I'm glad you’re asking this question. What Fair Chase said can't be overemphasized. I have found it's not easy owning a GSP but very rewarding if you’re willing to put in the work. When we're hunting I have to keep a close eye on him and force him to take breaks because I'm pretty sure he would literally run himself to death if left on his own. After much bickering, we've finally reached an agreement and he reluctantly rides on the Mule from place to place. And if you're not hunting/exercising near water, you need to carry water - lots and lots of water.
My current GSP is the first one I've owned and will likely be the start of many more. I got lucky and found him by accident on CraigsList. A well-meaning lady bought him from a private breeder and apparently didn’t do a lot of research beforehand. She lived alone in a 2 bedroom condo, so the dog spent an average of 10-hours a day in a crate during the week. She was a professional woman who made a good living and had a lot of nice, expensive, breakable stuff in her condo. By the time she got home from work and lopened the crate he would come out of there like the Tasmanian Devil and turn her condo into a pinball machine, including knocking over her granddaughter a few times and terrorizing her senior dog. The craziness got progressively worse and at 4 months old and 35 pounds she decided to find him a more appropriate home.
PS: A little GSP entertainment. The guy who made the vid has a dog from some folks I know out in southwest VA. A tremendous amount of work went into making this video. Kind of makes me wish I was 30-years younger.
[video:youtube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=-rebbeOM2nU&app=desktop[/video]
