Gun Dog Forum

I've been reading several posts when people have been asking about duel purpose dogs and a lot of people are recommending GSP's. I do a lot of pheasant hunting in Minnesota and South Dakota and get to see quite a few GSP's, and there are many of them that point but won't retrieve. Is this a common problem in GSP's?

No.

I've noticed about every GSP I have ever been around DOES retreive. If you look at AKC titles in a gsp pedigree, anything with a field champ, senior hunter, master hunter has to retreive in order to get those titles. Shoot to retreive shorthairs as well have to retreive to get their title. AKC britt field champs do not have to retreive to get a championship, so your chances of seeing non retreivers in britts is far greater than shorthairs(some of them do, but it is not required). I love britts but I would like to see them change the rules and make them retreive to get their championship I've seen very ,very few shorthairs that don't retrieve.

I only hunt and have never been around trials, do you have to spend much time on teaching them or is it coming naturally. Why don't Jr. hunters have to retrieve?

Junior hunters don't retrieve, because they don't shoot the birds for them. You will see a few retrieves if the birds don't fly well and they catch them

I've never seen a GSP that didn't have some degree of natural retrieve. Most of the time, they will start carrying anything they can when they are puppies. Just encouraging and refining the natural ability should get most of them where they need to be.

nikegundog wrote:there are many of them that point but won't retrieve. Is this a common problem in GSP's?

I am not finding it a problem with my first GSP....This past Fall at 6months old he was naturally retrieving pheasant, grouse, and woodcock....This spring when I again start with his field training that part of the hunting equation will be worked on as I would like him to continue to do it.....I don't think it's a breed disposition as much as an acceptance of behavior from an owner... if the dog does 3 out of 4 things right, I think a lot of people are satisfied....I had that mindset with my previous hunting partner a Weimaraner, she did everything else at a descent standard that when she started not bringing the birds back i just accepted it because I didn't want to spend the extra time to train her to get it corrected ....