Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs GSP vers lab vers GWP

Since the wife is agreeable I am thinking about a pup. Now the question is what breed.
I have experience with the GSP having had one before, but I have never owned or hunted over a GWP or Lab. Also I would be concerned about how a GSP would handle the weather here in Colorado .Would the GWP and the Lab be better than the GSP for duck and pheasants? I know there are a lot of lab and GSP people on the board, but I have not seen that many that hunt the GWP. tom

I own 2 GSP's. Love em. I had a lab in the past that died @ 10 years old. Loved him.

IMO, if duck is on the menu, don't get a GSP. A lab would be my preference if waterfowling is involved.

I have to really watch my GSP's when hunting in the extreme cold here in South Dakota. They would rather die than stop hunting, and once I almost lost my female to hypothermia.

I had a GSP for 13 years. Best pheasant dog I've ever seen. Once walking closely in line behind two Brits (both extremely experienced field dogs), he locked up on point. As the Brits owners were laughing, I walked in and kicked up an old rooster.

BUT, if you going to do much duck hunting in cold weather(below freezing), do the GSP and yourself a favor and get a lab. In early SEP, my GSP would do water retreives without much drama. Once it got cold, he would retrieve one or sometimes two ducks, and after that he would just mess around in the shallows pretending to find the duck.

I got a chessie for waterfowling and she never seemed to mind the cold at all. A lab should be a happy compromise.

Good luck in your choice.

I have had them all. I went from a gsp to a lab, to gwp. labs are some of the greatest house mates you can get, but the tail nocks even the heaviest kitchen tables over...no prob on the others here.

labs are the king of cold water retreves, gwp will come in pretty close..........gsp not so much.

labs will run out of gas faster then either gwps or gsps in the field. the other two will run your arse off.

labs are flushers, the others arent......although the gwp has pretty much all the bases covered. so a lab must be trained to work at a safe distance or be on a check cord. the others should hold the bird for you if it is at all possible.

labs retreve. across lava, raging rivers, thorn bushes.....that is what they do....and so do the gwps.....my gsp would happily point me to where I needed to go for a swim.

they all shed.

labs are gonna be bigger by 10-20 lbs........typically.

I swear I lost many nights sleep over the choice for a new dog. I was gonna go with a pointing lab, but ended up with a drahthaar. I am so far quite pleased. I doubt I will ever own another short hair. my lab and my gwp both think their job is to bring me dead birds. my gsp was just there to point.....and run....and run.....and run.

how big is your yard? if you do not have a few acres a gsp and a gwp are gonna get bored. labs are way more mellow. they can spend the day laying around.

pumpgun,

I own a pointing lab, and couldn't be happier with a hunting dog and home companion. She is all you could ever expect in a dog.

You might want to check out Bear Point Kennels. They are located not far from you, down by Perry Park. Apparently they have merged with Black Forest Kennels, who used to be near Larkspur.
My dog is a Black Forest dog- I don't know how many of the original Black Forest line are at Bear Point.

I have only had GWPs. I like their versatility, fuzzy look and loyalty.

My first one hunted gambles quail, doves, ducks and even did some blood trailing. He was very personable and loved other animals. He lived to be almost 14.

The next one was purchased from Bob West and Treborwolf kennels in Boise Id. Bob said this dog would be mellow at home and a very bold, strong hunter in the field. Bob was right. When he was three I was given another GWP the same age, this time a female.

The female was a rescue due to the fact she got bored and would leave the original owner's property. She was never allowed in the house. We changed that and she is part of the family. It has made for some interesting events. She may not have a long tail but she bumps into everything. She is different than the two males I have had, but she hunts as well as the others. She has an incredible nose and is the best at finding downed game. She is not too keen on water retrieves.

The dog from Bob West is a water fool. He likes to swim in stock tanks that require cracking the ice on the edges to get in. He will swim for fun even though we aren't hunting ducks. He is stockier and can deal with the cold better. She is more long legged looks like a slightly fuzzy GSP.

I would say you could go either way with a GWP. It depends on the type of GWP you get. Bob West's dogs are thicker and would suit your waterfowling needs yet work for all types of bird hunting. I have seen other versions of the GWP that are more rangey like my female. Both will hunt at an good pace that lasts for hours.

This last winter I hunted them together for mearns quail. We went out 21 times and some hunts were for almost 6 hrs. They never let up, amazing stamina. I cannot wait to get out there again.

I will say that some GWP can be quite protective of the home, and not all are friendly to strangers. My current male from Bob West is one of those. The female and the first male were friendly to all.

my experiences....

How about a pointing lab?

In my humble opinion I say a Drahthaar, but I will admit I am breed blind & only owned the 1, but I have hunted over a lot of other breeds, so no beatings please, I admit it is the only dog I have owned & haven't see anything else doing it "all" as well. Some others may indiviual tasks better, but it is great when your hunting buddies start saying "lets take your dog" wether its ducks, pheasants, geese, quail. If you want versatile, & mine was a great house dog also.

I bought mine from a North America Drahthaar breeder, the dogs In this club have to have proven, tested parents to be allowed to be bred. Should also be HD free, no guarantee that a pup could be bad but the odds are better if you know the parents are proven field tested. Most breeders will give a guarantee but try to give him back after he has become a member of the family.

Sig

Very true....

I can't imagine not owning a GSP but if I ever do try another breed, I think a GWP would get the nod. They're simply awesome HUNTING dogs....

Pumpgun,
Everyone has an opinion. It really comes down to if you are willing to put time into the relationship, training and money. I have hunted with some terrible, GWP's, Labs, Draathars, GSP's etc. Most of them were not well trained, had a poor relationship with the owner etc. Decide what you like to do best in the way of bird hunting, the terrain and enivormental factors and then go for it and dont look back, but make sure you spend time with the breeder, training and daily contact with the dog. I believe if you can get it into the house with you and the family so much the better for a confident dog. MY GSP's love water and are retrieving machines as well as pointing. I also train them to track. Living in Az I like their coats for this climate. I also can duck hunt with them. But I couldnt do it in South Dakota in December or January. Realize the limitations of your dog but focus on the strengths as well. I dont like dealing with the GWP coat with sticker/burrs etc. To each his own. Good luck with the decision.

I fully agree. my lab hunted pheasants more productivly for mea than many other friends with "fancy" pedigree dogs. I worked over that dog for 12 years, he was not just a dog, we were a team.

I will say though, that in my training of him I never saw what I see in my drahthaar....at least not at the same age. I would put my 5 month old pup in the running with dogs much older than her.....is that normal? did I get lucky?......I don't know, but I feel lucky. my main beef w/ gsps is that I live in cold country and I never want to carry my dog back to the truck because it is cold......BDDT.

bottom line is you can get any breed to hunt, it is just work. my lab never ever pointed, but when he got on a bird he would circle wide and push it right back to me. friends would give me guff when he would take off and dissapear.....then before long he would be sneaking right back at me..........then bam! a flush. I also can think of no dog that is a more intense retrever than the labs. my FIL gunned down a rooster in a cattail choked swamp and his setter, a great dog, flat could not get through it. I sent in my boy. he was gruntin' and kicking, but sure as the dollar is falling he came out with the rooty. my drat shows similar hope, but I don't know if she will ever have the mustard that my lab did. better stamina....yep, point....yep, bust through impenatrable cover....we will see. I sent my lab into a russian olive thicket once after birds. it was taking him a long time to get through, so i called him. he went in with a vest on......came out naked......that dang vest was hard for me to get on. I tried to go in and get it, but I never even saw it....lol.

I would pick a breed based on what rtaits are most important to you if hunting is your #1 goal, pick one that will work best for your family and train it to work if you have kids and only hunt occasionally. what I do reccemend is that you let it be a puppy. my new pup at 5 months has not yet heard me yell. if I even slightly raise my voice she looks at me like the world is coming to an end. my hope is that if I ever have to yell at her in the field she will get the hint right away.