My Chocolate Lab (Dakota), now 12, is right on the edge of being too old for serious upland hunting. His legs and hips just can�t handle the work anymore, and I hate to push him too much nowadays. He�s been a GREAT hunting and family dog for a lot of years. Here's a photo of Dakota from about 5 years ago when he was in his prime...always was a bit of a ham!



So, I find myself thinking ahead about a new dog. Pheasants will be the main quarry, with some other prairie grouse and maybe quail mixed in. Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and the Dakotas mostly.

I�ve always been a Lab-man, but have also long admired the looks and energy of German Shorthaired Pointers. And regular posters on this forum � like Cheesy � seem to do very well on pheasants with GSPs.

I did download the following GPS description for the Internet:

�One of the most energetic breeds, the German Shorthaired Pointer is a hunting dog by nature. Protective, clever, eager and willing to please, they are very fond of their human families. Happy-go-lucky, they love nothing more than to engage in some type of constructive activity with their owners such as a long walk, jog, hike, hunt, or a game of Frisbee. This breed is not suited to life in a kennel. Faithful, spirited and friendly, they like and mix well with children. Dominancy and energy levels vary slightly from puppy to puppy even within the same litter, however those bred for working in high performance field competitions usually require more activity than the average Shorthair, but are all still very high energy dogs who need a lot of daily exercise. Best suited for an active family. When they lack in exercise they can become high strung, and frustrated. The GSP will not listen if they sense that they are stronger minded than their owner, however they will also not respond well to harsh discipline. The GSP needs an owner who displays a natural air of authority. Firm, but calm, confident and consistent with rules they must be made to follow. They crave order and need structure in their life. If this breed lacks in either exercise or leadership they can developed separation anxiety and possibly become destructive and nervous. Well adjusted, stable minded GSPs who receive enough mental and physical activity along with a balance of consistent leadership will get along with other dogs and cats. This breed likes to bark and they can be reserved with strangers. Socialize well. They will be in their glory if they are actually used for what they were bred for and taken on hunting trips.�

Is that a fair assessment of the German Shorthaired Pointer?

Can a GSP be a good family dog as well as a serious upland dog? How would you compare the typical GSP to the typical Lab?

Any practical input or advice at this point would be very much appreciated.

All in all I'd say thats a fair assessment, but also I've seen as much variance between dogs in a breed as I have between breeds. I'd also say that the success myself, family, and friends have had with GSP's has as much to do with where we are hunting as it does with the breed we hunt with. We could probably take English Setter's, Lab's, or field bred cocker's and do just as well, but come on now, who would really want to hunt without a GSP?

The 14 month old I have now is the first female I've owned, and the first dog we have kept in the house. During the day she goes outside and stays in a 12'x12' kennel with an opening into a 6'x6' area inside the barn. When we are home she is inside. We let her run in the yard each night, and often take her for several mile walks. The only thing she has touched in the house are 4 pet beds that she chewed the corner off and emptied the fluffy contents. Boredom? Still a puppy? I don't know the answer, but she hasn't chewed on shoes, furniture, or anything else that she wasn't supposed to. She is the friendliest dog I have ever been around, tail is constantly wagging, official name is Happy Dog Katy. I've heard her bark exactly 1 time, at the wife's 5 lb maltese trying to get her to play.

The GSP's I had as a kid were protective of the family, mostly just friendly barks to alert us people were there. They all were kept loose, had the run of the farm. Scooby was a half shorthair half Irish Setter, but looked full blooded GSP. Everyday my sisters would get on the bus, he would cross the pasture to my grandpas, go into his wood shop, put his front paws on the work bench to be petted, then leave and go back home. One though was beyond protective though, hackles raised, teeth bared, fierce barking. He never attacked anybody, but people thought he would. Only familiar vehicles could approach the house without him barking, and to them he was as friendly as any other dog.


My brother in laws dog Cane (shown in some of my pics), is about the best family dog I have ever seen. He is 6??? and I have a 4 year old nephew and 6 year old niece. They climb all over him, more so when they were younger, he just took it and allowed them to do whatever they wanted. My buddy told my brother in law this weekend he'd better than double his money on him, give him $75 for him. My brother in law said my sister would shoot him even if he sold him for $7500. I guess Cane is her dog, my brother in law just gets to borrow him for hunts.

I've never been around labs, so can't compare. GSP's work for us, but I'm sure others would too if we gave them the chance.

PM sent.

I had Labs most of my life, including Breed and Obedience Champions.

I wanted a pointing dog so I now have a GSP.

A GSP will most likely be a BIG running dog. Mine is and that is want I wanted. Example: he is finding chukar 400 yards out and holding point until I arrive. Unless you are in top shape forget about the GSP.

I have a DC 40 my GSP and the last chukar hunt I walked 2 miles and he ran 9.77 miles and an average speed of 8.71 mph and pointed six coveys!

The GSP is an amazing dog. Unless you have property (several acres) that is dog fenced a GSP will drive you nuts.

Get another Lab you can�t go wrong!

Although I'm far from being an expert I'll throw in my opinion. I grew up with Labs and have had a few since then and I consider them great dogs. They're loyal, hard working, and everyones friend. That being said, I decided to change it up a few months ago and got a GSP pup. He is now 9 months old and I can honestly say I'd have a hard time going back to Labs.

I definitely agree that they need more exercise than your typical Lab but I don't think you need acres and for them to run on. I live in a fairly small house with a fairly small yard and my pup is in his kennel most of the day aside from the hour I come home at lunch. To work him I take him to a park and let him run, I take him to a field and work with his dummy, I run with him, I hike with him, it doesn't really seem to matter as long as I get him out more or less everyday. If I left him locked up all day and then expected him to be completely calm I'd be disappointed but that goes with any hunting breed.

I think one of the key issues with GSPs is working on obedience immediately, and believe me they'll pick it up in a hurry. At 9 months Cooper is more "grown up" than most Labs I've had are at 2 years. They seem to have less of that bullheadedness that Lab pups can have. I've also noticed that he almost never barks and has not destroyed anything of mine. In fact the only things he's actually torn up were one or two of his toys that he pulled the stuffing out of.

Obviously all pups are different, but so far, I'm definitely a GSP convert! I'd also like to throw out that I've gotten more compliments on him that any dog I've ever owned, and come on, who doesn't like to be told by complete strangers that they have a nice looking pup!

The GSP was bred to be a walking man's hunting dog - a close worker. As a result they didn't bring home the ribbons from trials that favored the bigger running breeds. Ribbons mean money, so lots of breeders have been slanting the gene pool toward bigger running stock. Close working GSP's are still easy to find, just talk to the breeder and watch the breed stock and older dogs work.

I have a 14-month old from Big Island genes which is now TT Gundogs out of McPherson, KS. My dog's natural check-in distance is 40-50 yards tops. Between preserve and wild pheasants he's put 56 birds in various freezers since the beginning of September, so we're doing okay.

With regards to the OP, there is no comparison between a lab and a GSP - in both directions. They bring totally different tools to the field. Which dog is better for you is dependant on what you hunt, where you hunt, and how you want to hunt.

I'll add to JOG, the majority of GSP's I've hunted around have been close working dogs, which is what I want. When you're hunting wild pheasants and the dog is 300 yards away on point, there aren't going to be many roosters that are going to hold long enough for you to get there.

With the usual cover we hunt around here 600-yards means the dog is two farms away where I don't have permission and he hasn't been in sight for 575-yards.

BTW, in your photo the dog on the left looks like a Big Island/Von Greif dog.

I'll be honest, I have no clue. My ex-gf had bought him for me while I was in college from a classmate of mine. He had the female, his uncle in KC had the male. A couple years after I got him, his uncle drove down from KC to look at him, even offered to buy him from me. He had all these books with him on the history of GSP's and pointed out all the ties this dog had with the big names, but most were several generations back. The uncle was trying to breed a line to be like the true German dogs. This dog has got the biggest head I've seen on a GSP, just big and blocky all over.

He does not cover ground fast at all, just plods along. He has zero style when it comes to pointing, just kind of stands there hap-hazardly. His nose isn't the greatest, but you can tell when he is on a trail, and you can just about guarantee when he is on a trail there is going to be a pheasant at the other end of it.

In comparison, my brother in laws dog to the right is an unpapered backyard bred $35 dog. He points with style and has a way better nose than our big dog. They've both put us on a ton of pheasants the last 6 or 7 years though.

Having been owned by GSP's all my life I think that is a pretty fair assessment. They are smart, loyal, and do require room to run. My current dog ( male ) knows that the pecking order in our house is me, then him, and then everyone else. He simply ignores my wife cause she never would buy into trying to be dominant when he was a pup. Nothing as bad as the yuppies in our area that get a male GSP for their apartment and try to leave them home alone all day. They come home to ruined furniture and the dog winds up being in a rescue program.

The GSP in the picture above being held is the twin of my Jake. He is 60 pounds of cold twisted blue steel and death on grouse and quail. Mine hunts at medium ranges, 75 yards out, which is perfect for this area. He just figured out how to handle running birds and will swing out wide and get ahead of them. I would love to try him on pheasants.

All of our GSP's have been family dogs and were all very tolerant
and patient with kids that climbed all over them. Not so much with other dogs, they tended to be very territorial. Cats met an instant death and were never tolerated. My wife came home from trying to walk the dog one day with road rash and no dog. Seems a cat had crossed in front of them and she was drug about 15 feet before she let go.

GSP's are athletes and can go all day. A ten mile jaunt beside the ATV is nothing for my Jake.

IMHO there is no better breed. But then I am a bit biased.

I too had a Lab,which we loved dearly,she started to slow down an be more of a family dog around 6-7 But my GSP is 9 an hasn't slowed a bit,he doesn't have the endurance he once had but you're in for a race for the first couple miles,very high energy.I'm not sure I will have another (i know my wife won't).They're a great an loyal dog, but if I don't walk him at least 3 miles a night (rain,snow,sleet) I can't live with him.He weighs 67lbs an my wife Can't an Won't walk him (she's 97lbs) or she would also have road rash.We don't have really many birds in WV now a days so we usually do a couple planted bird hunts an maybe a trip to Michigan.A good shock collar IMO is a must for a high energy GSP for hunting.....

I raise, train, show and compete my GSPS, while they can be high energy, I believe it depends on the bloodlines you choose. My first was VERY hyper/high strung and roguey(sp), I gave it away. The ones I have now and have had for 15 yrs are very calm and quiet in the house, my 4 mnth old is as laid back a pup as I have had yet. (I have had Labs, a Britt, a Golden, GSDS and Danes)
My dogs are all house dogs, a couple sleep in my bed, a couple with my son and they all go to work with me, have the run of my grooming shop and tend to lay in an open crate all day bothering nothing or in their room, couldn't have them there with client dogs if they were hyper, let alone 5 in my house.
I field trial them, but also hunt them and guide at a preserve, they know the difference and adjust their range accordingly. My biggest running male will go from 600+ yds when trialing to 1-200 off foot.(and he will do 10+ miles off a quad at 25 MPH steady)
They are excellent pheasant dogs!! My girl is death on them and will track a runner hundreds of yds, just got done guiding a 36 phez hunt with her, guys nailed 33 of them & she retrieved every one to hand. (she has an RDX title which is duck work, like labs do, multiple marks and blind retrieves, she is also field trial pointed, a senior hunter with master passes and a show champion)
I don't have property and dont run them daily, they do fine, are not nutzo hyper ONE bit. Look carefully and choose your pup accordingly, temperments are strong traits IMO, do your research before buying, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a GSP.

If you're into training, I think a GSP is very rewarding. If you don't want to do a lot of training, my pick would be an English Springer Spaniel. For pheasants, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better dog...

I have a 1/2 GSP 1/2 Vizsla that turns 2 next week. He has energy like no other. My wife takes him for a 3-4 mile run every morning, and that really does nothing for him, he needs more like 6-7. He is also a bird hunting machine. This season we have only been on 3 hunts due to my schedule but each time he has found and held birds at about 60 yards. I think if I wanted him to he would range further, but 60 yards is about his natural comfort zone. When not hunting he spends most of the day outside while we work, but is in at night when we are home.

When he is in the house around my 8 year old he is a door stop. My daughter will fall asleep on him, and he will not move. Just a couple nights ago my daughter slept on him all night long.

Like it has been said, for the owner who is really into working and training their dog, the GSP is IMHO at the top, but ours has taken a lot of training to get to where he is.

Wow, I have had the exact opposite experience with my GSPS per needing a lot of training. My girl Tara was guiding 20 or more phez hunts at a year old and never bumped/chased birds, retrieved everything. Her sire was butter to work with, went straight to Master Hunter, the most biddable dog I ever had around the house and in the field next to her.
Her son Jesse is the same, he won a lot of FT's, but hunts well and I have guided with him with no issues, all natural retrievers. My now little one Nitro was swimming/pointing/retrieving at 8 weeks old, VERY quiet around home at now almost 5 mnths old.
Jesse at 3 mnths doing duck work:

5 mnths old on pheasant:

on point with his dam at 6 mnths old

retrieving a phez at 4 mnths old

backing his dam on the PA youth pheasant hunt at 6 mnths old

6 mnths old on a pheasant hunt

I have found the GSP to be a very natural bird dog, I teach some basic obedience and expose to birds, they do the rest!!
3.5 mnth olds Jesse and Jet on quail, Jet on point, Jess backing

Jet at 6 mnths old on pheasant

Jesse on point, sister Jet backing him at 6 mnths old

Jet backing her dam at 4 mnths old on a grouse

3.5 mnth old Jet on woodcock

You don't say! 10+ miles at 25 miles per hour hey and off an ATV to boot. Now just what bloodlines would would your dogs be out of may I ask???

my GSP is a velcro dog, he isnt happy unless he is close to me and if allowed follows me everywhere......when out hunting he seems to prefer to stay within 100 yards or so which is fine by me cause my knees are about shot......i know others have GSP's that range farther than that but mine doesnt and its fine by me.....great companion dog like a lab, mine would not be happy living in a kennel away from the family....

My old GSP, "Duke", hunted fairly tight... he'd make a "bee-line" out about 50 yards in front of me, then turn and hunt back and forth towards me.

If a pheasant ran on him, Duke would run wide of its track and force it on a line back at me. It would flush when it saw me... making for an easy 10-15 yard shot for my "skeet & skeet" bored Charles Daly over/under in 28 gauge using 7/8 ounces of hand-loaded, copper-plated 6's... kinda like a high-house 8 shot in skeet.

Sorrowfully, I had to put him down... hip displacia. That was 40 years ago and I still miss that dog... he was a good 'un.

Had an English Setter ("Murphy")... she loved to hunt, but was a bit wild & hard-headed. Some SOB stole her.

"Fred" was a Brit... he lived to hunt, very "birdy"... he was a "sweet" dog. He was 17 years old when he passed (old age).

But none of 'em were as good as "Duke"... nor nearly as smart.

Good memories of wonderful dogs are great things for old hunters... hard to believe the years have gone by so fast.


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

Since I do raise AKC German Shorthair Pointers, I think I will put my 2cents in on the subject of the breed. #1 They can take harsh talk or tuff handling, in some cases it is very much needed. These are NOT Brittany Spaniels by any means!

They are a very tuff breed and love people as a general rule!
However, not all GSP's are great bird dogs in the field. One must be careful of what you purchase and get a pup backed up with a good predigree........lots of genes from those titled dogs who have proven themselves. It is the only real warranty one has.

Lack of exercise does NOT make them "high-strung" this has to do with breeding period, in other words the bloodlines or dogs that are behind it on the pedigree.

The worst dog I have in my kennel, is a show dog out of a champion but has NO hunting nose, beautiful to look at and watch run but very nervous and always barking. We have a dozen adult dogs and she makes 60% of the noise barking in the kennel.

so long as you realize that this isnt the case when they are pups mine is about 22 months and his is just now settling down pretty good even on the days he isnt ran cause i just can take him out...... but this is the case with alot of breeds my ten pound schipperke was a hyper pin ball until she hit 18 months.....

Lifes to short to hunt a dog without a tail... There is only one bird dog, a english pointer. My buddies hunt GSP and my biggest complaint is they don't cover enough ground for me. I know there are different lines that range more than others but for me there nothing like watching a english pointer covering a field.

Dink

personal preference.......ive got busted knees, dont want a dog that ranges a 1/4 mile.....some GSPs do, mine doesnt and i prefer it that way....

Tonk, my stuff is Rugerheim/Hustler/Palmglades predominantly, I breed for DC's. Jess & Jet are out of my Rugerheim/Palmglades bred bitch bred to DC Lowrys Eagle Ridge V Rugerheim. My new pup Nitro is out of the same bitch bred to a Hustler/Odyssey bred male.
My girl is a show CH & FT pointed & I promise you she is neither noisy nor hyper & one helluva bird dog. Jess is as quiet as they come & calm but a dynamo in the field & flat ass hauls. 2 of his litter sisters are also doing well in FT's, one is on Terry Chandlers string.
I agree straight show bred stuff leaves something to be desired for the most part, but there are a lot of nice dual bred GSPS out there. We are in deep snows here right now, but I will try to get a video of Jess this spring running, hope to finish his FC next year & start running Jet his sister who I had originally sold & took back (long story, not a good home) who is proving to be a lil dynamo herself.
I have no property, horse, nor quad & cannot keep birds where I live, mostly train off foot once or twice a week if lucky as I have to drive a ways after work, so I am quite proud of all the winning my guys have done field and show & I handle myself in all venues.(Jesse won 5 shows and 5 FT's in a row this spring)
Havent run them once the last 2 weeks, been working from 8AM to 1-1:30 AM almost every day - I own/run a grooming shop & help process deer eves, our rifle season now & very busy, working 100 hrs a week.(we cut deer Saturdays & Sundays & I work at my shop Sundays also -never work there Saturdays so I can hunt, LOL!!)

I sent you a PM of the dogs in my kennel and the breeding they do bare! They have back to back to back "national field trial champions" and hall of famers backing them up on their AKC Pedigree. It just doesn't get any better than that for a fact.

Each year as you very well know I hope, 45 of the top trainers around the nation compete for the #1 field trial dog honors. This is done at Eureka Springs Arkansas. Now ever dog competing for that title is a FC or Field Champion being shown by a Professional Trainer.

My stud Major was pick of he litter by Mr. Randy Coffelt in Missouri, he and his wife won $1,500 dollars because that litter produced the national 2yr old Futurity Winner that year in 2006 "FC Wild Feathers Face The Music". They also campained the titled dog known as "NFC Magnums Touch Of Gold".

GSPs, on the whole, are great hunting dogs. Most I've known tend to work fairly close and have great noses.

But a GSP as a family dog? You've heard the expression, "Bull in a China shop?"

Kentuck, now what do you call fairly close in yardage?
I get to see a fair share of the breed hunting Upland game and most of those dogs are running 65 to 100 yards out in front of the hunter.

I have a couple of dogs that will range from say 65 to 175 yards if I let them. Then there is Tara who will roam out to 100 plus from the start and wind up 250 yards out coverning ground. If in a very large field (500 yds) I will send out 3 dogs to find those birds. Duke will stay close in at 45 yards to 70 yards, Clint will jump out to 80 yards right off and slide further to 125 yards. Big Jake will take off and be at 150 yds in a blink of an eye and whirl on out to 250 yards! So we get a good idea if there are birds there are not and don't waste time.

What do I call fairly close? It all depends on what you're hunting and where you're hunting. I'll readily agree there are times and places where a big-running dog is a plus, but I hunt a lot of California quail and mountain quail in thick cover where a big-running dog can be detrimental -- and the last thing you want is an out-of-control dog bumping coveys far out of range. Once scattered, they have a disconcerting habit of disappearing like Houdini. I like dogs working close for this type of hunting, and so do most of the guys who regularly hunt these birds and/or train dogs to do so. Other birds, other places... different story.

that describes Jake pretty well....dont care, he is happiest with the family so its where he spends alot of his time....aint the best house dog but would rather i put anything he can hurt high up and have him hanging out with us....

*laughin*

Man, that's brave of you. I have seen the damage they can do.

he is kenneled when we arent home.....he isnt left to his own devises in the house.....but if we are home though he gets to be out with the family.....no worse than having a 3 year old tearing around the house

my "indoor" GSP

I have had, or had in the family 5 "indoor" GSP's. None were nearly as destructive as my current 2 year old English Pointer.

My GSP is a house dog, when we're in the house. When visitors show up she runs around like a crazy dog, but when its just us all she wants to do is rest her head on our knee or sleep on her bed.

Kentucky I have 3 and all live in the house. We kennel them when we are gone, not because they would destroy anything but because they will make a beeline for our bed which they are not allowed to be on when we are home.
I love this breed and hope I never have to be without a few.

Kentucky Windage.....I don't really know what all GSP dogs you have had in your home but I can assure that our dogs are better than most peoples children and are trained to those DO's & DONT'S.

Now as matter of fact I just sold a young 16 week old pup today and those people remarked right off the bat how calm and pleasant she seemed in the house. The pup lives in the kennel behind the house with it's sipplings. The only dog in our string that would not be ok for the house is a bitch out of "show bloodlines", yes some of those are a bit crazy and not suited perhaps for some homes. However please lets not through the entire breed into a catagory with your blanket statement sir!!!





s

Great thread. Brings back lots of fond memories of all our GSPs. I have been without for about 6yrs now and I miss him.

Heres my IMO. Not necessarily about GSP's, but pointing dogs in general when it comes to pheasants. GSP's, Brits, EP's, and ES's, can all be great pheasant dogs. I prefer them for pheasants 90% of the time. However, if you hunt a lot of late season wild roosters you simply can't touch a lab or a springer (imo one of the best pheasant dogs you can get). Late season roosters give pointing dogs fits, even the best pointing dogs with lots of wild rooster exeperience. If your going to hunt early in the year, hunt released birds, or birds that don't get much pressure, then get a pointing dog. If you going to hunt late season roosters that have been hunted pretty hard, then get a close working flushing dog. Late season roosters are what good, close working flushing dogs are perfect for.............. BTW.. Im a hardcore pointing dog fan, and don't really like flushing dogs, but they are wonderful in the right conditions.

These were all very good and informative replies.

Someone may have posted it prior in this thread, but "Timberline" also known as Bill Krenz who started this thread passed away unexpectedly in early December of a heart attack. He is missed by many. Here is the link to his obituary http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/di...&pid=147132109&mid=4476245&=

Maybe he's met my GSP's that have passed on and will take a liking to them!

My brother raised shorthairs for years and they were absolutely awsome quail/pheasant dogs,by the way who is the cat on the first post with the glasses on as it looks like a member of ZZ Top......

my wife having some fun with our indoor GSP......his "Jake Be Good Collar" is on cause ive got 3 feet of snow in the back yard and was taking him out in front of the house to run up and down the plowed street and hadnt taken it off yet.....

That was going to be my suggestion as well. GSP's are high maintnance compared to a ESS. Plus ESS's do not need near as much space to run and can out run most lab's twice a day. I have had 2 labs I trained to hunt and worked with GSP's and now have 2 ESS's and would highly recommend the English Springer's. They are wonderfully tempermented for family and kids and are easily trained and mature faster than labs by a good year and a half.

my GSP hasnt been run as much as normal due to the fact we got so much snow and unless i can turn him loose on a plowed road there really isnt anywhere for him to run but all things considered he has been very well behaved this winter with less than ideal exercise......GSP's were bred to be family dogs aswell as hunting dogs, if a GSP isnt well mannered in the house your getting away from what was intended with the breed.....

This one loves to hunt pheasants!
Cat

Some "wild" GSPS(They are most definitely not all hyper!!!)
In this pic several of my Champion (show dogs) FT pointed(male to far right needs 1 pt for his FC & a major for his show CH making him a dual champion), MH & SH adults on the couch and a litter of 6 week old pups. Yes, I let my pups run the house when I am home from the time they are 5 weeks old. They are usually 80% or more housebroke when they leave me. There were 9 pups and 7 adults in my house at this time with no problems.

Two of my 2 yr olds, white pup is 6 mnths old & Tara their Dam, all but the baby have FT points & show points Tara is a fnished CH, SH, RDX.(with MH legs and FT points)

Same crew different pic

Father and daughter at my grooming shop, they lay quietly all day loose, never bother clients coming in nor their dogs or I could not have them at my business.

Is that 4 or 5 GSP's on the chair? That's a great picture, I love it.

I have 2 GSP's both 8 yrs old, my female hunts close my male runs fairly big but does a great job of holding the roosters on point. Wonderful family dogs, eager to please. Yes they need attention. If you get a GSP do yourself a favor and get 2, having the 2nd dog around really helps with keeping them exercised, they love to play. If the GSP's have a down fall its extreme cold weather, I will hunt mine down to 5-10 below zero but below that is just to hard on them. Both of mine have been wonderful companions. I may try some different breeds in the future but I will always have at least 1 GSP.

Side note: they are self cleaners, even after a day of hunting in nasty cover full of burr's you pull one or two off the collar and they are de-burred, try that with the long haired breeds

dont need 2 GSP's.....my 50 pound GSP burns alot of energy playing with my wifes 5 pound dachshund

sako4me, there are 4 on the loveseat. My guys always "pile" like that, weirdos!!
This is my old boy with his nieces pups (the pup next to him with the single spot just won a large derby horseback derby stake at the Central GA Pointing dog Club):

He's sick now, my sweet old Mac boy......not doing well, 13 yrs old. Tara (his niece) seems to know it & is ALWAYS with him, mothering him. I have had several breeds over the years & none have shown the bonds the GSPS have, at least in my clan.