German Shorthaired Pointer Owners

[tigeresss]

Ooo the forum has a new format for posting! Neat!

Back on topic...could people tell me anything and everything about this breed? I have read everything on the Internet about them but want to know "personal experiences". Essentially what is it like to live with a GSP? I've had a bit of experience with this breed but not much. Any info would be much appreciated! Feel free to post photos!

Cheers

 

[Wee Mite Miniatures]

I have never owned a German Shorthair but my brother has always has one from the time we were very young. They are a wonderful dog --- sometimes. Just like any breed you have to select a dog very carefully. You should try to meet both parents.

As with most hunting breeds you will have problems if they do not get enough exercise. Be prepared for long walks, swimming and ball throwing. They are not for someone who wants a dog to cuddle on the couch all day. They are wonderful cuddlers but they must have a lot of exercise first. They need training if you want to be able to have the dog loose or they will just take off at a run with their nose following what ever smell they find and not come back for hours. They can climb a six foot fence.

They do calm down as they get older.

My brother's dogs have been wonderful with small children and animals. They are well behaved although hyper. They prefer being outside as much as possible but are spoiled house dogs. They are the perfect dog for my brother but they are not a dog for me. I want a dog with a little less need for exercise.

 

[minie812]

We were blessed with our GSP for many years. She was my hubbys hunting pal and passed away in July 2007. John still hurts for her as they were inseperatable. They are very high energy-eat the siding off of the house-chew up alot of stuff they should not-snore and pass ALOT of gas but are so loyal and loving and if we could have Patchy back again we would do it in a heart

beat

 

[CyndiM]

Many years back (35) we had GSP and I loved them. We had our male trained by Jake Huzinga in No California and he was awesome (both the dog and Jake).

Very lovable dogs. I don't know if it was the breeding then as opposed to now-a-days but I did not have the issues mini812 had. They were very quite when in the house and our yard was just a tract house yard so not huge by any means.

The dog loved to hunt! I was the only one he would point birds for at feild trials though

which didn't make the ex very happy. I loved it and won trophys. If I were to get another hunting dog that breed would be the one!

 

[Mercysmom]

I have had my GSP for six years and she is all about hunting, even though she is from a show line. Field trial lines like to hunt even more, so I was told.

Bridget loves to be with me all the time and will complain by whining if I ignore her. She loves and needs her exercise - as another poster said, GSPs need a lot of exercise, be it swimming, running, playing ball, frisbee or hunting. Some GSPs can deal with cats - Bridget is cat aggressive. After exercise, especially in the colder weather, cuddling is a must! She is very sensitive and loving.

She is not destructive or gassy herself but with the breed, they are prone to bloat (being a deep-chested dog) so one must be careful when feeding/exercising.

Because they have two speeds, "off" and "high", many GSPs are rehomed when they do not meet their owner's expectations and of the many different dog breeds I have worked with, they really take it personally.

I would not want to own another breed - they are my favorite but they are not the dog for everyone. As one book I read said, you can ask if a GSP is the right dog for you, but what you really need to know is if you are the right person for a GSP.

Good luck!

Denise

 

[Ashley]

I dont own any but a friend of mine had two. THe male is the sweetest most affectionate dog I have ever met. He is trained to the hilt as well. His sister on the other hand, she was put to sleep after becomeing agressive and dangerous to people.

 

[minimule]

We still have ours. She will be 15 on Oct 19 this year. They are very high energy dogs and need lots of space to run and play. Citori would play ball until YOU dropped and then she'd still try to get you to play. NO and ENOUGH were not in her vocabulary. If you wouldn't pick up the ball anymore, she'd take it over and dip it into the water and wash it off for you.

She doesn't play ball much anymore as her backlegs are failing now and she just can't run and get around like she used to. They are very sweet dogs and very loyal. They love to please and can't take it if they do something wrong. Citori would cringe if she thought she was a bad dog. They do love to hunt. She would spend all day going through the weeds and "tapping" them to get bugs and lizards to run out so she could chase them. It's going to be very hard when it comes "that time" but I fear it might be this winter.

 

[tigeresss]

When people say they need lots of exercise how much are we talking? Like a one hour walk per day would be sufficient or more? Are their energy levels comparable with a working border collie?

 

[Just Us N Texas]

Many years ago, we had a 1/2 Gernman Shorthair, 1/2 something else that I don't remember. They were both royally bred, lived next door to each other, and without their "parents" permission, got together. Anyway, the resulting dog we had was exceptional beyond a doubt! She came to us shortly before our last child was born, and became a Nanny to our girls! She guarded them, loved them, and looked after them. If I "lost" one of them on the farm, she would take me to them. She never allowed them to cross the road to go to the mail box even when they got older. I never had to worry about either of them. She was truly like having another mommy around them to watch them and keep them out of mischief. Whenever one of them did something she didn't think they should, she would push them away by rearing that big body up on them and taking her paws and pushing them away! She lived to be 17 years old, and boy was she special her whole life. I still remember her often, and the girls and I talk about her a lot!

 

[Mercysmom]

When people say they need lots of exercise how much are we talking? Like a one hour walk per day would be sufficient or more? Are their energy levels comparable with a working border collie?

I know Bridget and my house would not survive if she were limited to a one hour walk per day...she does the barn chores with me twice a day and is on high octane fuel, tearing around, playing with Quinn (our three year old Lab), playing a few games of ball or stick with me and swimming...and we do our farm walk. My older son also plays stick with her and takes her swimming - he is off to college today so I will have more work to do.

Other GSPs may be different - it is good to know where your dog is coming from and what his/her family is like. I was told to steer away from field trial stock as they are the ones that can go for miles and miles. Bridget is from show stock that hunts. This fall, as we have bought into a pheasant project, she will have many birds t point at. Her first encounter with a pheasant when she was a puppy was funny - the bird was hiding under a bush, minding his own business and Bridget was just "snooching" around and she came on the bird. She jumped one way and the bird the other before he took off in a beautiful plume of colors.

If Border Collies are "switched on" and run on two speeds - off and high, then I would believe that that might be accurate as a whole but every dog is different.

She just had her yearly physical and the veterinarian just gushes over her every time she is in the office.

Denise

 

[Keri]

My parents had one growing up. It wasn't hyper. She was more hyper than a great dane, but not as hyper as a border collie or a lab. We own a lab and he's nuts! Their GSP did climb fences, dig, and chew up stuff. But she had a rather big yard to play in and went hunting a lot.

 

[cretahillsgal]

I wish you lived closer to me as I have two 9 month old females that I am giving away. They were to be hubby's hunting dogs but he doesn't have time to train them. They are very good at getting out of their kennel and dragging things up into the yard.