Year old male. Good guy, but he's a rescue dog with some issues. We made a lot of progress today on "trust"

Hoping that he'll be able to hunt with me a bit later this fall. He's supposed to be a liver-colored German Wirehaired Pointer, but I'm kinda wondering if he's actually a pudelpointer. Beats me. He's birdy as all get out and full of energy.

Pretty sweet dog too. But... A few issues to work through. Training is going to be daily.

Guy

Good looking dog. Slow and steady.

Good luck with him. Keep posting his progress.

Good on you for saving him. He looks like he’s intelligent.
Hope he becomes a great bird dog and a loyal companion!

Best wishes for you both. I hope he turns out to be a great bird dog, and an even better companion.

This morning he parked himself in another room, and kinda kept track of me.

This afternoon he took a nap with his paws and head on my chest.

We made some progress today.

Guy

I'd say so.

But "new bird dog," what if you run into old birds?

Love the expression in the first picture.

Thanks guys. He's going to require quite a bit of attention. A good project for me I think.

Our last dog, another GWP, passed on a bit over two months ago. I think I'll always miss that dog, he was a good one for sure. This little brown rascal seems to have the potential to be one heck of a dog as well.

Trust, time and training.

Guy

He is a good looking dog! I wish you the best with your new bird dog.

If I can offer a suggestion..... If you don't have a tracking collar get one. IMO he might wander out of your view or not return on command as he is new to you. Collar can save you and the dog some bad times.

Great looking dog! Betting you are right on the PP guess. Should make you a great companion and bird dog. Keep us posted on results.

Nice dog, there's something about there eyes? Mine is the only dog that if you stare at him he'll stare back at you & not look away. Most other dogs will end up turning there head or avert there stare to look away. Any one else notice this in other breeds??? Kind of curious. Other dogs look like they have been bad or are guilty of something. They sure make great pals though, & are awesome bird dogs. Mine has actually dove under water to chase a duck I didn't hit just right, came up with duck in mouth. Mine will retrieve anything except a crow. With them he gives you a dirty look & then goes & buries them. Please keep us posted on his progress. Mine is now 14 yrs. can't hear, doesn't see so good, walks kinda stiff legged, but if you pick up a gun, half to sneak out or there's a hell of a commotion. Best wishes. Bill out. 🐾👣🐾👣🇨🇦

We had a good day today. Walked on a busy trail full of walkers, joggers, bicyclists, other dogs, and so many birds to point! Lots of distractions and excitement. Went wading in the river too. A good morning, followed by an afternoon nap on the lawn:







I never dealt with a "rescue" dog before. There are some issues for sure, but we're going to slowly, and patiently work through them. I think there's a real good dog here, deserving a second chance.

Guy

Good looking dog, and good for you to give him a chance.

Thank you. My 28 year old son and I took the pup on a hike today. Only 3.5 miles and about a 930' gain, but we found the little fellow's limits. He's been napping ever since we got home. Tired pup!



On a positive note - he did a beautiful job of pointing a butterfly.

Guy

What a great looking guy! I appreciate the pictures and the good care he's getting.

You two will be connected at the hip for life.

Good on ya Cascade for rescuing him! He's a great looking fella! But I might be a bit biased...



Just curious, how long is the tail on your boy? GWP's tend to have their tails docked shortish, 2/5 full length, pudelpointers have their tails docked longer at about 2/3 of full length. My girl is a PP btw.

I don't really know how to reference the tail length, but this fellow has considerably more tail than my earlier GWP:



And dang, he likes water!





He's been getting a walk almost every day, twice a day sometimes. Working on the obedience training. And he's fitting in real well with the family. Awfully glad he's in my life, hoping that he'll turn out to be a good bird dog. He sure acts like he wants to hunt.

Guy

I'd be surprised if he doesn't turn into a fine hunting dog. It might take a few trips but I bet his natural instincts come on strong.

Re tail length:

Standard for GWPs and GSPs is supposed to be 2/5 of total length. Didn't realize PP have a different standard. I have seen quite a range of length on GWPs and GSPs over the years. One friend had his dog's tail cut a bit long so it showed a white tip.

Wandered around the net for a while and found this quote from a vet which might be why yours is a bit longer:

I will leave up to 60% on, but never go below 50%. On a baby puppy, there is a point in the tail where there is no flesh, just hide over bone. We dock at or past that point. I will cut long to leave a light tip, too. The conformation standard notes that 40% on is customary, but tail length is never a disqualification.


I was watching a Pederson hunting show yesterday with them shooting birds in Europe. One local had what looked like a GWP with a full length tail. I now know why they dock the tails of these breeds. The tail was very long and thin looked terrible!

Az, saw one full length also. Just terrible looking. Mine has a solid black tail and guessing there was no white tip on him. I'd say the guys here are doing pretty good on the 2/5 length, perhaps a touch shorter. They sure do vary though from vet to vet.

I agree. His natural instincts seem very strong. I need to learn more about how to train him, or perhaps will have him trained, but I'd rather try myself. He's getting walked once daily, sometimes twice daily if my son takes him out again in the evening. Has gone from being very cautious of strangers, to being quite friendly. However, if an unknown man starts walking towards us, he's on full alert! I kind of like that. Here we are, walking in a local park, meeting nice people:



Guy

Not the best pic of her tail but you can see it's quite a bit longer than a GWP.


Of course it's unlikely you'll never really know your boys true breed, but he sure looks like a PP to me. As long as he takes to bird hunting and is a great companion to you, you've both won the jackpot! I'd find a NAVHDA in your area and get in on some training days. Take it slow and make sure the obedience is down pat first. Good luck to the both of you!

Thanks! That canyon could be right here a couple miles from home! Same kind of country.

Turns out he's got papers, he's a real live GWP, just has a "liver" coat which is shorter than the norm for other versions of GWP.

Ya, we're working on obedience. He's doing well. Am hoping to hunt with him this fall, but if that doesn't work, next fall is fine.

He's already done some obedience training sessions, and I'm looking forward to more. Not sure how I'm going to proceed with his hunt training... But we'll get it figured out.

Regards, Guy

Looks a lot like my middle son's labradoodle. He is a large, very friendly rascal who will wear your arm out fetching whatever you will throw out there for him.

Good on you! I agree that he looks an awful lot like a pudelpointer. I'm a fan of the breed, but am biased and relatively inexperienced with dogs.

Untitled by .com/photos/150924633@N06/]Tyler Staggs, on [bleep]

I agree ...... I'm betting it's a PP as well.

Pointer, Is that this year quail in Indiana? Used to hunt them down in the Evansville area when I lived there. Dogs are looking great on here guys.

No those are from a preserve east of Indianapolis. That said, I currently live just north of Evansville if you know of some places I need to check out... I got a line on a place I may be able to try for some, but it'll have to wait until after deer season. Not a whole lot of birds around this part of the state anymore.