Gun Dog Forum

I have a buddy with 1 year old GSP female he is offering to give me. Right now she is 35 lbs. That seems kind of small to me, but the vet says she is healthy. Anyone have any that small. She looks kinda funny to me as all my GSP have been 50-70 lbs.

Mine is about 33lbs - a GREAT size! I'd be more worried about her socialization and hunting ability than size for sure. 35 is small for a GSP, but good things can come in small packages for sure! My last GSP was 65+.

I intentionally sought out a smaller GSP male. He's 3 years old now and 45 lbs. I realized a long time ago that doesn't take a 60 -70 pound dog to carry a pheasant, and there are some problems with big dogs. The bitch was 35 and the sire 45. Also I've always felt that if I ever need to carry a dog out of the field, I don't want to be forced to leave my gun behind. Enjoy your little bird dog.

Nate

I had a GSP that was 39 lbs. She did everything that a larger GSP could do. No problem retrieving ducks, geese or any larger game bird. Plus she fit in my lap better than my larger Shorthairs

The breed standard for bitches is 45-60 lbs. & 21-23" at the withers. Obviously there are always dogs & bitches well above & below the standards. Oversize dogs can be more of an issue as they don't seem to maintain their energy level as long in the field nor tolerate heat as well.

The best two I've hunted with to date were 29 and 31 pounds soaking wet and went like lit dynamite.Both females

Sounds great!

Most 35 pound dogs can accomplish the same tasks as a 70 pounder. They also eat less, poop less, and transport in a smaller space.

reba wrote:Sounds great!

Most 35 pound dogs can accomplish the same tasks as a 70 pounder. They also eat less, poop less, and transport in a smaller space.

My thoughts exactly.

I currently own two small EPs and will never own a big one again if I can help it.

My 15 month old is 39 lbs, no worries.

displaced_texan wrote:

reba wrote:Sounds great!

Most 35 pound dogs can accomplish the same tasks as a 70 pounder. They also eat less, poop less, and transport in a smaller space.

My thoughts exactly.

I currently own two small EPs and will never own a big one again if I can help it.

X10 my 2 year old female is 36lbs soaking wet. She is a firecracker for sure. I like the smaller dogs also. That is her on the right in the pic .

Brad's little Lucy is pretty tiny with cat like feet and my male is 60lbs with boxing gloves for feet. After a couple hard days hunting chukar she holds her condition and her feet up much better than the big dog, all while covering more ground. If it was cattail sloughs and water retrieves, I think the big dog would probably shine but we don't see too much of that in Southern California. Can the dog hunt would be my worry.

I don't think size really matters much when it comes to dogs. A lot of time it is just a guy thing - we want a big manly dog lol. Size certainly won't affect her nose or pointing ability and a 35lb dog can easily retrieve anything you knock down for it. When I bought my spaniel I was a bit worried about the size thing (the other half wanted a dog that size, I wanted a dog to hunt lol) but my breeder quickly extinguished my fears when he sent me pictures of some of his cockers carrying full grown Canada geese with ease (and some of these dogs were only 25 - 30 lbs, my guy should end up being about 35 as both his parents are larger). Don't get caught up on the size issue. I would jump on this opportunity. Plus, a smaller dog (despite my initial resistance) is nicer and easier to deal with in the house.

Ive always wanted dogs to run in the 60-70lb range, didn't matter if it was hounds retrievers or bird dogs. However, that said, the couple of times I have seen her run, one of my favorite dogs to watch run has been a little 35lb GSP bitch.

i also have a little GSP/EP that is roughly 40sh lbs and especially in the heat, and thick cover he seems to hold up much better than the bigger dogs.

Jim

Can't measure heart or grit on a scale.

And a 35lb Pointer is much less likely to tip a canoe!..

Well I got the little girl from my buddy. Right now she is 13 months old and 33 lbs. I LOVE her size as I have always hunted 50-60 lb dogs. She has spent her entire life in a apartment, 8 hrs a day in a crate. I spent one evening doing some very basic whoa and come training and the little girl picked it up very quick. This is the first time the dog has ever seen the woods and she hunted like a pro, I'm sure she was just taking in all the wonderful smells in the woods. I plan on introducing her to some birds soon. I know she will point a ground hog. Im sure there are some out there, but I have yet to see a stupid GSP.

I'll bet she loves you already! Cruising around sniffing stuff in the woods beats the heck out of what she was doing before. Glad you could pick her up. She sure is a pretty little thing. I was looking at the vegetation in your picture and was curious about where you were located. No need for specifics, just a general geographic area. Looks nice!

Gertie wrote:I'll bet she loves you already! Cruising around sniffing stuff in the woods beats the heck out of what she was doing before. Glad you could pick her up. She sure is a pretty little thing. I was looking at the vegetation in your picture and was curious about where you were located. No need for specifics, just a general geographic area. Looks nice!

Thanks Gertie. I live in the mountains of western North Carolina near Asheville. We hunt mainly Ruffed Grouse, but there's just not near the birds in these mountains there was in the 80s and early 90s when you could find 20-30 grouse per day. Lucky to find 4-5 birds per day now.

The last trial of the season Moxy was braced with the smallest birddog I've ever seen in my life. She was a spitfire of a Britt and couldn't have been more than twenty pounds. I swear I thought she was just a pup, but her handler said she was three years old and well on her way to an FC. Freakiest thing I've ever seen.

Thanks Gertie. I live in the mountains of western North Carolina near Asheville. We hunt mainly Ruffed Grouse, but there's just not near the birds in these mountains there was in the 80s and early 90s when you could find 20-30 grouse per day. Lucky to find 4-5 birds per day now.

I love Asheville! I've been there a few times and am hoping to get back and do some more exploring soon. I've only been hunting around here for the past couple years but I keep hearing the same story, used to be a heck of a lot more birds. Here's to hoping for a good season this year! Good luck with your new pup. I'm sure you'll have some great adventures together