A little about you...

sbecker · Post by **sbecker** » Sat Apr 02, 2011 10:47 pm

Hi to everyone here at Gun Dog Forum - I have 2 brittanys: a 4 yr old male who competes in all age and gun dog and a 4 year old female who has competed in hunt tests and possibly walking trials in the future. I have lived in Montana my whole life and grew up on a ranch. I enjoy riding my Paso Fino horse and working with my dogs. I also enjoy cooking, reading, skiing, biking and exercising. I am 59 yrs old and am going on my 39th year working for attorneys... so I figure I will get to skip purgatory since I have been thru that in my job here on earth : ) I am happy to have found this site and look forward to visiting it on a regular basis.

msapia · Post by **msapia** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 2:43 pm

Hi everyone. Just joined the forum. I've just gotten my 2nd GSP pup. We lost Blaze, (our first) last April to cancer. she was my best friend and quail/pheasant hunting partner. I had her trained but have done a lot of reading and hoping to train Patch myself. The trainer that trained Blaze has since retired but has offered to help me all he can.

I've had Delmar Smiths book for years since that was the method my trainer used and recommended. I've read it several times and will be trying that method myself. I'm looking forward to reading the forums and getting to know you guys.

Mike

Oh...I'm in Texas

jstpnt1 · Post by **jstpnt1** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:08 am

Rick Rigg, 50, married 20 yrs to my much better half Debbie, who is a trainer for Verizon. We have 4 kids, 1 son and 3 daughters, 3 grandkids. At any given time we have between 4 and 10 GSP's. I grew up hunting in Illinois, and now branch that out to as far as Montana. We field trialed for 15 yrs, both walking and horseback, and will someday get back there. Kids in college kinda put a damper on that sort of thing! I am a manufacturing supervisor, with the same company for the past 32 yrs, making power control distribution devices. I do a little training with lvrgsp, and would like to say hi to HOTPEPPER. Jerry, long time - no see. Would love to get together with you and Faye again, we miss folks like you in the trial world!

pbrady · Post by **pbrady** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:18 pm

Paul Brady, 54....New to the forum and dog ownership. I've hunted big game and birds of all types all over the US and South America. I have hunted over many great dogs and have just purchased a female Black Lab named Kona. Kona is being trained for me and I visit every week to be trained myself. I must admit that the dog is way ahead of me in the training procees. I hope to build her into a great hunter and companion as well as possible hunt/field trials.
I live in Austin, Texas and own and operate restaurants for a living. married 32 years, 3 grown children, one grandson and one on the way
Thanks

Susan H · Post by **Susan H** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:23 pm

I am a 58 year old have a husband of 27 years and two kids in their twenties. My husband is a construction superintendent and I am a secretary in the guidance office of a 2700 student high school nearby. My husband and I have had sporting dogs all our lives including an Irish Setter, an English Setter, and several spaniels. I showed one of the cockers in obedience competition in my 20's and we were very successful. We currently have a 4 year old female Boykin Spaniel and a one year old female field bred English Setter who we rescued 3 months ago. My husband bird hunts with our Boykin who is very well behaved and responds well to whistle, voice and hand commands. We live in a suburban area south of Atlanta but are blessed with 37 unfenced acres. We have never had a problem with our dogs "sticking around." Until now... The rescue dog, Liza, is a handful to say the least. She is the reason I registered for this forum. We definitely need some guidance on solving some of her "issues." The two big ones are housebreaking and failure to return when called. I believe an e collar is what we need for the recall issue. Her hunt instinct is stronger than anything I have ever seen and she is oblivious to us when she is stalking something. Liza is kenneled during the week and given 30 minutes to an hour of long line exercise in the afternoons. Some days she doesn't have an accident in the house, but others she has more than one. She has also peed in her crate.
The few times she has escaped us, she didn't return when called and once ending up running down the middle of the road. (a frightening experience) We do not let her out the door without a lead. Right now we walk her in our field with a halter because she was irritating her trachea from pulling so hard. (A choke chain resulted in bruising her neck) She drinks LOTS of water and consequently urinates often. She doesn't seem to be aggressive at all, is very sweet but somewhat demanding of attention. She is also pretty spooky and skittish of ironing boards and the like, but doesn't mind strangers in the house at all and doesn't even bark at them. She and our Boykin get along pretty well now. She really needs to be able to run off her energy but must learn to come when called and our wood floors could really use a break from her accidents.
We would greatly appreciate any suggestions on dealing with Liza's "issues."

Escopeton · Post by **Escopeton** » Sun Apr 10, 2011 10:02 am

I have labradors that I use for both upland and waterfowl. My guns are, 870 for the trenches of waterfowling; Uggie in 12 gauge for upland. I reload for my SXS and will start nontox for the 870. I trained both Labs and now I am training a GSP and a Labrador for clients.

I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Rampage · Post by **Rampage** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:48 am

Hi my name us Sandra, I have 2 gsp's mother and son. I don't hunt but my husband does but doesn't take the dogs.
My female is ruby, she is liver with white and her son scout is the same. I am new to breeding. I don't show. But I wanted some help with some questions. My Female has had 2 litters and in both litters she has had gelber brand pups. Any one no much about this?

chadlaking · Post by **chadlaking** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:33 am

My name is Chad. I'm 37. Pretty much married

and I am in the Canadian Armed Forces. Really looking forward to retiring and putting more focus on training and hunting. But along way to go for that.

I currently have 1 Springer Spaniel(10 years old) named Dakota. I recently got him as a sort of resue dog although he is well trained and came from John Mitchell in NS. I used to have a number of Springers and had one litter and did lots of training and hunting with Springers. If there is a better life I don't know it. Lol.

I live in the Fredericton/Oromocto area and would love to find people to train with. If anyones interrested...messaged me.

Chad

Byrdgirl · Post by **Byrdgirl** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 11:19 am

Hello! I just joined GDF today. My boyfriend and I own an amazing German Shorthaired Pointer named Cleo. She is the love of our life. She is 19 months old and is training for her NAVHDA UT Test this fall as well as her AKC Master Hunting Title. She recieved a perfect score and Prize 1 in her NAVHDA NA test last year as well as completing her AKC JH. I blog about our adventures with her so feel free to check it out: http://gsphuntingdog.blogspot.com/
We live in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.

Maiingan · Post by **Maiingan** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 3:13 pm

Hello, my name is Sarah and I live in North Pole, Alaska. I live about 25 minutes east of Fairbanks. My husband bought me a golden retriever, who I named Ella. She is 12 weeks old and we have had her since she was 7 weeks old. The vet said the litter was good to go and I had taken faith in that. I now believe a week extra with her litter and mother would have been better.
Ella is extremely strong willed, but then so am I. It has been over twenty years since I have been upland bird hunting, but that is now going to change. I am trying to learn as much as I can about training her the basics for now, but have become slightly confused with all the conflicting information out there. I figure if I become more in tuned with Ella I should be able to find a middle ground.

We have a six year old daughter who is very submissive to Ella, and it is definetely causing problems in our household. Ella had bitten her quite harshly, so now I have my daughter feeding her and playing with her and I at five minute intervals a couple times of day. Other than that I do not know what to do since Ella does not respond appropriately when Brianna crosses her arms and yells out "No!". Ella does not let go and keeps tugging and trying to nip at her. I know this is not a hunting question per se, but how can I keep a dog in our home who may one day physically hurt my daughter?

Other than that, Ella is walked at least once a day, has learned to sit the first day she was in our home, is learning to kennel on command in her crate, learning to come with her leash or check cord, and othr basic training commands. She is well loved and played with, and sticks to me like glue. When my husband throws her a toy she will return it to me each and every time and will drop on command about 75 percent of the time. So, is that good? Probably not, but how do I change that? Returning to the original thrower I mean?
Sorry for the long post, I promise the others will be short and sweet.

SHNOOL · Post by **SHNOOL** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 7:19 pm

I am a 39 year old male IT manager from PA. Just recently married (last week).

She has 4 britts, and WE are expecting a litter this summer. Have only been trialing a VERY short time (2.5 years), and am only a horse owner for 2 of those years. Just started handling this season, but have been scouting for 3 seasons. I get a lot out of the various forums because I don't have enough time to hunt or trial as I would like (so I have to read to learn as much as do). I have to ration my hobbies as it seems all of them are expensive

We run mostly AKC stuff, but have dabbled in AF. We like the AF venue as it more properly matches our dogs. We'd train our own, but we just don't have the time, so instead we use a trainer.

Other hobbies? guitar, fishing, and sailing (odd combo I am sure).

ultracarry · Post by **ultracarry** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:58 pm

Maiingan wrote:Hello, my name is Sarah and I live in North Pole, Alaska. I live about 25 minutes east of Fairbanks. My husband bought me a golden retrieveqr, who I named Ella. She is 12 weeks old and we have had her since she was 7 weeks old. The vet said the litter was good to go and I had taken faith in that. I now believe a week extra with her litter and mother would have been better.
Ella is extremely strong willed, but then so am I. It has been over twenty years since I have been upland bird hunting, but that is now going to change. I am trying to learn as much as I can about training her the basics for now, but have become slightly confused with all the conflicting information out there. I figure if I become more in tuned with Ella I should be able to find a middle ground.

We have a six year old daughter who is very submissive to Ella, and it is definetely causing problems in our household. Ella had bitten her quite harshly, so now I have my daughter feeding her and playing with her and I at five minute intervals a couple times of day. Other than that I do not know what to do since Ella does not respond appropriately when Brianna crosses her arms and yells out "No!". Ella does not let go and keeps tugging and trying to nip at her. I know this is not a hunting question per se, but how can I keep a dog in our home who may one day physically hurt my daughter?

Other than that, Ella is walked at least once a day, has learned to sit the first day she was in our home, is learning to kennel on command in her crate, learning to come with her leash or check cord, and othr basic training commands. She is well loved and played with, and sticks to me like glue. When my husband throws her a toy she will return it to me each and every time and will drop on command about 75 percent of the time. So, is that good? Probably not, but how do I change that? Returning to the original thrower I mean?
Sorry for the long post, I promise the others will be short and sweet.

Copy and post this in the general discussion forum. More people will look at it and respond.

North Pole AK is kinda interesting. I got my picture taken with the giant Santa and the deer. Don't make fun of me. I was very board on a deployment and there is really not much else to do in the early spring.

Maiingan · Post by **Maiingan** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 2:58 am

Thank you.
I didn't see my post the following day, so I accidentally posted another one without realizing they need time to review posts before putting it on their web page. Please don't be surprised to see two from North Pole that are very similar.
Thank you again, Sarah J.

odakota · Post by **odakota** » Sun May 08, 2011 9:44 am

Name's Maynard, I'm a 48yr old contractor living in Boise, ID. I have a 19 month old Black Lab name Hawk. Love to hunt waterfowl, upland birds as well as big game and fishing.

chain · Post by **chain** » Sun May 08, 2011 5:49 pm

New here, new to bird dogs. I recently aquired a Brittany stick of dynamite named Buddy. I have never hunted with a dog but I am looking forward to it. Grouse mostly, some woodcock and a duck or two.Thank you

dbcooper · Post by **dbcooper** » Mon May 09, 2011 8:11 pm

New to the forum, but not to hunting/shooting/fishing. I've been hunting religiously since I was 12 but most of it was Big Game and turkey with the occasional upland or duck thrown in. Now that I'm living in Nevada and all the big game is lottery, Duck and upland bird has taken center stage. Picked up a black lab puppy named Ruger at 3 months old and he's 7 months now. Nothing fancy for work, just a floor associate at the local hardware store. Anyways, I'm here to learn more about training for Waterfowl and a little bit of upland.

WI_GSP_girl · Post by **WI_GSP_girl** » Wed May 11, 2011 4:41 am

Howdy from NW Wisconsin. My husband and I have 3 German Shorthair Pointers. We all live together in our cozy log home we built in 2008 on 40 acres. We love our dogs like kids. We are expecting our first human baby in September and are excited to be parents. Our 3 Germans do everything with us, and even sleep on the bed with us. Winnie is a solid liver 5 year old female, Boomer is a liver/tick 4 year old male, and Jules is a liver/tick 2 year old female. Both my husband and I live and breath anything outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. Pheasant, turkey, and whitetail deer. Bowhunting is our # 1 passion. We also both enjoy long range rifle shooting. I work full time as a Paramedic both on an ambulance and in a hospital Emergency Dept. Love my career and have been working in Emergency Medical Services since I was 19. I am also a tactical medic on our county Sheriff's Dept SWAT team. When I am not at work I am in the woods, on the water, at the gun range, or driving a John Deere tractor on my parent's 1500 acre crop farm. Just a good old country girl who loves her dogs!

JL Autoloader · Post by **JL Autoloader** » Wed May 11, 2011 4:22 pm

New to forum and would like to introduce myself. A well-seasoned aged gentleman, even SS thinks that it is ok for me to retire, that spent many years in the construction industry; moved to Nevada about eleven years ago from Oregon. I have been actively working with dogs for many decades, the first pointer that I had was a Brittany that we just lost last year, she taught me just how much I did not know and just how different working with a pointer is versus retrievers and other breeds.
I have just again partnered up with a young (10 month) Brittany and we both plan on spending most of our time together in the field hopefully with a lot of birds. Thank you for this forum and I look forward to being an active member.

CaseyK68 · Post by **CaseyK68** » Sat May 14, 2011 11:20 am

Hello, everyone! I'm a 42 year old male, living in Arlington, VA. I owned dogs for most of my early life, but not since college. I'm new to hunting, and have not yet had the chance to hunt over a dog. The problem is, where do you go to learn? It's not like anyone offers classes - at least not that I've seen.

I would like everyone's advice: I am being sent to Mongolia for 2 yrs for work, and have read that there is good bird hunting (upland and waterfowl!) there. I've been wanting a dog for some time, and thought I'd like to get a hunting dog that I can take with me. Ideally, I'd like a dog I can use for both types of bird hunting, and one that can handle weather - it's gets very cold in Mongolia in winter. The less shedding the better, but I understand that to combat the cold, the dog will likely need a pretty thick coat.

Any advice you all could offer would be greatly appreciated!

Casey

chainy · Post by **chainy** » Sat May 14, 2011 4:04 pm

I'm 38, work construction and love to hunt, mostly pheasant. I have a 10 year old black lab and a new chocolate lab puppy. Been hunting pheasant for about 12 years mostly around Foreman, ND. I live in Isanti, MN.

chessiemanic · Post by **chessiemanic** » Sun May 15, 2011 11:40 am

I'm Johnny, 38 yrs old and I live in Vallejo, Ca. I work as an Animal Control Officer for 5 years, and a Veterinary Tech before that. This is my first year of getting into hunting, and I had my Chesapeake Bay Ret for 4-5 months.He is now 13 mos. He was very afraid of people when I first took him home, and most of our training has been re-socializing, retrieving , and just having fun. Last month he started to see me as the boss and now is more focus for training. The person who recused him and that I adopted the dog from did do upland hunting and said that he did ok, but liked to hide the birds. I am now working with a cap gun while playing fetch in the yard and introducing him to wings. So far, so good. I would like to team up with someone in my area who would like to train our dogs together.

Cooz · Post by **Cooz** » Mon May 16, 2011 9:25 am

Hello, my name is Kristina, 22, live in southern Michigan. I've always been into bird dogs, have a spaniel, setter I'm currently trying to rehome, and some beagles. I'm now more into beagling than bird hunting due to the rise in coyote population, we no longer have the pheasants like we did.

Kall It Action · Post by **Kall It Action** » Mon May 16, 2011 11:37 pm

Hello GDF.

My name is Charise and I'm from NE Wisconsin. I am married to Birdman250, Senior Hunter, have four kids, 8 dogs (6 EP's), and not enough horses (8). I have always been a dog lover, mainly Pitbulls, and got my husband his first EP about 15 years ago. We've been hooked ever since. I've always enjoyed going out bird hunting and to field trials with my husband but just started training and running my own EP pup this past fall, 2010, see Brags "pups wins" for pictures. Thanks to my husband, I recently acquired a new pup and look forward to training and running her. I am a Domestic Engineer and enjoy spending time with my dogs when not overly pre-occupied with the family or horses. Outside of bird hunting and trialing, I enjoy the outdoors and live on a hobby farm where we raise homers for training and ticks for feasting on the kids. :p

Aside from your "normal" pets, we also own 2 Blue and Gold Macaw parrots, one Ball Python, one Red-tailed Boa Constrictor, two rabbits, chickens, ducks and Guinea Fowl. I look forward to being an active new member of GDF and excited to meet new avid bird dog lovers like myself. I am interested in seeing and learning new training techniques and enjoy reading GDF posts. Thank you.

centexhunt · Post by **centexhunt** » Fri May 20, 2011 9:55 pm

My name is James. Im from Austin Tx. We mostly dove hunt, and we do some liberated quail hunts as well. I have 2 GSP dogs. 1 male- Shiner, and one female Stella. I havent been to a field trial yet, right now Im just happy with dogs that bring me all the birds I shoot. I would love to hook up with any other hunters in the Austin TX area. Also I own the Centex Hunt Club. Its about 1000 acres with varying terrain and vegetation just outside of town. We mostly do dove hunts, but my male GSP did kill a 50lb wild hog last year by accident (i was shocked and proud!). I run the hunt club bc its the easiest way for me to go to law school without really having a real job. Im always looking for another registered intact akc female gsp, as long as she will work I will keep her on birds and in the field. I really enjoy the forum, so thanks for entertaining me when Im up late and cant sleep!

Bob Priest · Post by **Bob Priest** » Sun May 22, 2011 9:49 am

Good Morning,
My name is Bob and I live in Maryland. I am 69 years old and my Spinone is my first hunting dog that I have worked toward a Master AKC title and now working towards a NAVHDA Utility test this fall. I hunt grouse and woodcock in the wild and pheasant and or quail at preserves. "Bella" my Spinone and I have been working each week with our local NAVHDA chapter and her trainer towards these ends. A litte about Bella. She is four years old, obtained when one year old without being socialized or trained, and sire and dam did not hunt nor were trained for any hunt tests. In one year her trainer and I brought her from a junior AKC title to the Master level. Now we focus on the Utility "examination". Her field skills are excellent. Bella's water skills are less so. However I would like to ask a question at this juncture regarding a problem I am having. I will leave the water issue for a later post.
Simply my question regarding tracking is this. For the last two sessions with our trainer Bella has refused to go out and search or track for the duck or pheasant. I dragged a duck last week and she again refused. In all cases it required me stepping forward even to the point she saw the dead bird but refused to pick it up. I used an ear pinch that worked. Here is the rub to this however.
After the last training session and refusal to track I went out and dragged a duck through a field, across a RUNNING stream, into a field then woods, around in circles, right angles then hid it. Why so long when she refused it the prior day? Because she tracks at home and did so with this latest extended track. In fact it was all I could do to hold her collar at the start of the track and she raced along the route, with a wagging tail returning with the drake in her mouth some fifteen to twenty minutes later. Why is this occurng? Does anyone know how to correct this problem?
Best, Bob P.

champsboss · Post by **champsboss** » Tue May 24, 2011 9:27 am

I am 43 years old. I have had labs for the past 18 years. I raise my dogs to be well behaved companion dogs. I am a mother of 3 boys aged 18,16 and 13... very outnumbered! I purchased a brittany puppy when he was 8 weeks old and he is now 6 months. I have been working with him and training him in obedience. His name is Champ. I wanted a challenge.. and I got one

Champs a great dog and exceptionally smart. I have worked him on and off leash from day one. He's very self assured which is good... but I am having some questions about training-- especially with "come" and walk on a loose leash. Unlike my labs that liked being near me, he wants to take off and I want to make sure he is safe and comes back when called. Really need some advise on this one. Thanks!

HDAU · Post by **HDAU** » Wed May 25, 2011 8:55 pm

Hello all. My name is Jonathan. I am 29 years old and live with my wife in Birmingham, AL. My wife and I have been married for 3 years. I have been hunting dove and ducks since I could walk. My dad bought our first brittany when I was 14 and quail hunting/dog training quickly became our favorite pastime. I have wanted a GSP ever since my undergraduate days at Auburn University, but never felt that I could provide the living environment or training that a GSP needs. We finally feel that we are ready and put a deposit down last week. We will pick him up on June 18th. I have already learned a lot from this forum and look forward to learning more.

coveyrise · Post by **coveyrise** » Sun May 29, 2011 5:17 pm

I am twenty-one years old and beside working on the summers, I am a full time college student in Georgia. I have been hunting since my mother let dad take me into the woods, so for about twelve years. I hunt most anything that I can deer, turkey, quail, dove, and ducks. Wingshooting is by far and away my favorite. In georgia, woodcocks and grouse are somewhat low in number, but I'd really like to start hunting them. We had labradors growing up and they were great retrievers, but I wanted a more versatile bird dog so I purchased a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon a little over a year ago. I have never done field trails and I think I am going to work with my dog, Tink, a little while longer before I consider it.

Sodapop · Post by **Sodapop** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:11 am

Well Hello everyone,
I am from California. I own a couple Yellow labs and one Chessador. I love to duck hunt and take my dogs. This year they will start competing in some hunt trials. I am looking forward to reading information about training and hunt test stuff.

gh1 · Post by **gh1** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:44 am

Hi my name is George I'm an old timer and i've been hunting birds for 50 soom years.I have 3 dogs and love getting them in the mountains hunting grouse or going to pa and hunting some phesants too.I have grandchrildren that I am passing this love onto.

4est11 · Post by **4est11** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:35 pm

Hello names Josh started hunting as a kid with deer and once i got to a teenager i got introduced to pheasants and was hooked now im 24 with three great daughters and wife i am in the Air Force i crew up in ohio and am right now stationed in texas. i loved hunting deer but watching good dogs work and the connection with the dogs and there masters is something to die for. plus you can get out and walk a little bit in those harsh winters insted of freezing in a tree stand lol i really hope to learn alot with this forum and meet some good people as well

drumbo2 · Post by **drumbo2** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 6:47 am

I have been looking at GDF for a few months and like the general topics and info available. I am a 62 year old male, married, a pheasant hunter with a "retired" English Setter, and another ES pup to be selected in a few weeks.

I've trained alaskan malamutes for dog sled, owned and trained a brace of English Springer Spaniels, and have trained my ES to hand & whistle - steady to wing and shot. I am not a trialer, but recognize the time and effort that goes into the sport. I am a "Ryman" fan, only by personal preference - recognizing that differences of opinion exist regarding the purity of the line, etc. I don't see one dog better that another, just different.

I am a patient trainer knowing from experience that trying to cut corners and go too fast normally does not have good results.

I am a firm believer you are never too old to learn, and have read several good tips on traininig methods in this forum.

Glad to be aboard.

RSA · Post by **RSA** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 2:13 am

Hi all, Clayton here from South Africa. Long time hunter new to the gundog scene (not new to dogs though). Will be getting a GSP in the near future. Looking forward to learning more about gundog training.

Betty Blackman · Post by **Betty Blackman** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:20 am

I have Llewellin Setters. love the breed. I've hunted all my life. Four years ago I started hunting with a dog .. we have learned together. I love it. My dog is teaching me. My husband and I hunt alot. Last year we went goose hunting. My little Llewellin Setter retrieve a 10lb goose out of the field . No one thought she could do it. She did. she had never seen a goose before at the time. I had to ask her twice, the second time she just went over sniffed it, picked it up my the breast brought it to me.
I've been training for UT in NAVHDA. I train with alot of Germon Short Hairs. Last month while training for the duck search my little dog figured out she could catch a duck if she went completely underwater like the duck. The seocond time she cought the dock and brough it to me.!
Flygirl .. Is My little Llewellin who can.!

terrym · Post by **terrym** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 7:58 am

Greetings everybody, Just signed up here and it looks like a great resource for those of us who love dogs. Quick bio: I'm from Ontario so have to deal with real cold and snow. Have been hunting for close to 40 yrs for everything that had a season seemed like. As I get older I have narrowed it down some to moose, deer and upland game. I have a 1 yr old Brittany I'm in the process of turning into a hunting dog and my last dog was a beagle I used to hunt and feild trial years ago. So I'm pretty new at the gundog/bird dog thing and will likely ask some questions that may have been asked before so I'll apoligize ahead of time!!

yukonjasper · Post by **yukonjasper** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 1:20 pm

Howdy,
Editing because I realize I posted a little "Light".

Just got an 18mo old Chessie from a breeder/trainer in central WI in April. Sort of stumbled across him while looking for a started or finished Lab. I had researched the breed, but knew they weren't very common, so I set out to get a Lab. First dog I've owned with this much potential........and energy. I have not trained or hunted over my own dog. Although I had a Chocolate Lab, he wasn't much of a hunter as I got him at 6 years old and he wasn't hunt trained - just a great dog and companion.

I'm 45years old, and I've been hunting and shooting my whole life. Live and work in the St Paul/MPLS area for a Large Insurance Company and travel some with that position, Own land and hunt Western MN - duck, pheasant. Grew up in Northern MN, my folks are still up there - deer and grouse hunt up there and make a lot of trips to see the folks and fix what needs fixing etc. Love to fish. Spent a lot of time in the BWCA growing up, like to camp but haven't done much in recent years but the Girlfriend and I talk about it alot. I generally love to be outdoors. Running the dog in the rain at 6:00am every day of the weeks seems to be what I'm all about these days.

I have lots of questions about training and raising a gun dog. I'm hoping to get some good advice from members here regarding, raising, training and handling my CBR buddy.

Thanks in advance for your patience with a New Guy.

jmsgunner · Post by **jmsgunner** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:06 am

New to the forum. 2 GSPs, Gunner and Drake both under 2 years. Mid 20s, work as an accountant for the NAVY. New to eveything bird dogs but loving every minute of it.

LincolnAlexander · Post by **LincolnAlexander** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 10:10 am

Hello -

I am 29 years old, male, married and currently have one 3 year old male Weimaraner named Lincoln (he is a hard hunting boy!) Hoping to have a new Weim puppy in a few months from now if everything went right!

Lincoln was the first dog for my wife and I. We were not hunters and while my wife became interested in field stuff while searching for a breeder I wasn't much into it. After we got the pup I didn't go to training much and my wife did the majority of the field training for the first 15 months; Lincoln is a hard headed boy and I had started going out to training more so took over his training at this point. We have a great mentor, and it has been a pleasure watching Lincoln put it all together, especially during our first hunting season last fall.

In Southern Ontario, and looking forward to some testing and hunting this fall!

bugs1678 · Post by **bugs1678** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:59 pm

I just signed up and logged into GDF for the first time today. I have lived in Duluth MN all my life with the exception of attending school at Univ of North Dakota. Go Sioux! I have been married for 10 years and now have two beautiful daughters that are 5 and 3yrs old. The last 3 years I have been self employed doing residential health care services. My free time is pretty limited but when its time to play I love to golf, hunt pheasant and grouse and do some snowmobiling out west in the winter. My goal by joining this forum is to reacquaint myself with best practices and learn some new ones when I start training my new pup. The new guy is a 15 week old Vizsla named Finn. He came from breeder in the central WI area. The breeder has mainly bred and trained all his dogs for field trialing but I have no time or interest at this point to develop Finn to be a field trial dog. Ultimately, if he can run some JH and SH tests and perform well in the field, I would be happy. I can already see the challenges of having young kids in the house along with a very impressionable puppy. Consistency will be my challenge and I hope to gain some insight on this forum. I also hope I can add something to the community as well.

blind squirrel · Post by **blind squirrel** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 7:28 pm

Im Derek 28 Male from Oklahoma. I have a 8 month old Brittany (Skeeter) He's a male. This is my first time ever training or working with a hunting dog. I really like to hunt birds, and dont have a lot of hunting buddies ( except skeeter now ). We are both learning still and ANY advise anyone could give,or would give would be great.hoping to meet new people and get some good tips on any troubles I might encounter.

internetoutfitters · Post by **internetoutfitters** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 2:46 pm

Hello everyone - I'm a software engineer based in the Colorado front range who has been passively researching gun dogs for about 2 years. A great opportunity presented itself last weekend, and I'm now the proud owner of "Nickel" - a 1 year-old male GWP. This is my first hunting dog, and I'm both excited and uncertain about training him. I was intending to get at GSP, but Nick had such an incredible disposition that I just couldn't resist. I'll be hitting the Saturday classes at a local kennel starting this coming weekend. I enjoy fly fishing, upland game, deer and elk hunting here in Colorado as well as in Kansas and Nebraska. Thanks for maintaining such a great resource for gun dog enthusiasts!

nickel.jpg

Thinking · Post by **Thinking** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:14 pm

I'm Jay, 37, married with two young girls. I currently have a 11 month old Pudelpointer. While I've had dogs all my life, this is my first gun dog, and I've already learned that he's far smarter than I am. I've hunted all my life, and currently hunt grouse, woodcock, waterfowl, deer, moose, bunnies, coyotes and turkeys.

Hank77 · Post by **Hank77** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:47 pm

Hello all,
Name is Aaron, still basking in the glow of a Boston Bruins Stanley Cup championship...live in New Hampshah with my beautiful wife and 2 girls 13 & 9...my 10 year old Yellow Lab. "Tama" and new to the house, 8 week old Llewellin Setter " Neely".
Love bird hunting, and hunting in general, hockey, the Bruins, jazz fusion drumming and anything to do with the outdoors...semi retired Tama this past season due to seizures and loss of nose and drive, Neely will be my first pointing breed and looking forward to the challenge of training him to be a great bird dog.
Good luck to all,
HANK

RHINEDOG · Post by **RHINEDOG** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 3:33 pm

My name is Ron from SE Kansas. I hunt dove, pheasant, quail, and turkey with my GSP'S, I have three right now, and a litter due 07/14/20111. I have run NSTRA, NBDCA, NUCS. I breed every 5 years,. and have done so for the last 25 years.

cstokes/southeast,ks · Post by **cstokes/southeast,ks** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:31 pm

Hello All. My name is Cory Stokes. I hale from southeast, Ks. I have been visiting this site and reading for sometime now prior to signing up and have greatly enjoyed it. I have gathered so much information. I am a paramedic here in my hometown, which I enjoy. It is a very high stress job so.....what better hobby than hunting and watching my handsome dogs (Pointers) work. I do not compete in field trails. I hope to eventually but have not been introduced to them yet. I am still having some trouble finding local ones to start at. I have hunted my whole life but have not had the opportunity to compete with my dogs. I would love to let them earn the credibility they have worked for.

Cory

blucoondawg · Post by **blucoondawg** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 6:55 am

My name is Tom, I'm from northern Wisconsin, I have a female German Wirehaired Pointer, she's about a year and a half now. I hunt upland birds here which mostly consists of ruffed grouse and woodcock in my area with occasional trips to the pheasant farms.

Francois P vd Walt · Post by **Francois P vd Walt** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 12:38 pm

Hi All

I live in SA have 4 Gsp hunt all year round check it out http://www.gsp-bullet.blogspot.com/
We do mostly wild birds and all hunting on foot,

YoungGun · Post by **YoungGun** » Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:24 pm

Well everyone, just like to say it's good to be here and hear what everyone else has to say on the topic of bird dogs and bird hunting as well. I'm a 23 year old southern Minnesota boy who lives in central South Dakota right now. I'm a recent South Dakota State University graduate and I'm really looking forward to getting my first grouse hunting experience this fall in central SD with my GSP "Puck". Neither one of us has hunted this part of the country and I'm fortunate we can have this great opportunity. My GSP is just about 8 years old now and he's my first and favorite hunting companion. I don't do field trials or anything, just love to get out and see my boy do his work...he's got a great nose and is very disciplined in the field. That's about all I got, good luck to everyone this upcoming hunting season, stay safe and remember it's not always about getting birds!

laufnslayr · Post by **laufnslayr** » Mon Aug 01, 2011 7:15 pm

I live in Ulster County, New York just off the Hudson River. I have a wife and three kids. I bought a 7 week old GSP last week (Mya). Mya is our first dog so she will be a family dog, but I would like to work with her to get birds as well. I am new to a Gun Dog so I will have a ton of questions along the way.

Gunner In The Brush · Post by **Gunner In The Brush** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 11:40 am

Name: Aaron H.
Age: 27
Dog: GSP, Male - "Gunner"

I'm new to the gun dog world and honestly new to hunting. But, from what I've read on this forum so far - it already feels like I've been on 5 hunting trips! Great posts Guy's!

I currently live in Mesa, AZ and I'm excited to continue teaching my now 6 month old GSP and grow with him. I plan on hunting quail and dove, but I'll let this forum help me out with those descisons... I realize there's still a lot for me to learn. Thanks in advance for all the great advice!