kids, other dogs, and any other circumstances in your life (i.e. chickens, livestock, etc)
11) Do you think one of your pups would do well in our home environment as described?

If a breeder isn't willing to spend an hour or so with you on the phone, find another breeder. They should be willing and happy to talk about their dogs, but they should not be SELLING you a dog. They should ask about your training experience, how much you hunt, what you hunt, where you hunt, time of year you hunt. It should be an interview of you as well.

If they can't describe weaknesses of their dogs, find another breeder because they are not being honest or they are dumb. A dog should have the mental stability to be crated all day while you're at work and not go off the rails when you get home. Do your due diligence and don't get suckered in by cute pictures. A pain in the ass dog will be with you as long as a good dog. I'd rather have the latter.

Good luck!

 

[Irrelevant]

Mine stays at home either in the house or out in a fenced kennel. I did have to install a hot wire outside to keep her there as she can jump like a deer. She wines if she hears me and can't be with me, but once I leave you shuts up and is content both in the house and in the kennel. She's a decent guard dog when people drive down the driveway, but is also really good with strangers. It's only strange kids that she's a little off with, and that's only if they try to play with her, she's not into that. I'm a bit surprised at the bark collar responses on here, I would have guessed they'd figure out the timing on the collar to not get shocked (or not very hard at least).

 

[jtm307]

Mingle with experienced bird dog trainers. Watch them work with their dogs. This has been the most beneficial thing with my Brittanys. Don’t worry about training for hunting. Focus on obedience and manners.