Gun Dog Forum

They can be very similar or very different, depending on the breeding. Almost always the GSP has the shorter tail. In my own personal experience, pointers have more "point" than any dog ever. The GSP is a more versatile breed. Retrieving more naturally than the pointer. Not huge differences though.

Expect a dog that will give you his all, all the time. Best style of any dog in my opinion, and a great nose. You should be excited my friend!

Where did she get the pup from?

Birddogz wrote:Expect a dog that will give you his all, all the time. Best style of any dog in my opinion, and a great nose. You should be excited my friend!

Good post. Here is my HTA Grand daughter. I started with a GSP and love him, but now I am a pointer (and setter) guy!

Words seem small when trying to describe a dog like that. Handsome son of a gun.

speaking in very broad generalities, the pointer is generally wider running and will air scent more,will have more point and less retrieving instinct, however if your GSP is from horseback field trial stock then you won't see as much of a difference.

I have had Brittanys and shorthairs all my life got my first EP this summer and he definitely has more point than most dogs i have ever had and goes 100% all the time not saying my other dogs don't, but he is a lazzy butt in the house and a machine in the field really like pointers now just not as much natural retrieve in him as a britt or a GSP but still great dogs.

Only way to go.

I used to be a die hard setter man until I got my first pointer. I have had several since and will probably never own any other type of dog from now on. I am sold on them. Another difference between the Pointer and the GSP is that the Pointer is a heck of a lot prettier and life is too short to hunt with an ugly dog. jk Just joking for all you GSP owners.

tommyboy72 wrote:I used to be a die hard setter man until I got my first pointer. I have had several since and will probably never own any other type of dog from now on. I am sold on them. Another difference between the Pointer and the GSP is that the Pointer is a heck of a lot prettier and life is too short to hunt with an ugly dog. jk Just joking for all you GSP owners.

There went your christmas present....!

Coveyrise64

I used to have GSP's, bought a EP and haven't looked back. I've got two EP's that retrieve as well as any lab out there.

Pointer will also be after less fur....generally

The breeding you mention should be good....gotta be light on the pressure imho but even
moreso as some HTA's can get a little squirrely with pressure....but they can make great, fancy
tough bird finders....If your pup is coming from MMK then likely its the same stud as my pup below.

Here is my HTA/Joe Shadow granddaughter....

tcjack wrote:great info. the sire is bart. and female is pepper. between the sire and dam in a 4 gen ped there is 23 hof and 40 champions

Yup same sire as my gyp, he's HTA/True spirit Daughter.

My dog photo is on Mr Shaw's site....

4 I'm going to sidestep the gsp vs ep topic, you find out the difference about January when your shooting birds over your 4 month old pointer as he's locked up on quail. BUT........................To help you on your pedigree, I don't know where this comes from, I've seen it before. But unless your breeder is getting their HOF info from some obscure organization, there is not that many HOF dogs in your dogs pedigree. According to AF, AKC, NSTRA (The 3 I personally study) Honky Tonk Attitude, Queen's Addition, Fiddlin Rocky Boy, Fiddler Ace.................Are not in one of those 3 Hall Of Fames. Nice double breeding on HTA though, good luck

Guess they could mean HOF NOMINATED which is a big difference from being in the HOF. I think all those dogs were nominated for HOF at one time or another weren't they?

Join the 3 Rivers Bird Dog Club up there in Tri-Cities. We have training days in the spring and many people you can meet that have pointing dogs. Any further info you can PM me.

hustonmc wrote:4 I'm going to sidestep the gsp vs ep topic, you find out the difference about January when your shooting birds over your 4 month old pointer as he's locked up on quail. BUT........................To help you on your pedigree, I don't know where this comes from, I've seen it before. But unless your breeder is getting their HOF info from some obscure organization, there is not that many HOF dogs in your dogs pedigree. According to AF, AKC, NSTRA (The 3 I personally study) Honky Tonk Attitude, Queen's Addition, Fiddlin Rocky Boy, Fiddler Ace.................Are not in one of those 3 Hall Of Fames. Nice double breeding on HTA though, good luck

Is HTA is the NBHA hall of fame? I believe that is where he was run IIRC.
Matt is right on the earlier maturity of pointers in general. YOu should also see more backing proclivity
Here is what 3 month old pups look like locked up on Valleys, though I have not shot any over them yet

I have a gsp my brothet has an ep. We raised, trained and hunt them together all the time and they each have different traits that compliment each other.

There is not much prettier than a well bred pointer. I have 3 Gsp's, 1 pointer and 1 english setter. As you can tell I am not prejudice I like'em all. With the pointer I have I think he probably came out of his momma pointing. He could do it all pretty as a picture at just a few months old, including retrieve. With the exception of listen. Pointers (at least this one) had/has the unique ability to just disconnect there ears. It has taken a year of maturing but we are starting to come to an agreement that I will be the one to decide where we will go and how far he will go. I'm not saying that any other dog out there would not do this just that my pointer did. I can't deny that he is a bird crazy fool and was hunting every step of the way of his runaway moments.Oh, by the way he was a great house dog. God Bless Them All Everyone of Them

tommyboy72 wrote:Guess they could mean HOF NOMINATED which is a big difference from being in the HOF. I think all those dogs were nominated for HOF at one time or another weren't they?

If your dog is dead he has a chance to get into the HOF. Nominated means nothing. All it means is that someone had some money and wanted to put an ad in the American Field.

Real simple the Pointer will point birds!!!!!!

tcjack wrote:just wondering if anybody here has hunted with a gsp and a ep. what are the diff?

usually range.....from my experience pointers typically ranger a lot further out then GPS's...both are great breeds.

smoothbean wrote:There is not much prettier than a well bred pointer. I have 3 Gsp's, 1 pointer and 1 english setter. As you can tell I am not prejudice I like'em all. With the pointer I have I think he probably came out of his momma pointing.

i am like you, i love all bird dogs but the english pointer is a very stylish dog that has an incredible natural point.

I've had five pointer's, a bunch of shorthairs and now two setter's. All I can say is if you want to hunt with your dog, get the shorthair. If you want to hunt for your dog, get the pointer! The most natural point and back I've ever seen in a dog is one of my setter's. No natural retrieve though and not real biddable.

hustonmc wrote:Join the 3 Rivers Bird Dog Club up there in Tri-Cities. We have training days in the spring and many people you can meet that have pointing dogs. Any further info you can PM me.

They got the best quail raiser on the planet earth there, Tom Medley! God he has good birds!

shadymeadows wrote:

tcjack wrote:what papers you putting on the line? i might be game?

Well since Bull has been brought up here how about a frozen semen daughter of his? If you've got a gsp that will beat her I'll throw my truck in too! LOL

How many HTA gyps do you have?

I think pointers are great dogs, but they aren't like Superman. I have hunted with them many times with my Britts, and my Britts found as many or more birds in some circumstances. Those pointers backed my Britts, and my Britts backed them. There are good dogs in all breeds. EPs aren't exactly known for their tremendous duck search, retrieve. GSPs are great in NAVHDA, and are more versatile in many ways. They also are gorgeous dogs. I think EPs are gorgeous as well. Just seems like Pointer guys view their dogs as the best breed bar none. I personally think that is crazy, since there are so many dogs that are good in every breed.

Also, why do you have to teach a dog to stay close? My DD hunts FOR me all the time without any electricity. Now, is she going to hunt as big as pointer? No. I'm just saying that there are different attributes to each dog. A DD/GSP/PP are going to have more retrieve than an EP in general. Again, EPs don't tear up NAVHDA. Not saying that they can't compete, because they are starting to, just saying that there is no such thing as the perfect dog. All that being said, an EP and a continental breed together is hard to beat.

I tell you what, there are getting to be some really versatile pointers, and I will own one. There is starting to be some interest in the NAVHDA pointers, and that bodes well for me.

shadymeadows wrote:

tcjack wrote:arent all your dogs 4sale

LOL I've lost heart for this business several times and even put the whole ranch on the market this summer. When it didn't sell by the date my wife and I had set, I had to hire more trainers to have dogs ready for season. I still don't have much heart for it anymore though. The business aspect of it has turned a sport that I used to love into a stressful business in this economy and I'm teetering on the edge. We are very seriously contemplating selling everything and retiring in Belize to raise our kids on the beach (home schooled through an American Academy of course). If this trainer that I have now doesn't work out, I'll liquidate and be gone for good. It's just not worth the stress. Takes far too much time away from my family. It needs a stake driven in it permanantly.

Belize? Now your talking! Awesome fishing!

shadymeadows wrote: You have to like a dog with a ton of heart though and that is just "a lot of dog" to enjoy them. They aren't for novices unless you raise it from a pup and mold it the whole way.

Very well said. I'd say majority of people don't have the desire to put in the time or the knowledge of how to apply their time to get past this simple task to really enjoy what a pointer has to offer over other breeds. My Cage is out of Drama Queen, Bull's(HTA) 6xCh All-Age daughter. Talk about a ton of heart and one helluva wild bird dog. Jury is still out on if he'll be a trial dog, but he'll always have a home here, about as good as they get for a Eastern Oregon/Washington Hun's.

EPs aren't exactly known for their tremendous duck search, retrieve.

Shhhh, don't tell mine that. They don't know any better.

A specialist is now a versatile?
Who would've thunk it?

A specialist is now a versatile?

Yep.

VC CALADEN'S HONKY TONK ICE

Sounds like a challenge match in the making...

tcJack,
Hope you have lots of fun with your new EP pup, as to your question of the difference, a lot depends on the breeding. Most times your GSP will have a lot more retrieve
if she is a real German type dog. The EP will usually have more point, but this can also depend on the GSP breeding. The GSP will learn to educated itself to many different kinds of game, where the EP will usually limit itself to birds, but can surprise you at what it actually points sometimes. You will have to actually own both animals to get a real fell and education for both animals, having both in the field makes for a fine mixed brace. Their different hunting styles tend to produce some serious game while hunting. Hope you have lots of fun with your animals, if you ever get out to Pa look me up, I would like to see your dogs in our big Grouse woods.
RGD/Dave

shadymeadows wrote:

tcjack wrote:arent all your dogs 4sale

LOL I've lost heart for this business several times and even put the whole ranch on the market this summer. When it didn't sell by the date my wife and I had set, I had to hire more trainers to have dogs ready for season. I still don't have much heart for it anymore though. The business aspect of it has turned a sport that I used to love into a stressful business in this economy and I'm teetering on the edge. We are very seriously contemplating selling everything and retiring in Belize to raise our kids on the beach (home schooled through an American Academy of course). If this trainer that I have now doesn't work out, I'll liquidate and be gone for good. It's just not worth the stress. Takes far too much time away from my family. It needs a stake driven in it permanantly.

Let me think how many times we have heard this before. I just can't remember but sure hope it works out for you this time. I'm sure Belize is the ideal place to raise a family. Lots of opportunities for the kids.

Ezzy