Waterfowling with a GSP

[gspgunner]

After some long negotiations, my wife and I have come to an agreement. I can get another dog after the youngest is out of diapers. I lost Brutus, my GSP, almost two years ago to cancer. I love the GSP breed for alot of reasons. I`m starting into goose hunting this year. My question is how hard is it to train a GSP for not only upland, but also waterfowl? I know they are versital breeds, but I would like to hear from those who have or know those who have trained a GSP for both. Any help is appreciated.

[ymepointer]

If you choose the parents wisely, it shouldn't be a problem at all. I would look to NAVHDA or DK breedings and you should be well pleased. Good luck and make sure to send us lots of pics...

[Vonzeppelinkennels]

I think the only problem you would have is what kind of temps you talking,a GSP could not handle the ice or ice water for any lenth of time.

[kensfishing]

I personally think too many people try to make shorthairs something they're not. A German Shorthair is a German Shorthair. They have web feet and love water. I can't keep mine out of it. Unless it's frozen over, but they cannot stand extremely cold water without some kind of protection. NAVDA, NASTRA, AKC and American Field are all Shorthairs, it's what the people do with that makes them different. Just my thoughts.

[Fair Fields]

If you find the right breeding, waterfowling should come as natural to a GSP as upland hunting. I hunt my dogs on ducks and geese 15-20 days a year. The only time I don't is when it is severe cold late season (20 degrees and below). We hunt the fields for geese, ponds for woodies and mallards and we have floated the river and jump shot about every thing else.

If you want a dog that can do it all, I would suggest you look at parents and lines that are hunted for waterfowl and uplands. Look at NAVHDA or DK lines...as well as others.

[Crystal kennels]

We avidly hunt our GSPs on Waterfowl. We have very cold temps especially late season here in NYS. We hunt the big lakes and ours hold up as well as any Lab or Chessie in the cold. I do use 5 mm neoprene vests. We hunt out of a boat blind and off land........ Judy

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[Hattrick]

Check out ur local NAVHDA chapter it will be all the help you need, half of the UT an VC testing is water work .. GSPs are among the best with water fowl dispit what other people say. Hope this helps

[Vonzeppelinkennels]

Bob Merkel used a mostly white NFC to retrieve ducks before the temps got TOO Cold & I think it's funny that people always have to throw in get a NAVHDA or DK if you want a GSP to retrieve ducks.
OBTW her name was NFC/FC Buckville's Maggie Mae.
Charlie Rose uses his dogs to retrieve ducks aswell his dogs almost all go back to Dixieland's Rusty.I sent him a solid LVR female 5 or 6 yrs ago that he has used.
She was double Dixieland's Luke bred.Stay's pretty warm in Texas though.

[gspgunner]

Another option I was looking at would be a wirehair. My wife didn`t have a problem allergy wise with my gsp. She cleans houses and one house she clean has a lab. She comes home from cleaning sometimes and you can tell she was around the dog. I know all dogs shed to a point, but how do wirehaired pointers do as far as dander and shedding?

[DSemple]

My GSP avatar dog Millie is a retrieving fool.
Hasn't lost a bird in several years. Even dives after cripples.




Rusty's Blue Earth Rex granddaughter

[Ruffshooter]

No Problem at all.. THey love it. I love it. We love it. Do it with one of my French Brits, training another.

[pointshootretrieve]

[quote="Crystal kennels"]We avidly hunt our GSPs on Waterfowl. We have very cold temps especially late season here in NYS. We hunt the big lakes and ours hold up as well as any Lab or Chessie in the cold. I do use 5 mm neoprene vests. We hunt out of a boat blind and off land........



You have to be kidding with that statement right A GSP holding up as well as any Lab or Chessie :roll: Either you have never hunted truly cold weather with any dog or you are kidding your self. Look I am not saying a GSP can't work out of the blind or boat but let's be honest about it, this is NOT fair to these dogs to sit them in a blind or boat in 30 and below temps after making water retrieves. Why not use Pointers to make cold water retrieves?? Same coat, webbed feet! If you are going to hunt waterfowl in cold water/weather you would be better off with a Wirehair

[Crystal kennels]

Well I'd say second season with 15 degrees out is pretty darn cold. Kidding myself? I don't think so...ask anyone who has seen our dogs hunt. One of our friends is a waterfowl guide up North with his very nice lab....last year he admitted that his dog didn't want to go out and he was amazed that ours did for their 'little haircoat'. ....Us.... Never hunted cold weather? Come up here in January for late season and we can show you some real cold weather.


Judy

[mcbosco]

Well I'd say second season with 15 degrees out is pretty darn cold. Kidding myself? I don't think so...ask anyone who has seen our dogs hunt. One of our friends is a waterfowl guide up North with his very nice lab....last year he admitted that his dog didn't want to go out and he was amazed that ours did for their 'little haircoat'. ....Us.... Never hunted cold weather? Come up here in January for late season and we can show you some real cold weather.


Judy

Judy,

What are weights of your GSP's. From the pictures they look heftier than most. Handsome and very substantial. Some of the eastern-bred dogs tend to have quite a bit of body mass relative to dogs bred in other places.

[Hattrick]

Vonzeppelinkennels I would like to clear this up i did not state you need a NAVHDA dog to retreive ducks i meant it was great place to find help in training GSP for waterfowl. Duck search an blind retreive are a big part of the testing it`s not easy, an these guys seem to have it figured out an are willing to help. Its great place to start

[Vonzeppelinkennels]

No problem HT I was referring to the ones that always insist that it takes a NAVHDA bred or DK to do anything other then hunt & point birds.

[Birddogz]

There is no doubt that a wire hair can handle more than a GSP, but I have seen some GSPs that had thick coats and handled cold weather well. A Chessie and Lab are superior with equal desire. It is simply physics/chemistry. That being said, I hunt more fields when it gets really cold in ND.

[Crystal kennels]

mcbosco:

Our males run from 65-74 pounds. They do have more bone than alot of GSP....... they are not spindly. Here's another picture taken last January...............

[Ruffshooter]

"P"have to be kidding with that statement right A GSP holding up as well as any Lab or Chessie :roll:

First I will say, coat and bone/frame/thickness makes a huge difference in a dogs ability to handle cold and wind. Chessies and labs and wirehaired dogs generally will handle cold water and wind better, no doubt.

But, Look at Judy's dogs, they are heavier boned with pretty dense coats. That makes a huge difference. You look at my dog. She is finer boned, not as dense or harsh a coat. I will hunt her in the 30 degree weather with no wind, but no lower and no 10 mph winds, Then I bring out my Britt. He is heavier boned heavier coated and just stockier. He is good down into mid 20's with winds, but I would not go lower.

I know of an Engelhart/Shooting Star dog here that is 75 pounds and I would hunt that dog in colder weather. because of his build.

But like said, most instances a lab or CHessie can handle the cold better.

[mcbosco]

Judy,

Does Carson have some Spinner blood?

[Crystal kennels]

mcbosco:

He's a built dude that's for sure............

[gspgunner]

My Brutus was 65+ lbs. He could handle the cold. I used to take out behind our church and run him in the snow. In fact he loved it. Never got the chance to waterfowl with him so I can`t say how he would have done in the cold water.

[briarpatch]

by ymepointer » Wed Dec 08, 2010 4:41 pm

If you choose the parents wisely, it shouldn't be a problem at all. I would look to NAVHDA or DK breedings and you should be well pleased.

+3 ...I agree
and also agree many NAVHDA/ and especially many DK lines are built better for water work in colder temperatures..of coarse there is exeptions to the every rule we had a FT bred dog with us last year busting through the ice as good if not better then most labs would..but if looking for a ducking dog would stick towards the dogs that have been born and bred to do it ... A GSP is not a GSP as someone stated some are bred to be larger heavier dogs with thicker coats , some have been bred to be lighter smaller dogs mainly for upland ..Some are bred to be somewhere in the middle of those two..depending on what the breeders main game is and what the breeders before them main game was ..

I also agree with the other statement that if you plan on doing a lot of 30 or less degree weather water work I would go with a breed that was more built for it a pointing lab or wirehair..