New rescue puppy - help me identify his breed(s)?

[Marisa]

Hi, all -

I'm a new puppy owner (non-hunter*) of a 12-week old "mixed breed." The Humane Society had him listed as a "hound cross," my vet thinks he's pointer, and friends have suggested that he's some sort of gun dog. I live in East Tennessee, so this makes sense, but I'm hoping that if I have a better idea of what he is, I can do a better job of tailoring our training and fun to his instincts.

Can you help me? Thanks!
Marisa

In this pic, he's about 9 weeks old. Since then, he's gained a couple of pounds a week! Oh, and his paws are webbed!

*I'm not a hunter, but we'll do whatever we need to to keep him well-exercised and happy, so don't hold that against me, please!

[12 Volt Man]

Looks like there is some English Pointer in there or possibly German Shorthair. Definately bird dog rather than hound dog.

[ezzy333]

Both ends look like a pointer to me.

Ezzy

[Loke]

The face looks a bit like my neighbor's terrier. How big is the puppy? Did they give you an idea how big it would get?

[topher40]

Looks mostly like a pointer, could be shorthair though without the tail docked. Thats the way they all should be!

[12 Volt Man]

The face looks a bit like my neighbor's terrier. How big is the puppy? Did they give you an idea how big it would get?

I almost said it looks like a pointer/jack russell mix.

[snips]

pointer puppy

[1vizsla]

That's funny, I almost said pointer/JRT mix also( with the broad triangular head and muzzle). It will interesting to see how he grows.

Carla

[Marisa]

The Humane Society wasn't even sure what he was, but they said "medium-sized." Uh, huh. According to whom?

My vet thinks 60+ pounds, and I'm guessing he's right, given the rate of growth on this guy and (don't laugh) the way he moves. I've had Danes and a St. Bernard before, and he moves like the big dogs.

He's very quick to learn (quicker than I am to teach), very active, and growing like a week. So, here I am, looking for things to teach him and ways to cope with all of that smartness and energy! Thanks for weighing in with your expert opinions!

Oh - he's 15 pounds now, up 2.5 pounds from one week earlier.

[WiskeyJaR]

If he is big like the danes, teach him to be a carrier. Get a "dog pack" and have him carry your extra shells/lunch/coats/etc. He could be trained o stay 2-3 steps behind you....would be interesting to say the least

[kninebirddog]

Looks like an English Pointer to me

[zzweims]

Web feet = GSP. Possibly a mix. But whether he's gsp, pointer, JRT or a combo, he just may turn out to be a heck of a hunting dog! I know you don't hunt, but you may want to give it a try. At the very least, you will want to find an activity that will meet he's needs for extreme exercise, both mental and physical. Flyball? Agility? Based on his photo, and if you get him fixed, you could probably get an ILP registration from the AKC (gsp or pointer). Then you could participate in AKC performance events. Your dog will love you for it.

Aline, who's first 'bird dog' was a JRT mix
http://sitekreator.com/zzfarms

[mountaindogs]

Hello and welcome fellow east TNer
It's hard to tell with one pic, but the ears look a little to high for a pure English pointer. But then he could be jsut flinging them out are that is his very alert ears. And the tail too is awfully curvy, more commonly seen in the terriers, that way. But then purebred go in strange ways with certain breeders. I have seen many a lab recently with tails like that. But you've got a good looking puppy anyway, I definately would take that advice on finding a sport for him. If he has any amount of GSP, English pointer, AND/OR terrier your in for an active guy!!

[mountaindogs]

Does he play retrieve? If hunting is not your thing, (and don't rule it out til you've been behind a dog when it hits point - it'll hook you!!) then definately you've still got all sorts of posibilities. A bird dog terrier mix has flyball written all over it. But dock jumping, and agility also. To be honest, I kinda think squirrel dog when I see him too

Best of luck. If you live near Chattanooga or Nashville I know somw folks that can help get you started in any of those.

[Edit: I need a spell check - or to type more carefully!!]

[Marisa]

Thanks, y'all, so much! I'm a little intimidated by his high energy and quick wit (heh, heh), but we're hooked, so now it's time to adjust! JRT intimidates me even more... I wanted a low energy not-too-smart dog when we started looking!

He will retrieve, sort of. Let's just say we're working on it. The first week, I'd throw something and he'd bring back something else. Now, he'll get it, but either drop it as he runs by me full speed or keep it. Baby steps - he's improving.

I'm in Knoxville. We're going to start w puppy class this week (I can't WAIT), then go from there.

[gar-dog]

If you have a hallway in your house, close off the doors and practice retrieve down the hallway, where the pup has no place to go but back to you. This cuts off his options. And don't fight him for the object, pet him a bit as you take it away, and say "drop" or "give" when you do.

[zzweims]

... I wanted a low energy not-too-smart dog when we started looking!
.

Aline
http://sitekreator.com/zzfarms