First bird dog

Beaver trap · #1 10-08-2015, 11:26 PM

So I'll cut right to the chase.....
I have decided on a German shorthaired pointer due to a life long love of them. Now the only problem I have is choosing a breeder. Having never got a dog from a breeder myself and Im kinda lost. Any input is greatly appreciated.
However I have already decided on the breed so let's not turn this into a "this dog is better than that dog " thread.
I'm not afraid to pay good money for what I'm looking for and doesn't have to be local. (Canada or USA is fine)

Mateo · #2 10-09-2015, 01:36 AM

Champion sporting dogs. Got my GSP there. Very happy and a great temperament. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

happy honker · #3 10-09-2015, 07:04 AM

Hi, Just throwing it out there...
For conditioning a pup to gun shots, be careful.

I had success by starting out by simply clapping 2 small boards together every time I threw him something to retrieve. I then progressed to a cap gun (toy) then to a .22.

He was 8 months old before he heard a shot gun, and it never startled him a bit.

Just saying...as I talked to 2 guys in the last week who told me their dogs wouldn't hunt because they're scared of gun shots.

All the best with your GSP, what a dog!
(I'm a lab guy btw)

densa44 · #4 10-09-2015, 07:17 AM

Clyde Vetter has good dogs and he himself is an expert trainer. He sometimes breeds with a high coefficient of inbreeding but there may be a number of choices from his kennel, so what ever suits you.

http://sharpshooterskennel.com/

Good luck.

elkhunter11 · #5 10-09-2015, 08:08 AM

When I talked to breeders, and told them the type of hunting that I wanted to do, and told them about my family and living situation, a few were very helpful in telling me if they though I was looking at the best breed and the best breeder for my situation. They seemed more interested in me getting the right dog, than in selling me a pup. The breeder that I chose went as far as to tell me that unless the buyer wants a specific pup, he would choose a pup from the litter that displays the characteristics that would best suit my situation.

densa44 · #6 10-09-2015, 09:32 AM

I'd really like to know what you can tell by looking at a puppy what it will be like as an adult. I know what a pedigree can tell you but I'm much less sure what looking at the pup tells a customer.

For example we have 10 pups on the ground now and some of the buyers have been on the list for a year. They were very keen on coming in turn to pick their pup. They had all previously decided upon gender, so the choice was out of 5.

The first one picked the largest male.
The second one, who had driven a few 100 miles chose the one that came to him.
The third one after another long drive chose the one that came to him also.
The next 2 are from the US and are flying up to pick up their dogs. One let his daughter choose based on the coat, and the last one was just happy to get a dog.

The females are pretty well all going to other breeders, and they have asked us to pick.

They all look pretty much the same to me, there is no runt and they are big healthy dogs, out of the best sire we could find that wasn't related.

elkhunter11 · #7 10-09-2015, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by densa44

I'd really like to know what you can tell by looking at a puppy what it will be like as an adult. I know what a pedigree can tell you but I'm much less sure what looking at the pup tells a customer.

For example we have 10 pups on the ground now and some of the buyers have been on the list for a year. They were very keen on coming in turn to pick their pup. They had all previously decided upon gender, so the choice was out of 5.

The first one picked the largest male.
The second one, who had driven a few 100 miles chose the one that came to him.
The third one after another long drive chose the one that came to him also.
The next 2 are from the US and are flying up to pick up their dogs. One let his daughter choose based on the coat, and the last one was just happy to get a dog.

The females are pretty well all going to other breeders, and they have asked us to pick.

They all look pretty much the same to me, there is no runt and they are big healthy dogs, out of the best sire we could find that wasn't related.

The breeder that I chose is retired and spends a great deal of time with the pups. From what he told me, each pup has a personality. and some personalities may be better suited to different situations.

densa44 · #8 10-09-2015, 09:52 AM

I'm retired and I spend a lot of time with the pups too. Once they leave here it is very hard to know how they all turn out. Some owners after they test the dog lose all contact, others that stay in Alberta we see grow up but that is a pretty small sample.

I always hear this but still find it hard to believe that an 8 week old pup that is living with all the littermates has made a lot of permanent behaviour choices. Maybe it is true but I haven't seen it.

elkhunter11 · #9 10-09-2015, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by densa44

I'm retired and I spend a lot of time with the pups too. Once they leave here it is very hard to know how they all turn out. Some owners after they test the dog lose all contact, others that stay in Alberta we see grow up but that is a pretty small sample.

I always hear this but still find it hard to believe that an 8 week old pup that is living with all the littermates has made a lot of permanent behaviour choices. Maybe it is true but I haven't seen it.

Perhaps you just aren't as observant as some breeders?

I am not about to doubt a person that has bred dogs for so long, I do know that he will know his dogs better after eight weeks, than I would after only an hour or so.

h&t · #10 10-09-2015, 11:10 AM

make sure to look at both parents both in the field and indoors, if you don't know much about dogs, find someone who does, but is not selling anything to you. There's a huge variation in GSP (and DK).

wwbirds · #11 10-09-2015, 11:33 AM

Always see a dominant male and usually female in each litter as well, then see a few middle of the road personalities and one that seems softer or a little submissive. We used to use a different color yarn or ribbon on each pup and then the subtle differences in personality would show up. I was never going to sell a submissive soft pup to a pro trainer and like wise would not sell a dominant male or female to a first time dog owner. How they carry their tails, pecking order on eating, interaction with litter mates etc tell a lot about individual personalities.
When I had first pick of the litter in Ontario for Mako the breeder would not sell him unless a pro trainer was interested as they said he was the sickle tail dominant dog and was very strong towards the other pups. too much of a hand full for an inexperienced new puppy trainer.

shell_guy · #12 10-09-2015, 12:00 PM

I would also call Jeff at Champion. He currently has a few non-registered as well as registered GSP. He breeds wonderful dogs (I bought a pup out of his recent registered litter), he is an honest stand up guy. I would definitely buy another pup from him.

AndersonSkiTeam · #13 10-09-2015, 01:57 PM

Spend some time and look around. Figure out what you want your dog for. There are probably a hundred breeders for GSP all over Canada and USA that could sell you a good dog. Figure out what you want, what used for and then start researching. There are also a few websites that focus on pointing breeds you could learn more from in 10-20 hours of reading than you already know. Any of these dogs are going to need a lot of exercise. Some of them are bred to run really big and need a GPS to track the GSP. Some have more traditional versatile German breeding.
Good luck and enjoy your dog.

elkhunter11 · #14 10-09-2015, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwbirds

Always see a dominant male and usually female in each litter as well, then see a few middle of the road personalities and one that seems softer or a little submissive. We used to use a different color yarn or ribbon on each pup and then the subtle differences in personality would show up. I was never going to sell a submissive soft pup to a pro trainer and like wise would not sell a dominant male or female to a first time dog owner. How they carry their tails, pecking order on eating, interaction with litter mates etc tell a lot about individual personalities.
When I had first pick of the litter in Ontario for Mako the breeder would not sell him unless a pro trainer was interested as they said he was the sickle tail dominant dog and was very strong towards the other pups. too much of a hand full for an inexperienced new puppy trainer.

It sounds you you share the opinion of the breeder that I chose. I researched many breeders, and communicated with several, and a few breeders just made me feel more comfortable than the others. I was down to two breeds, but talking to the breeder that I finally chose , helped me arrive at my final decision.

wwbirds · #15 10-09-2015, 02:41 PM

people that came here always said after acquiring the dog that they felt they had gone through a lengthy multi part job interview.
We often had a waiting list so knew the wants needs and experience levels of those on the list and the preference for male or female but that was just the beginning. No one ever got to pick a pup on the first visit. We interviewed to see what they expected as a field trialer would have completely different needs and expectations of a family pet owner. A hunter/field trialer placed drive as a higher priority than personality. Trainable dogs can be trained by anyone but the tuff ones can take a bit more effort. Personally I have always had my best hunting and field trial dogs from hard going dominant alpha males because although it may take more effort to get them under control I would rather have that drive and not need it than try to put some "zip" into a dog that just doesn't have it.
I can always knock them down a peg but it is tough to boost them if they just don't have the desire.

elkhunter11 · #16 10-09-2015, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwbirds

people that came here always said after acquiring the dog that they felt they had gone through a lengthy multi part job interview.
We often had a waiting list so knew the wants needs and experience levels of those on the list and the preference for male or female but that was just the beginning. No one ever got to pick a pup on the first visit. We interviewed to see what they expected as a field trialer would have completely different needs and expectations of a family pet owner. A hunter/field trialer placed drive as a higher priority than personality. Trainable dogs can be trained by anyone but the tuff ones can take a bit more effort. Personally I have always had my best hunting and field trial dogs from hard going dominant alpha males because although it may take more effort to get them under control I would rather have that drive and not need it than try to put some "zip" into a dog that just doesn't have it.
I can always knock them down a peg but it is tough to boost them if they just don't have the desire.

That pretty much describes my experiences with a few breeders. Their main concern, was ensuring that I found a dog that would meet my expectations, and that would fit in with my family, and our other dogs. The breeder that I chose had excellent references, and he seemed more concerned than anyone else, that I was choosing the right breed, and that I was fully informed as to what to expect from my pup, and what would be required from me to ensure that the pup developed into a good hunter, and a part of the family.

BobNewton · #17 10-09-2015, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shell_guy

I would also call Jeff at Champion. He currently has a few non-registered as well as registered GSP. He breeds wonderful dogs (I bought a pup out of his recent registered litter), he is an honest stand up guy. I would definitely buy another pup from him.

My late GSP was from Jeff, Awesome guy.

Would do it again if I were to do the breed again. But beware the energy level! Holy Moly. I couldn't beat him. Walk him, run him. Throw a ball for hours, miles behind quad. Hed lay down for 20 mins and be 100 percent ready to go again.

Great breed, but BUSSSSY

Jeffs dogs are all bred to hunt. Buckley fetched and retrieved from day one. form needed work, but that's all he wanted to do.

From a puppy after gun conditioning. Every shot of a firearm. He would run downrange and start sniffing around. Dunno how they breed that into dogs, buts its fascinating to witness.

M.C. Gusto · #18 10-09-2015, 08:20 PM

Lucky for you there are 1000s of kennels for GSP and DK breeders. Take your time, a long time to figure what you actually need. Big running? Short running? Coat colour? Blood track? Sharpness? Etc etc

wwbirds · #19 10-09-2015, 08:29 PM

Buckley was a fun dedicated dog Bob. if we are lucky we will all get a second chance with a great dog.
Rob

petesapie · #20 10-09-2015, 09:02 PM

I also have a female GSP from Jeff. She is a great family dog and turning into one hell of a hunter.

Fry · #21 10-09-2015, 09:31 PM

I would think about vom Canuck kennels for a versatile dog, they are from
Manitoba and have some KS sired dogs. Which is the german form of testing. Looks pretty intense for testing.
For a flat out prairie dog I'd look at dunfur in Cheney, WA. The reputation is some good running hard pointing dogs.
That just what I'm pondering for the future when it's time for me, no idea about those dogs but those two kennels are the ones I've been keeping my eye out for, as far as reviews and stuff.
Best to get the best breeding you can. The more natural talent they have the easier it is for you.