A little about you...

PocketGSP · Post by **PocketGSP** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 9:04 pm

My name is David, 29. I am from Texas, but currently living in Rochester, MN for the next 4 years due to my job. I started hunting when I was 5, bagged my first deer at 8 and first successful dove hunt when I was ten. I mostly hunt deer, dove and pheasant these days. This is my first true, personal gun dog and I could not be more excited.

Okgsphunter · Post by **Okgsphunter** » Tue Feb 21, 2012 10:27 pm

I'm 48 and an operator at a oil field chemical plant here in OK. I've been hunting most of my life, but never had my own dog until the early '90's. My first dog was an English Pointer I named Dixie, she turned into a pretty good birddog in spite of me. She didn't really like to honor other dogs until I borrowed my older brothers father-in-laws shock collar. Just 1 bump and she got the idea. She pointed her first Quail when she was 6 mos. old. I had her for 6 good years, then she started having seizures and the vet suggested that I put her down, so I did. It broke my heart, but needed done. I didn't have another birddog until my job at the time moved my family to Missouri. I looked all over for another English Pointer but just couldn't find one. A guy I worked with told me about a friend of his that had Shorthairs and just had a litter of pups. I had never been around Shorthairs at all so I really didn't know that much about them, just knew one when I saw one. I went and saw a little female that just caught my eye, and when I bent over the fence and picked her up, she promptly scratched my lip to where it bled, I almost put her back down that second,but boy am I glad I didn't. My 2 boys and I took her with us the opening day of Dove season, "just to see if she's gun-shy". After we had shot a lot of shells at a lot of birds with nothing to show for our time but a bunch of empty hulls, we headed back to the truck with Belle, our not gun-shy pup. We were about 100 yds. from the truck when the pup got VERY birdy. She started "crawling" all the way to this brush pile and she locked up solid. Mind you, this pup is about 3 months old. My oldest son asked what she was doing, it dawned on me then that he'd never seen a dog point. I told him that she was pointing and to go jump on the brush pile, but not to shoot. He started jumping on the pile and nothing came out. I thought that it was probably a rabbit or a Pheasant, or something that it wasn't season for. The pup just stayed locked up on that brush pile. Finally she broke and moved to the end where I was standing. I couldn't see anything in the brush, so I started looking around the area, and there it was, someone had cleaned a bunch of Dove and put the carcasses under this Cedar tree just to the downwind side of the brush pile. It's only gotten better since then. If ever there was a dog you could call a "natural" that would be Belle. Never did anything but hunt her, until recently, she started hunting with other dogs and didn't honor at all. She never had to, always hunted as the only dog or the only one that had a clue about hunting. So at 8 yrs. old, Belle had to learn to honor. I had taken both boys to a hunting preserve for a Quail hunt for their birthdays. At 8 Belle has lost some of her stamina and I had to ask the guide for some help for her. I told him that she didn't honor but I had a check cord and a shock collar and that I wouldn't let her "cheat." he let his Setters out and they got the first point, and Belle, as I expected, started trying to crawl in front of them. I seriously nicked her once and told her whoa and she did. Now, she will honor from 30-40 yards. She's my baby, and the main reason I'm forever hooked on Shorthairs.

NewbieES · Post by **NewbieES** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:00 pm

I am a 49 year old female. I am a bookkeeper, my husband and I have an electrical contracting company and I have spent alot of years training horses (Morgans) and dogs (Rotties, Labs, Shephards & mixes) for myself and some friends. I have competed in the past in obedience, but I have never hunted and know NOTHING about hunting or hunting with dogs. This past weekend we adopted an English Setter from our local humane society. He is 1.5 to 2 years old, had a sad story and well - there you go, he came home with us. He does not know any of what I consider normal obedience commands, and so I came to this formun to get some info about hunting commands/definitions so I can see if he knows any of those and to hopefully gain some insight to his instincts.

jeepgeep · Post by **jeepgeep** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:04 pm

Hello To all. My name is Richard or jeepgeep. Been hunting 50 years. I now reside in Swanton Oh. Just purchased a Germen Short haired Pointer. She is 5 years old. I have to work with her she hunts but rushes her points. I'm a retired Auto Worker.

mtnview · Post by **mtnview** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 6:45 pm

Hi my name is Bill I own an excavating company in Wash. state. I grew up with hunting dogs all of the flushing-retrieving varitity. I havent had a dog for ten years but just recently got a real nice 1 year old Golden Retriever. He is just a great well mannered dog with an excellent nose and all the ambition you could ask for. I am 60 now so this will be my last dog. I am looking forward to getting a tips for training Hawk. thanks all Bill

dmac2681 · Post by **dmac2681** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:41 am

My name is Dan. I'm 41 years old. I just got a new Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Oakley. He is 9 weeks old right now. This will be my second hunting dog. I've had a lab previously. I'm really excited about this little guy and look forward to learning from everyone on this forum!

crc619 · Post by **crc619** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:45 pm

Hello all, just found out about this forum from Gun Dog Supply. I am 37, a beginner at training, married, 2yr old boy, and 2 dogs (1 gun dog). As for my dog history, I started with a black female 7 years ago and she did great until she blossomed into womanhood and stopped retrieving. She is a great family dog and still the princess. A year later a male yellow lab, and he turned out to be a great dog. Had a ton of drive and would retrieve all day long. Eventually got steady with time, but my job didn't allow me the freedom to hunt him, and unfortunately lost him to cancer last year at age six. During that time rescued a chocolate that was abused, but became a great companion and he passed with cancer at age seven 2 years ago.

So, after shooting my first Mallard and having a passion for dogs I have a very simple goal, shoot a bird and have a dog retrieve it. As simple as it seems it is an interesting path full of obstacles. In November after searching for a started dog for months my wife had a friend that had Chesapeake Bay pups and now I am the proud new daddy of a female named Ash. Currently she is 5 months and has been a wonderful retriever responding well to training. I had forgotten how much work a pup can be, and also learned very quickly the difference between the lab bread and the chessy. Every day she surprises me with what she can do and have enjoyed working with her. That brings me to why I am here....I just don't want to screw up a good thing and am glad I have found this site to hone my skills to lead her in the right direction.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing all the great advice

papacharlie · Post by **papacharlie** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:25 am

Hello I am Charlie married 28yrs two boy's avid Hunters have 9yr old Lab that is a Master Hunter (Pro trained & handled) Springer Spaniel 2yrs old she is a Hunting reject from a high end Kennel. Now I am looking into the Pointer Breed I am impressed with the Elhew Breed so I want to communicate with Brian Hays about the Breed to run in the Grouse & wookcock Trials my fave color Liver & White and I hope this forum will be helpful in my future endevours..

bobwhite rules · Post by **bobwhite rules** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 3:30 pm

hello taker of birds and lover of dogs, I'm 45, rug&carpet cleaner, binder, serger, refringer. I'm married no kids with 3 beagles, 2 came from rescue. Lets see i don't really hunt anymore, no more quail here but will go on a dove shoot. Hobbies Wake Forest and Redskins football, bass fishing, and try to shoot every other weekend weather permitting. Clay pigeons and if enough ,clay rabbits, so remember if life throws you lemons drink cold-beer. Oh by the way the reason I joined G.D.F. a poster was asking about Emperor shootguns, I like to call them the poor mans Merkel.

crc619 · Post by **crc619** » Thu Mar 08, 2012 10:07 pm

dmac2681 wrote:My name is Dan. I'm 41 years old. I just got a new Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Oakley. He is 9 weeks old right now. This will be my second hunting dog. I've had a lab previously. I'm really excited about this little guy and look forward to learning from everyone on this forum!

I have had labs also, but it has been fun working with my Chesapeake. Mine is almost 6months and doing pretty good so far. They just have such a different personality than labs, but I am starting to figure it out. She also bit about anything, including me up until recently. Her teeth are in and has stopped since. Good luck with your dog and let me know how it is going and what is working well.
take care,
Craig

DCT Ken · Post by **DCT Ken** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 7:14 am

Hi. I'm 61 years old and have been hunting small game 40years. I have been involved with GSP's for 30 years. Have run AKC, American field local hunting dog trials. Most of all I enjoy training dogs and owners who are new to the sport. I am partial to totally steady dogs.

campesino · Post by **campesino** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 2:07 pm

I am 60 years old, and have been training and hunting bird dogs for 33 years. Started with a Brittany pup from down the street and a couple of training books, and in spite of my training ended up with a great hunting companion. Since then have had a Gordon Setter, another Brit, two English Setters, and am now working with a French Brittany. I have lived in and hunted North Carolina, Alaska and New Mexico. Most of my life has been here in NM where it has been challenging over the past several years because of the ongoing drought affecting bird populations so severely. My favorite birds are Mearns' Quail, but love to chase the Scalies and Gambels' too. Blue Grouse in September can be great here, as well. I hunted ducks a lot this winter with the low quail numbers, and I am hoping to convince my French Brittany to retrieve them this Fall.

JeffK-MN · Post by **JeffK-MN** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:01 pm

Hi my name is Jeff I live in east central Minnesota and love to hunt
I also have trained some good hunting dogs Now I'm going to try the hunt tests and field trials
I have a 6 mo. choc lab female that has me thinking she is smarter then I am
Good luchk Jeff

bweath · Post by **bweath** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 9:09 pm

I am 37, married with 3 great children. I own a female GSP, who has been my hunting companion for 12 years. My dog was given to me by a friend who married a woman that doesn't like hunting, guns or dogs. I know, love is a crazy thing, but his loss was my gain. This is my first dog and I have been blessed to receive a dog with her talent. She is a bird-finding machine. The dog will hunt all day and will be ready for more the following day. I typically hunt quail and pheasant in MO, KS, NE and SD. She is slowing down in her later years but still loves to get out and find birds. Besides being a great hunter, she is also a great family dog. She absolutely loves my children and is very protective of her family. I couldn't ask for a better dog. She probably doesn't have many years left, and I will purchase another dog after she passes. I enjoy reading the comments and have learned a lot over the past year.

TM79 · Post by **TM79** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 9:24 pm

Hi everybody !!!

My name is Thiago Moraes, I'm Equine Veterinarian originally from Brazil and I work with equine reproduction here in Scottsdale - AZ. I'm archery big game hunter and now getting in to bird hunting. I been reading a lot and trying to get as much info as possible before start with our first puppy. Our female French Brittany puppy ( Dottie de L'Escarbot x Toy de St. Lubin - from L'Escarbot Kennel ) should arrive here in june. Can't wait for the fun and "craziness" to begin. I'm sure I will be bothering you guys in the soon future!!

Thanks,
Dr. Moraes

MS Pointer Man · Post by **MS Pointer Man** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 2:51 pm

29-married- off highway dump truck product specialist. I have 7yr old English pointer and a 4 month old English pointer. Quail hunt Tennessee and Mississippi.
Started bird hunting about 2 years ago and have been hooked ever since.

BrushBuster · Post by **BrushBuster** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 4:02 pm

Nice forum you have here, I've spent enough time lingering so I thought I'd join so I can post once in a while. I mostly bow hunt whitetails and turkey but I still have a special place in my heart for bird hunting and miss my old English Setter like crazy. I haven't had her for a few years now, and while I think of starting over frequently, I'm away from home during the days for too long to feel good about it. I don't know, maybe I'm making up excuses, either way, one day soon I'll have another bird dog like Lily.

northalhunter · Post by **northalhunter** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 12:10 pm

I am 39 years old and live in Huntsville, AL. I build houses for a living. I spend as much time as it can working on a family farm in North East Alabama. I hunt deer and ducks and over the last 4 years have really started hunting quail and snipe alot. I have 2 English Setters which have really done well on the snipe and the quail we realease. We have a few coveys which we do not shoot but find with the dogs. I am working hard to develop more habitat for woodcock which we currently are seeing. I run a few local field trials and have done better than I ever thought but really enjoy the hunting and am always eager to talk to others about it.

snipe10 · Post by **snipe10** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 6:29 pm

Just joined today, I'm a young 55 year old father of 8 and 10 year old boys with a great wife that lets me spend whatever I want on my pursuits. A few weeks ago after shooting sporting clays with a buddy, I was hooked. I bought a Browning 725 and today went hunting with John of Nickel Creek Hunting Dogs in Kiowa Colorado. Living in Colorado, I've always hunted big game but am new to birds. John had two great dogs, Indy and Sierra, both German Shorthair Pointers that were amazing. We flushed up 20 or so Chukar and a few pheasants. I'm all in. I have to get a dog and will soon (in about 5 minutes) begin the research. Do I get a pup or a finished dog? What breed? Male of female? and so on. My main goal is to get the boys involved so I'll be here a lot looking for help.

Great site, looking forward to being a part of it.

Ccarlton · Post by **Ccarlton** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 10:59 pm

I am from Texas, and have hunted and fish all of my life. Learned these great abilities from my father and pawpaw. I am married for 15 years, a father of 5 girls.....

Now that all the laughter over!! It's actual pretty awesome. Two of them hunt and fish with me regularly and that great, one is my training parter of our new vizsla. We just getting started and its an adventure. This is the first pointer/versatile I have trained and the first dog I have trained in more than 15 years. We are excited about the opportunity, the vizsla has lots of drive and does well in training, has been introduced to birds, tracking, and water.

gard86 · Post by **gard86** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:11 pm

I am 44 yrs old. I live in Alexandria,PA. I like to fish, hunt and shoot.I bought a britt,orange and white male pup on March 3rd.He is 14weeks old as of today.Its my 1st hunting dog so I have alot to learn about training him. I'm really looking forward to it.

Moulders Farm · Post by **Moulders Farm** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:09 pm

Hi from Mo. I try to raise one litter or so of llewellin setters a year as well as take care of a small farm, so my children , grand childern & I have a place to hunt deer Quail % turkey . we also do our own training mostly . We raised & hunted brittneys , golden retrevers in our yonger years when there were several wild birds . then bought a great young female llewellin setter who was so easy to train & love. I no longer can hunt the big long walks , so mostly hunt pen raised birds . my web sight is www. llewellin setter- moulders farm . info Jim of moulders farm

smokinjoe · Post by **smokinjoe** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:26 pm

I am 63 years old. My name is Joe. I have 3 French Brittanys -- a nine year old who is a very good hunter with hundreds of birds shot over her, a seven year old that does not hunt, and a one year old in training. I have a modest collection of SxS shotguns that I love to hunt with. I started hunting in my teens and have been at it ever since. I also fly fish for trout and panfish, and I hunt deer with a traditional recurve bow. I am married, and between us my wife and I have 4 grown kids, none of whom live anywhere close to us. I work as a dean at a small university.
That's about it for now.
Joe

Barbara · Post by **Barbara** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 1:29 pm

Hello all of you!
My name is Barbara and I come from Slovenia. I'm 25 years old, unfortunatelly still unemployed. I've got two dogs, Bernese Mountain dog, who is 4 years old, and baby Weimaraner, who will be 7 months this Sunday. Weimaraner, named Granitehill Take It Easy, comes from Hungary, from Granitehill kennel (Granitehill Nine One One x Casa De Juno All I Want). He is my sweetheart, with a lot of will to work. We are attending hunting school, and preparing for Autumn hunting exams. Unfortunatelly I'm not a hunter, but I have big wish for my Weim to work and hopefully hunt.

Jagter_GSP · Post by **Jagter_GSP** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 12:35 pm

Hi

I am 46 year old male, originally from South Africa wher I was involved in Field trialing and hunting with my GSPs Now recently moved to Atlanta GA area (Gwinnett country) with my family and dogs and looking to get involved with the hunting dog scene over here.

In SA I have also hunted numerous plains game from Kudu, Blue Wildebeest to Springbok. Bird shooting included various partifdges/francloin and guinewa fowl.

2 GSPs (Mom and daughter) Both need to brish upo on training as they have not had much opporttinity to get out with the big move and all. Would love to hear from like minded individuals in GA

APage · Post by **APage** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 7:19 am

Hi all! I'm Amanda - 28 year old stay at home mom to 3 kids ages 6,4, and 2 - two boys and a girl in that order. My husband is an over the road truck driver. Not only do I take care of the kids but we also have a hobby farm that I am solely responsible for during the week. Ryan (my hubby) helps on the weekends when he's home. The only hunting I do at the moment is gun deer hunting. I have hunted since I was 12 and was out in the stand with Dad for years before that. My Dad had a love for GSPs since I was little and he went on a hunting trip to Nebraska with some friends. The week he came home he bought our first GSP (Lucy) we never hunted her. My Dad talked all the time about getting a dog and training it to hunt birds. This past July my dad took his own life and we took in his GSP in hopes of training him and seeing dad's dream of hunting again come to life. Unfortunately his GSP recently passed away too. We have now adopted a 5 year old GSP who is supposedly trained to hunt - at least thats what the Humane Society implied. I will say Mac is the strongest most energetic GSP I've ever met. He is the Arnold Swarchenegger of GSPs. I'm hoping to refresh whatever training he does have while learning to hunt with a dog at the same time. I suppose this maybe sounds ambitious but I feel like this may be a good connection with Dad for me. It just feels like something I need to do. I'm here to ask questions, learn, and soak in as much information as possible. We also have a Lab/GSP mix who we adopted 3 years ago and was never trained to hunt but if I learn enough maybe I could give him a little training too.

knocky · Post by **knocky** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:26 am

I am a 57 yr old male. Married. 5 grand kids. 1 dog 1 cat. Facilities Maint. worker. I live in up-state NY (on the big lake)
I have had dogs all my life, loved them all !!!
I Hunt ,Fish, Golf. (vices)
Go SU !!!!!
Enjoy being with family when not in the outdoors

I hunt ducks,geese, ruffed grouse, pheasant.
Looking for a new hunting partner to train and hunt with. One with a beard I think (PP)
I enjoy reading everyone's posts , very informative and helpful too!

BenelliShooter · Post by **BenelliShooter** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 8:57 am

I got into gun dogs and upland bird hunting when my boys were old enough to go on their first junior hunts. Our first two gun dogs were GWP, who taught us a lot. We now have a GWP, Vizsla & a WPG and hunt six months out of the year. I love to go to North Dakota & Montana annually to hunt the wide open spaces. I am involved in AKC Hunt Testing, NAVHDA & a local gun dog club. I am addicted to pointing dogs, bird hunting & shotguns.

ggrimm · Post by **ggrimm** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 6:24 am

49 year old male. Township Supervisor/Roadmaster is my full time occupation, I also work part-time as a Paramedic. I have been hunting since the age of 12. I hunt deer,turkey,and ringnecks. I have 2 Labs. 1 is a flusher, the other is a pointer in training. I have had hunting dogs for 11 years. Haven't done anything in the competition field yet.

Brushstomper · Post by **Brushstomper** » Sun May 06, 2012 1:23 pm

Hey guys. Just joined and looking forward to it! I am 41, married, father of three girls and enjoy getting out and hunting birds every chance I can. I have a GSP and she is my first hunting dog and we are having a blast hunting together. Look forward to reading and learning from everyone's experiences.

2gundogg · Post by **2gundogg** » Sun May 13, 2012 10:35 am

hello Im 58 and raise Llewellin setters. Have had setters since i was 12 years old. My family alweays had gundogs. My kennel is called Goldenrod Kennels

CBoston · Post by **CBoston** » Mon May 21, 2012 12:16 pm

Hello

My Name Is Cody. I Live in Northern Ontario, Canada. I am 24 years old, and work as a Bouncer during the summer and work Private Security during the winter months (off hunt season). I recently got my first Hunt Dog and decided to risk it and get a mixed breed lab/collie. She is presently just over 8 weeks old and loves the water and fetch, so i have high hopes. I hunt waterfowl, upland bird, deer, moose, and the occasional bear. Ive had dogs all growing up but this is my first gun dog focused. Hoping to get tips and tricks for getting started and training my hunt buddy.

mollyjmu · Post by **mollyjmu** » Tue May 22, 2012 12:25 am

Hey guys, I'm 19 and just got my first bird dog a black lab named Molly. I go to school in SW Virginia and get out when and where I can which isn't much down here. No good public land that I have found (yet - I will keep searching until I graduate and can move to my own land)

pale.ryder · Post by **pale.ryder** » Sun May 27, 2012 3:20 pm

Mike, 26
Just got Maximilien, my liver and white ticked gsp, two months ago. He's my first gsp. I think we're doing really well here. getting alot of advice, watching alot of videos, staying patient and having a great time. Came here to see what else we could learn.

alabcalledmaverick · Post by **alabcalledmaverick** » Mon May 28, 2012 1:39 am

Hello. 37 years old. Happily married for 6 years. 3 boys, 11, 6, and 3. I've been hunting ducks for 6 years and have been working on getting a dog since. With the boys a little older, we decided it was time. I've read so much about the wonderful relationships developed between owner and dog I had to experience it myself. Hopefully, with a little help from everyone on here; I'll be able to train my little guy properly.

featherhead · Post by **featherhead** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 3:51 pm

Hey guys, I'm a 25 year old guy and I just moved to WIchita, KS almost a year ago. I've been hunting since before I can remember, basically most everything except for birds (quail population was horrible where and when I grew up in Oklahoma), turkey and small game are what I hunt for most these days.fds I've had a few really good squirrel dogs, and a few deer and rabit dogs as well, but I'm looking to get into bird hunting since I'm in a little better area for it, and hope to get a dog within the next few months. Definitely seems like I came to the right place to learn.

DaveyBoy72 · Post by **DaveyBoy72** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 11:21 pm

Hi! 42 year old married father of 4 who is really getting into gun dog training and would like to find an apprenticeship here in MN.

Thanks!!
Dave

weekendwarrior · Post by **weekendwarrior** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 9:53 pm

New gun dog owner, a black lab I am starting to train and came here for advice. I live in Tucson, Arizona and will be hunting quail, duck, and geese. Looking forward to sharing experiences.

b_mac840 · Post by **b_mac840** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 10:41 am

Hi All! My name is Crystal I am 27 and am a stay at home mom to 3 kiddies and 2 fur babies! I have an AM Bulldog named Gibson who just turned 2 this past April and I have a GSP named Lexi who just turned 8 months on June 5th.

sdnordahl · Post by **sdnordahl** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 11:04 pm

My name is Steven and I live in bend OR. I have two labs. The new one dixie is 9 weeks old and i have big hopes and plans for her. I enjoy bird hunting and training my dogs.

MSU Aggie · Post by **MSU Aggie** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 5:29 am

Hi all, I am a 27yr old South Dakota farm boy. I have a 12 yr old yellow lab femal, and a 10 month old black lab male. Both dogs are upland and waterfowl dogs, as I do some guiding. My 12yr old has EIC so her hunting trips are limited to small family outings. The 10 month old is going through training, so wish me luck.

Tyler S · Post by **Tyler S** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 8:35 pm

Hi my name is Tyler. 42yo married with 2 "grown" boys. live in SW Alabama and have 5 GSPs. I hunt Quail,dove woodcock,waterfowl

RYNO · Post by **RYNO** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 5:02 pm

Hello all, My name is Ryan, I'm 40 and live in Nebraska. I work in metal fab shop and run the retail sales counter. I currently don't have a dog as I had to have my sweet little britt Ginger put down in Feb., she was 16-1/2.

I found this site while doing research for my next dog. I put a deposit down for a pup a couple weeks ago from a litter of Irish Red & White Setters due later this month. With a little luck I will have some puppy breath in the house come late August.

I look forward to reading and hopefully adding a little to the discussions. I'm no professional trainer by any stretch, but I'm not totally clueless either. I'm an avid fisherman and hunter.

swebb · Post by **swebb** » Sat Jun 16, 2012 6:50 pm

My name is Stan. I only have 1 dog "buster" he is a lab. I raise bobwhites on a small scale in va. I mainly hunt grouse, deer,and turkey.

Borderboy · Post by **Borderboy** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:57 am

Hello,
I am a retired Navy Chief Warrant Officer living in deep south Texas. I have hunted in south Texas all of my life particularly the Laguna Madre for ducks and geese and the fields along the Rio Grande and South Texas for dove, both mourning and whitewing as well as Chachalacas. Recently, I acquired a registered, eight-week old chocolate Lab (Abbie) that I want to have trained to retrieve. From what I have seen there do not seem to be many (if any) gun dog trainers in the Rio Grande Valley so I would be interested if anyone could recommend a good trainer (San Antonio south would also work). Also, If anyone wants to share information on growing up with a Lab puppy I would appreciate it.

GrayGhosts · Post by **GrayGhosts** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 11:35 am

Hi there! I live in Ohio, married, 35 years old, Marine and Iraq vet. We have Weimaraner (Bullet) and a new Weim pup coming home Friday (Bella). I've had dogs all my life. I want to get into dog training and hope that Bella is my prodigy. I've been reading and googling all the information I can on training gun dogs and hope this forum will offer a broad base of knowledge and experience. I look forward to getting to know everyone and sharing success/horror stories!

thicegwp24 · Post by **thicegwp24** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:40 pm

My name is Tyler. I'm a 24 year old captain for a fire department in northeastern Colorado. I have 2 dogs, a Scottish terrier that is 8 years old, and just purchasing a GWP. This will be my first pointing dog. I had a yellow lab before this. Being from CO, I hunt big game like elk and deer. I have been hunting waterfowl for about 6 years, and am starting to get into upland birds. I have been hunting since age 10. I'm here to pick up any tips or tricks from the folks who have been doing this much longer than I have!

scotcl · Post by **scotcl** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:30 pm

Afternoon...just came across this site as I was googling for 2 hole dog boxes. I live outside of Omaha Nebraska and I've got two 1-year old Britts Miss "Mae" West and Miss "Kitty" Wells. My previous Britts were 16 and 11 years old before I had to put them down So, I'm a bit rusty on the training aspect again. Looking forward to perusing the discussions and getting questions answered.

cmbritt · Post by **cmbritt** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 11:49 pm

Hello all,

My name is Chad. I'm a 27 year old full time paramedic student, I work part time at a hospital in Oregon, and I just became the proud owner of a wonderful 15 week old Brittney. Oddly enough her name is Britt... I know, not very original but it just seem to fit. She is my first pointer but I do have a 10 year old yellow lab whom I trained to hunt waterfowl, although I didn't have to train her much, but due to her age and bad hips she is now retired and lives with the my folks. With that being said... I have never trained a pointer, so I'm hoping to get some great advice from this forum and read some even more amazing dog "tales".

To happy dogs and happy hunters

johnvidal · Post by **johnvidal** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 11:01 am

Hello there.

John here. I live in Austin, Texas and am a marketing consultant for a non-profit educational management firm. My girlfriend and I have a German Shepherd and a GSP. As I write this I am one day away from going to pick up my GSP from his gun dog training up in Honey Grove, Texas. He has been gone for 3 months and I have missed him dearly. The shepherd misses him too I bet. This is my first gun dog and he turns 1 year next month. I have been hunting since I was a kid in South and Central Texas. Never was huge on bird hunting because the opportunity never presented itself that much until recently. I am looking forward to learning the tricks of the trade with my GSP, Major. Major and I will learn the process together and hopefully I can post some good results to you all. My avatar is a pic his trainer took of him sometime during training.