Gun Dog Forum

I was reading another thread where they had purchased a “started” dog and I was wondering what everyone else’s expectations were on a Started dog. Also, what can you typically expect price range wise for a started GSP?

When you say “started” to me I expect the following out of a 1 year old dog.

Obedience trained (Sit, Come, Heel) to include the command “Whoa”
Has had some bird work to include birds shot over the dog pointing.
Crate and Kennel trained – When I give the command Kennel, I expect them to Crate / Kennel up.
I would also expect them to have been through “Hold” training

I would expect to pay between $2,000 - $2500 for the above stated “started” GSP

What say you?

That's expection a lot from a 12 month old pup. In general started at that age means coming when called, whoa, working to the whistle in the field and retrieving, maybe not to hand, but getting it close to you. He should be exposed to varying covers and introduced to water.

The formal stuff comes later. Everythibng is pretty much natural at a year.

You can find 1 Year old GSP's out of great bloodlines for the cost of shipping, I did.

Mumpy wrote:I was reading another thread where they had purchased a “started” dog and I was wondering what everyone else’s expectations were on a Started dog. Also, what can you typically expect price range wise for a started GSP?

When you say “started” to me I expect the following out of a 1 year old dog.

Obedience trained (Sit, Come, Heel) to include the command “Whoa”
Has had some bird work to include birds shot over the dog pointing.
Crate and Kennel trained – When I give the command Kennel, I expect them to Crate / Kennel up.
I would also expect them to have been through “Hold” training

I would expect to pay between $2,000 - $2500 for the above stated “started” GSP

What say you?

I think you are pretty much spot on.

You sound like you expect everything except for steady to WSF. IMO, that would be more than a started dog. In my mind, a started dog is one that has been exposed to game, has developed a search, will respond to the whistle, and will point birds such that they can be shot. As far as sit, down, stay, kennel, heel, etc....that's gravy. I'm assuming you expect FF and directionals as well

There has never been a single definition of what "started" means. Therefore, everyone has their own definition and that makes it imperative to what the sellers definition is before you purchase. Started dog is about as definitive as a used vehicle.

Ezzy

Started for me means gun started, introduced to birds, will point more than a flash point, will come when called, heel is a bonus, sit is an absolute no-no for me - NO WHOA training for me.

I don't like to see a dog working on whoa until over a year old (after his first bird season). Basically, here, intro to birds, and gun acclimation. That's what I would expect from a "started dog." No whistles for me unless field trialing since everyone uses whistles differently - I'd rather not have them intro'd to whistles. I also wouldn't expect much on the retrieve, though I really like a natural dog, I don't expect a decent retrieve until the dog has been through FF - and for me, that and whoa breaking all happen after the dog's first year in the field.

If were a betting person, I'd bet mumpy started with retrievers. I have run behind finished field champions that didn't know sit or heel. And those two things are not a focus for me in the first year. Some dogs can get that far, but some need to wait.
During the first 12 months with my versatile dogs, I work on the following:
Socialization! X1000
Crate training
House manners (house training, and learning calmness indoors by reward and restriction)
Puppy class with everybody if possible
Trips to training days and test for experience
Independence and boldness
Search and range
Introducing to birds
Introduction to guns
Repeated exposure to both, building passion
Here
Encourage natural point
Field handling, whistle turns and recall in the field
Play retrieving
Encouraging a natural delivery to hand as much as possible.
Swimming
Marking and double marks if the retrieve desire is there
I start a whoa without birds, strictly positive
I condition the ecollar if needed around 7-8 months, on HERE
Place board intro

Extra stuff after that is just good.
Now at age 1, I start steadying and trained retrieve and fine tuning pieces
(Mind you, if the dog need more time I give it. If it's tearing through easily and ready to move on, we move on...)

But answering the original Q. A started dog is a dog that has done more than sit in a kennel or be a couch dog, but is not finished. That's a huge continuum and so any expectations after that are based on what was told and shown to me , not that category of "started"

mountaindogs wrote:If were a betting person, I'd bet mumpy started with retrievers.

You'd soooooooooooo lose that bet. I started with Brittany's then GSP's then finally a Draht

Also, your answer goes away from what I'm asking really.

Ah, well. Good thing I am not betting then.
As to the rest...
Why? I listed all the things I'd do and thus I'd expect a 1 yr old started dog to have been through. But also discusses that expectations are useless. A started dog is just a dog on the continuum between puppy and finished.
If you asked me to define finished that would be harder. And more controversial, I'd bet.

before you buy a started dog. find out what the seller thinks a started dog should be. his def.. may vary a lot from yours. you hear the phrase light started moderate advance started. a light started dog to me means a dog that will search change direction when you change dir..will point and know some basic commands advance started . to me would mean the dog has had birds shot over point. obeys commands whoa trained.in other words ready to hunt wild birds so if you buy a light started dog and are thinking you bought a advance started you are going to be disappointed. I would never buy a dog until I was shown in the field what the dog will do then you can see the diff.. in the 800 dollar started dog and the 2,000 started dog

Level of a started dog should be congruent with the age and cost. There isn't and never will be a set standard for a started dog. I hunt with plenty of guys who's go to hunting dogs are not trained to the level that most on the internet expect of a started dogs.

A started dog is one that is born.