My dad trialled and hunted labs his while life.
he never got them going hard untill they were 1.5-2 years old, except for the usual "sit", "stay", "heel" etc.
he had some great champions, too.
I don't think 2 years old is too old to start you GSP, just make sure as was stated, to use a check cord, and work the dog every day for about 10 , 15 minutes, lots of encouragement, and lots of playtime!
Cat

I am glad you rescued a dog from the shelter.Whether she hunts or not your son will love her.The breed needs plenty of exersize or she will drive you crazy. I bet she will hunt with a little work.

Doesn't hunt?! Holy cow, we all wondered what happened to Belle! She was last seen trailing a wounded pheasant in SW Idaho, headed in the general direction of Michigan...

Any number of reasons could have led to her being abandoned - lots of foreclosures, for example, and not too many apartments will let you have a larger dog like that. Job loss and the choice of feeding your kids or the dog, etc.

My main concern would be introducing her to gunshots. I have seen a lot of potentially good bird dogs ruined (and later abandoned or given away) by poor introduction to loud noises. Start with a cap gun a far piece away from her - don't be in a hurry to start shooting a 12 ga over her head. Maybe you're lucky and she is already a hunting machine whose owner had to give her up.

I have a nearly identical 2-year old GSP down to the blaze and white tip on the end of tail. Still working on her hunting training, but great dog.

Great looking dog! Glad to see that you have a collar on her. If you don't yet have a name tag on her collar with your name, address and phone number, get one asap. With hunting dogs you never know when they may decide to go for 'fun' run. Since she is in new surroundings she might not find her way home by herself.

Good of you to get a dog from from the shelter too. You have my respect for doing that.

Had to chuckle about the picture of her and your son trying to flush the cat out from under the bed. If that was my GSP, he would have been under the bed in a flash and the cat would be history. He tangled with a big black wild tom cat when he was about 9 months old and since then has been a terror on cats.

Good luck with your new family member. Bet she and all of you will have a great time together.

Chip

Be very careful introducing gunfire. I'd suggest a child's "cap gun" at first or even a leather belt.

However, don't just do it when the dog is staring right at you. Wait until the dog is completely mesmerized by something and not paying any attention at all to you. With my vizsla, I would walk her in harvested wheat fields and wait until a dove or some other bird flushed and she chased. During the chase I fired a cap gun at first, then 22 blanks. Even then I held the gun on the other side of my body from the dog. If there's any reaction at all, don't do it again that day. Wait a few days and try again with something more quiet or from a greater distance.

Guys, thanks for all your input.

I wish I had better news to report.

Things are not well. This dog has some SERIOUS seperation anxiety issues. I won't go into the specifics, but if she is seperated from a human (any human, doesn't have to be me) she flat out FREAKS. Even when outside. If we go in the house without her, she comes unglued. Beyond "scratching at the door." We're talking tearing the door apart.

We're giving Xanax and Prozac a go, but things are not well. She's done some serious damage and my wife is loosing patience.

Very heart breaking because my boys LOVE her and she is incredibly well behaved when we're with her.

Even when crated while we leave her for an hour is a disaster. And we crate her every night. Of course we're in the next room. No problem at all.

Crate her and leave the house.... Complete melt down. I'm at a loss....