Smallest GSP?

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lowerGSP
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Smallest GSP?

Post by lowerGSP » Wed Feb 15, 2012 9:08 pm

So i hardly post on here because i usually just research and find what im looking for either on here or other sites. I know a lot of you are die hards and have been around the hunting scene for quite some time. My question to you guys is whats the smallest GSP you have seen (adult). My girl is the smallest GSP i have seen anywhwere. She is 35lbs soaking wet at a year and a half. I have no problems with it because she is a nut in the field and never stops. I took her as a guide dog at a local pheasant farm and all the other handlers were so interested in her and what kind of dog she was :lol: because of the size. Just curious if i got a mini GSP :mrgreen:
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gspguy
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by gspguy » Wed Feb 15, 2012 9:41 pm

Mine weighs 38-40 pounds and is a fantastic birddog.
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ultracarry
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by ultracarry » Wed Feb 15, 2012 9:41 pm

She is on the smaller side but not the smallest by any means. Brad27 has a 35-37 lb female gsp also. Dog jumps over every bush with a full head of steam.

What's the breeding on yours?

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mcclinj
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by mcclinj » Wed Feb 15, 2012 11:03 pm

Weighed mine on Saturday, 39lbs....but she's a bit on the heavy side lately....usually closer to 37.

-John

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stlgsp
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by stlgsp » Thu Feb 16, 2012 6:28 am

My 2 1/2 year old female is 36 pounds of non stop energy. Of the four females in the litter two are under 40, two are over 55 pounds.

trueblu
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by trueblu » Thu Feb 16, 2012 8:02 am

Had a Billy grandson who was Moesgaard on the bottom side who weighed right at 35. Sold him only due to that.

MO_GSP
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by MO_GSP » Thu Feb 16, 2012 8:14 am

my 1 1/2 year old male has never been over 42lbs but usually stays around 39-40, it bothered me at first that he was smaller but I've changed on that as I think hes a great looking dog and is a powerhouse in the field. most athletic dog I've ever had, he is just a blast to watch

raven34
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by raven34 » Thu Feb 16, 2012 8:26 am

Can't say I have ever seen a 36 - 37 pound female. :wink: :lol: :lol: 8)

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brad27
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by brad27 » Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:25 am

Lucy is right around 38-40 lbs. She is 21" at the withers.

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thedogmother
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by thedogmother » Thu Feb 16, 2012 7:17 pm

My Lucy was 39 lbs. I like them small. She had no issues with retrieving anything. She passed last year at the age of 16, perhaps the small size helped in her longevity.
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AzDoggin
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by AzDoggin » Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:06 am

So all you folks with smaller dogs - were they smaller at 8 weeks of age too? Could you have predicted their size when you took them home?

Physical size (muscle mass) has a lot to do with heat tolerance on desert hunts. I doubt a 70 pounder could run all day at 75-80 degrees, but a 40 pounder might be able to if s/he has the cardio capacity and obviously with plenty of water and breaks.

JKP
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by JKP » Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:19 am

We need to include this in the next discussion about the difference between GSP and DK.

art hubbard
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by art hubbard » Fri Feb 17, 2012 7:39 am

I think AzDoggin has hit it right on the nail.

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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by Dirtysailor » Fri Feb 17, 2012 8:19 am

Annecdotally I know guys who prefer smaller GSP and say they can go better day after day. I just saw one that was the size of the OP's and from Texas she hunts her backside off and is a good dog. My FIL has been in GSP for 30 years and says they have grown over the years. I have no issue with them, not my cup of tea, but like the OP said if it hunts it eats, might not breed her but it would eat at my house.

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SHORTFAT
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by SHORTFAT » Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:03 am

It's funny, but last night while sitting on the couch I was pondering the same thing about my English Pointer... She's 35 lbs and I really like the size. She was a true runt tho'.. much smaller than the others in her litter right off the bat... She's all heart tho... (hope you guys don't mind an EP'er jumping in on yer GSP thread!.. :mrgreen: )
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lowerGSP
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by lowerGSP » Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:10 am

SHORTFAT wrote:It's funny, but last night while sitting on the couch I was pondering the same thing about my English Pointer... She's 35 lbs and I really like the size. She was a true runt tho'.. much smaller than the others in her litter right off the bat... She's all heart tho... (hope you guys don't mind an EP'er jumping in on yer GSP thread!.. :mrgreen: )
absolutely not! :D How old is she?

Someone asked about pedigree at the beginning of the post. Photobucket is acting crazy but here is a link to it. Nothing to special on the papers but couldnt be happier with her.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m155 ... /akc-2.jpg

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SHORTFAT
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by SHORTFAT » Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:27 am

She's 2 1/2 now... and she still acts like she's on crack! :lol:
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Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.
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Elkhunter
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by Elkhunter » Fri Feb 17, 2012 11:24 am

35 ish lbs soaking wet with all her collars on! Love this little dog.


Image[/quote]

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Sharon
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by Sharon » Fri Feb 17, 2012 11:45 am

AzDoggin wrote:So all you folks with smaller dogs - were they smaller at 8 weeks of age too? Could you have predicted their size when you took them home?

Physical size (muscle mass) has a lot to do with heat tolerance on desert hunts. I doubt a 70 pounder could run all day at 75-80 degrees, but a 40 pounder might be able to if s/he has the cardio capacity and obviously with plenty of water and breaks.

I haven't done a lot of breeding but from what i have done , the big boned ( not fat) setter pups were big dogs at a year of age and the small dogs were small at one year of age. I'm sure they might be some exceptions. I later saw the biggest pup at 2 years of age and was amazed at how big a setter he was. Should have kept th at dog. :)

If memory serves me right, the beagles we bred many years ago did not seem bigger than others, or smaller than others at birth. Never saw a BIG beagle at 1 or a small beagle at one.
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mcclinj
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by mcclinj » Fri Feb 17, 2012 12:42 pm

Azdoggin,

Looking back, my pup was the same size as the other pups. She may have been slightly and I do definitely mean slightly smaller, but if so, it was unnoticeable. The breeder did say she was a bit more timid and about a week behind the others in boldness, but she also pointed the wing best and seemed like the better fit.

I've kept in contact with the breeder and seen pictures of her litter mates. They all seem to be larger and more typically weighted.

-John

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SHORTFAT
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by SHORTFAT » Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:31 pm

I love the size of my dog. Our Lab was 90lbs and thought he was a lap dog! :roll: When he jumped up onto yer lap the iced tea & chips went flying and he knocked the wind out of you! :lol: The EP jumps up and snuggles in and is just the right size... 8)
Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.
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Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
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AzDoggin
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by AzDoggin » Fri Feb 17, 2012 6:56 pm

mcclinj wrote:Azdoggin,

Looking back, my pup was the same size as the other pups. She may have been slightly and I do definitely mean slightly smaller, but if so, it was unnoticeable. The breeder did say she was a bit more timid and about a week behind the others in boldness, but she also pointed the wing best and seemed like the better fit.

I've kept in contact with the breeder and seen pictures of her litter mates. They all seem to be larger and more typically weighted.

-John
That's very interesting - so you could not have reliably chosen her from the litter for being smaller....wondering if there was a smaller ancestor in the pedigree??

I have read in a couple places that without breeder selection to maintain a typical size, the size of dogs over several generations will trend toward smaller (seems like I read that from a GSP and a setter breeder...can't remember exactly which ones).

I do like the smaller size too and will probably consider that factor for my next pup...I would guess that experienced breeders have some pretty reliable information on predicting size from pedigree and bone structure as a pup.

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gspguy
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by gspguy » Fri Feb 17, 2012 8:28 pm

ShortFat, how does that little pointer handle the NW Pennsylvania winter cold? A white pointer like that is going to be my next dog I think.
They're all broke 'til they break.

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SHORTFAT
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by SHORTFAT » Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:54 pm

If she's hunting, it doesn't phase her a bit... 8) but in the morning when it's -10 degrees, she'll stick her nose out the back door and turn around and go back in the house... right under the blankets! :mrgreen: I do need to get her a new chest protector, cuz she'll bust right into the brush and briars as you can see... :oops:
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Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.
- Mark Twain.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
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rkappes
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by rkappes » Sat Feb 18, 2012 7:42 am

ShortFat ~ She's a dandy lookin' dog!

**edit** I like dogs on the smaller size and probably wouldn't want one much over 40lbs.

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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by MO_GSP » Sat Feb 18, 2012 8:20 am

AzDoggin wrote:So all you folks with smaller dogs - were they smaller at 8 weeks of age too? Could you have predicted their size when you took them home?

Physical size (muscle mass) has a lot to do with heat tolerance on desert hunts. I doubt a 70 pounder could run all day at 75-80 degrees, but a 40 pounder might be able to if s/he has the cardio capacity and obviously with plenty of water and breaks.

I was told my pup was one of the larger ones from his litter, when i was there to choose there were 3 of 8 left and mine was the middle sized one. That being said I now know I made some mistakes while choosing a breeder and am not very confident in the honesty of what I was told. I've heard several bad stories since getting my pup. I chose my pup because he was all pup, very playful, and very cuddly at the same time. I'm not disappointed in him at all with his size, and he's really turning into a great dog, still a bit hard headed but an absolutely great companion.

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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by JKP » Sat Feb 18, 2012 9:00 am

I think we should all remember this discussion when we start discussing the "split" in various breeds in the future. Seems to me the "if it hunts don't matter what it looks like" crowd has got a lot to do with iot too.

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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by Crestonegsp » Sat Feb 18, 2012 7:26 pm

I have a Dixielands Smokin Fredom daughter that is lucky to be 35 pounds on a fat day. She looks like she could be blown over by a strong wind. I dropped her on the line a trial and the Pro with her brace mate looked at her and said "she dosn't have enough power to hang with my dog", she smoked his dog a$$ and won the stake. I would not trade my BB for any other dog, no matter what size.
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EK Cottontop
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by EK Cottontop » Sun Feb 19, 2012 9:44 am

My dog Belle is about the size of a large beagle. She didn't seem to be any different from her siblings when she was eight weeks old. Her parents were also within breed standards and from what I understand all her siblings ended up normal sized. She comes from great bloodlines. She is a great dog and full of drive and tons of heart.


Here is a link to a picture and pedigree:
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=1864

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Windyhills
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Re: Smallest GSP?

Post by Windyhills » Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:23 am

Some of the best GSP's I have hunted over have pushed the limits of the small end of the breed standard. I do like the bigger dogs for crashing cattails in December though--and if I still chased waterfowl I want want them on the average to larger side as well.

One caveat--I've seen some on the small side that also were quite thin and dainty in bone structure. One in fact who broke her leg very badly chasing something in a brush pile, eventually had to be put down in the prime of her life. So I would suggest to keep other things in mind if you like them small.

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