German shorthair pointer

OK... no one wants to say it..... so I will!!! I have the BEST Breed and the BEST DOG IN HISTORY... case closed!





 
I guess I'll throw in...When I was 99% waterfowling I was a chessie guy. Mostly because chessies rule. When I moved back to the ranch my chessie was seeing her last days. She passed and I was really no longer living in a good waterfowling area.
I was in upland country. So that being said I hunt 70% upland and 30% waterfowl. I needed a new pup so I figured German Wirehair would fill in perfect. I made sure to pick a medium coat, as 40% fall waterfowling is in pretty cold water. At the same time, early fall upland can be pretty warm. I chose wisely. I grew up on the ranch with German Shorthairs, and they did fine on upland during the warmer months. I never tried waterfowling them out here as we start freezing about the time duck season opens.
I wouldn't put any short haired dog in water that had snow on the banks. I wouldn't hesitate to send my GWP and do. She's the coat for it. Get the right tool for the job.-Seth
 
Now you've gone too far Steve! You'd soil wild Bobwhites with a flusher? Shaking my head.... hahaha

From my hunting with both pointers and flushers my view is that in a limited time a good pointer will usually find more birds. If given a limited amount of land to hunt then a good flusher will usually find more birds. Its a bit of a generalization but I think it is mostly fair. The size of your world is cut way down with a flusher and I'm not saying that is a bad thing. For people wanting to focus on their dog its a great way to hunt.

I would mostly agree with you that cattails are much better for a lab or springer then most pointers. But I'd also say the same things that make my Kraut dog a little iffy on prairie grouse make him very good in cattails. He rushes in and points close, common with German dogs. He will also bust his way through if they don't hold and since he isn't a huge running dog I'm usually close enough to cut the bird off. I'm not too proud to shoot a flushed bird if he handles it as the situation demands. I pass on bumped birds in more open cover.

Yeah the guy over on UJ was just a jerk, I think I told him that. I don't even know how someone can type that out and think it's OK.
I have nothing against flushers and have had fun with them...just not what I enjoy the most.

I still think that once you have your setter that you will start to enjoy the point in a different way. You just wait until your own dog points a wild bird. It's a thrill that is hard to describe. It is nothing like seeing someone else's dog point. I can remember about half a dozen hen points vividly from this past season and a couple from the season before, I doubt that many guys remember hen flushes in front of their labs. I need a little more snow to melt around here and I'm planning a few runs just to see some points, no training needed right now I just want to see the points. As much as I have liked some flushers I never get excited to see them handle birds out of season.

Oh and I'm not sure the OP needs a Lab but I do think he needs to look at a few dogs. Maybe he will like a Griff or Drahthaar and it's possible a Lab will be right. Normally if you need to to ask about how a dog works you need to see some in person. I'm sure there are some good Lab and Versatile dog clubs around him where he can see some in action. Like I said before don't look at pups yet, they are all to cute to leave without.

Tim
 
I don't need my attitude to change......that's already happened...and that's before the dogs were mine......I've had Las for 40 years and have "known" far more of them in that time than any other breed.....didn't stop me from falling in love with a half dozen girls this past fall, (and a couple of boys), and to know that I wanted to see one that belonged to me doing the same thing.......all this past fall I laughed everytime I moved from campground to campground and State to State thinking about the post that you started, (at least I think you started it but maybe not), about how much less gear intensive, how "just get in the truck and go, Pheasant hunting was as compared to Duck Hunting.......It might be for a lot of people, (just like duck hunting is a dozen decoys and hip boots for some), but for a large number its a lifestyle filled with just as much "stuff" as duck hunting....and I'm even going to say that in the Uplands the dog part is even bigger than in Duck Hunting......lots of people Duck hunt very successfully without ever thinking about a dog.....very few Upland hunters can say that.......so FOR SURE I'm anxiously waiting on that first point....and the first bird shot over it......and then everyone after that.....I'd argue with you that flushing people don't remember the "hens"....if its about the dog work then the sex doesn't matter cause the shot is nothing more than the end.....if the dog works the bird and the bird isn't a pushover then hen or rooster it doesn't matter, at least to me.........


Can't argue the comments about Germans in the cattails as I haven't experienced that....I do know that with a flusher I often don't need to get into the cattails with the dog and that a partner and I can take an opposite side of a slough and let the dog do the work....with a flusher we shoot from the edge....with a pointer we have to go in to flush the bird.....that's why I'll continue to take Drake West until he can no longer make the trip and also why I'll have a Lab in my string forever.....


No argument that the OP should choose a Lab....we agree on that and in particular agree that if he has to ask a bunch of strangers what dog he should get then he needs to do a whole lot of research and looking and thinking before making the decision on a first dog/breed.....a DD might be just the thing for him....or any number of other breeds......


Bobwhites with Flushers makes you shake your head?.......well you already knew I was a heathen.......I guess that means I shouldn't mention that the very first Upland birds I ever killed were Bobwhites, (in North Ga when I was 12), and that for several years we hunted them extensively with Beagles....and never came home empty handed......would I do it that way now?.....if you have Beagles that will hunt them like Labs do and the Quail to do it invite me and find out..........
 
A German Shorthair will definitely be a fair/warm weather duck dog. German Wirehairs are more versatile by comparison. I'm on my second one and have been pleased with their retrieving skills and upland skills. Their coats vary in thickness. My first one, a big male was relatively short haired. My second one, a medium female, is medium in hair length. In either case if the weather is too bitter I choose to leave them at home.
 
i want to thank all and everyone of you guys for all this tons of comment ,information and advices to help me make the right choice whether the GSH pointer is the right dog for what i am looking to do with my new hunting adventure . i know i can count on duck boats forum guys when i need advice.
i will let you guys know what i end up doing .
thanks again,
mo
 
Hey Mo, After years of being out of the quail fields I decided I wanted to get back into upland hunting, so my search for a good upland dog was in order. I had been an avid reader of Gun Dog magazine for years and read plenty of articles related to the German Shorthair and just how versatile they were in the field and in the water along with game versatility. I now have 2 German Shorthairs and they are both great dogs. My male came from a field trial bloodline while my female came from a Midwest bloodline that was heavily into AKC and NAVHDA testing. As you can imagine my male is a long ranging dog with alot of energy while my female works close and is a little more methodical in her approach. Now my male could care less about retrieving and is more into the hunt, point and tracking which is typical of a field trial dog. Now if it has feathers on it my male will retrieve to hand but as far as bumpers, etc....he turns his nose up. My female on the other hand is an all around versatile dog: pointing, tracking and retrieving, in fact she is a retrieving machine. As others have mentioned Shorthairs are very energetic but they can be trained to sit still in a boat or on a platform just takes persistence and good bit of time. German Shorthairs are not big on cold due to their short coat and are more prone to hypothermia. They are good early season dogs as long as the water is still warm and the temps are mild but once the cold sets in I leave mine at home. Prior to my shorthairs I always had Chocolate Labs that I duck hunted with and lately I wish I had another lab just for that. They are way more relaxed once they are out of the puppy stage and they are more praise driven making them easier to train. Plus, they just handle the cold waters and weather way better because of they're coats. But, now that I have the GSPs my wife has put her fist down on getting another Lab... I've been trying to talk my duck hunting buddy into getting a Lab but he doesn't want to fork out the cash for a decent Lab... whick sucks because in the position that I can... Just need to butter up my better half a lil more...hahahaha.. As far as making a decision between a male or female I have always found it easier to train a female and since this will be your first to train I would go with a female. If you haven't ever trained a dog before I would recommend that you get some help, either from a trainer or join a local NAVHDA chapter in your area. They usually have monthly training days and they have tons of resources and equipment. One thing is the more birds your pup can get on the better hunter they will be.. so expect to be laying out the cash for birds. It isn't a cheap sport...
 
Hey Mo, I didn't have time to read this whole thread. If you and your buddy hunt a lot together, why dont you buy a duck dog and your friend an upland dog. Rich
 
I have both... Lab for duck and goose hunting and a shorthair for grouse and woodcock hunting.[image ]
 
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hey guys ,thanks again for all your advices and inputs ..that's what I am planning to do get a duck dog for duck hunting and I will be going with my buddy to up land bird with his new gsh dog.
mo
 
hey guys ,thanks again for all your advices and inputs ..that's what I am planning to do get a duck dog for duck hunting and I will be going with my buddy to up land bird with his new gsh dog.
mo
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Great decision! Don't sell the waterdog short in the uplands. They can do great there too!
 
I agree with Tod. I have both cause i love hunting woodcock with a pointing dog. Other than that for pheasant and grouse a flushing dog is almost better to me. I never trained my lab for upland game which i am sure i could do if need be. Labs can be one of the best all around dogs for the upland waterfowl hunter for sure. You would not want to hunt a shorthair on waterfowl in the middle of winter. Early season is fine but thats just me.
 
I hunt my lab with shorthairs, the shorthairs point, and then the lab flushes and retrieves works great when you have the right dogs. And often the shorthair overruns the birds and the lab finds, flushesh and retrieves. good luck with your choice.
 
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