Where is everyone??????????

[Country-Side Breeders]

Wow, what's going on in everyone's world that the board has slowed down so much...besides hunting/trialing, I mean.

Here's a question for everyone: What made you choose the breed that you have?

For me, it was my husband that started it all. We had always has labs and he got tired of chasing the birds all the time so he said when the last lab goes, he's getting a GSP. Well, he got his and then I needed to get a companion for his to play and hang out with, and now the house has been filled with them and the rest is history. Anyone else??

[sdgord]

Patty, between dove hunting goose hunting and dog training I manage to go to work on occasion. Gotta keep the Gordon girls in shape for upcoming hunt tests, and sharptail season starts on Sat. But the reason I have Gordons is I have always admired the breed. Years ago (many many years), we were fortunate enough to meet a gentleman who bred some of best Gordons in the country, they were absolutely beautiful dogs,but I could not believe that they would hunt. Mr.Stephenson assured me that he did in fact hunt with his multi group and BIS Gordon. Nearly thirty years later, a young girl who worked for us had a litter of Gordon puppies,I of course had to go to see them and the only female in the litter and runt to boot. Would not leave me alone.so I just had to take her home. This runt is now twenty eight months old, has her JH test title and field trial points. She will be working on her senior title this fall before pheasant season starts, that little dog was so much fun we had to get another. That puppy is sixteen months old now has her JH test title field trial placements and is ready to start on her SH tests this fall also. These two are just a lot of fun to have around, my only regret is that I did not start with Gordons thirty years ago.SDGORD

[ginia]

Patty, here's my short story made long on why we got the breed we got! I had a Doberman as a kid, a really intelligent dog, great with the family and very protective (good in our neighborhood in Houston.) Later, my family had other breeds of dogs, and I lived with roommates that had other breeds of dogs. For quite a while I had only cats as it was not practical to get a dog, but kept an open mind. I watched dog related shows and realized that the sporting breeds were "my type" as they were sleek, beautiful, and intelligent dogs. After getting married, I became very active hiking here in AZ. We did our research, and decided our first dog would be a Weim, someone active like me. The first year we had her, I lost as much weight as she gained. We heard lots of "warnings" but I love-love-love all the bird dog breeds I know and will probably always have bird dogs in some version! (only shorthairs, this is Phoenix, you know!) BTW, our second girl is on the way, a Vizsla.

[Rusti's Mom]

My husband wanted a GSP forever. When the kid's cocker died, I looked at prices for them and said no way. I found a GSP for him and we were off. Max, the first, is 9 years old and is our major guard dog. We got involved in the local GSP Club, and one of the ladies had a litter and I wanted one, so I got Rusti for myself. Rusti had a litter last year, and my husband wanted a white female. I had fallen in love with a white male and this little roan female decided that she loved him even more. So, he has a liver, roan, patched and ticked female who looks just like Rusti. Now, we are up to 4. In 20 days, Rusti is due to have 8 pups and we are planning to keep one or two out of this litter. They just keep multiplying.

We are looking to move out to 100 acres or so. I have been looking for property and keeping Rusti cool. It is so hot down here and all she wants to do is go out in the back yard and bark and jump at the squirrels in the oak tree.
Ever try to keep a GSP quiet???? Even one who is pregnant?? Not easy.

Pat

[raven]

I've been here at least once a day I just haven't had much to say.
The reason's I chose my Brittany over other breeds are they aren't to big, the breed dosn't have to many health problem , they are a multi functional dog they can go from the field to the show in the same day , they are great hunters, they are great family members, they love people, love to play , they are super smart, fast learners, short hair don't need much grooming, they clean up real quick, plus they are so darn good looking

[Rubyspal]

I was born into a house with Shorthairs and raised and hunted behind Shorthairs for over 30 years and wanted to try another breed. So We bought a fox red pointing lab pup and now have two pointing labs. I have loved all my dogs and enjoy watching any good dogs work. But for now I will stick to pointing labs, but might be talked into a good Shorthair pup again in the future.....
Pat

[ckfowler]

I grew up doing odd jobs at the game club surrounding mom's house. The first guy I remember managing it had Gordons. Members could take any other club dog out in the field w/o a guide but if you wanted to hunt over one of those Gordons, Mac had to come. They would only hunt for him and I always liked that, besides being beautiful and smart Dad had English Setters and one GSP pup. The GSP pup and one of the ES pups were hit by cars right before thier first seasons and another ES was a run-off. She'd hunt fine for a couple of hours and then just leave for the truck!

When I was finishing college and finally ready for a dog, I wanted a Gordon or ES pup or young dog. I went to the Dayton pound and they had a 10 month old Britt pup that stole my heart and I figured feathered and points so close enough When she was about 9 we rescued a Gordon. Poor little beaten guy never amounted to much in the field but he won our hearts too. Our Brtt had been gone a few years and we wanted a playmate for Guinness but didn't think it right to judge another Gordon against him so I got an ES pup for Karen's Bday. Scout is almost 6 now and my wife just brought home a lab/shephard mix pup that had been begging at the children's home where she works. Pretty sure we'll try another Gordon when the time comes. Just love those feathers!

[seadog]

Took a hard look at the weather conditions and myself (what I hunt). As I'am not an upland hunter but rather a versatile hunter the dog must be able to work on small game , waterfowl (breaking ice for a retrieve if needed), upland and blood tracking of large game if required. Must have a coat to handle cold weather while in the kennel or hunting even at -30 C .

[ourhunters]

My husband and I finally bought a house a little about a year and a half ago. We were finally able to get a dog, which I'd been missing since my beagle was put down. We really liked the looks of the weim and needed a dog that hunted, so it was a quick pick. It didn't take long, and I was on a waiting list! We love him to death, but are irritated daily by his little weimy quirks!! He's such a smart dog and fast learner.

After the first one, it's like my friends say when they have their first baby, they're ready to have another. We kept our eyes open and talked about it and my husband said no way. I of course listed all the reasons to get another, and kept listing them day after day! He was on the internet on one of his favorite outdoors sites and saw a post about an auction for a GSP, not thinking he'd get it, he had me call and put a bid in. Well, next thing led to another and now we have Eight, the GSP. What a pair they are! Duke is 18 months and Eight is 9 months today.

Hopefully they'll both get out this weekend for some grouse hunting. We're still of course in the training process and trying to figure out what we're doing. So, it's a bit scary letting Eight go and hunt such a wide range and not know if he's coming back!!!

That's our story.
Caren

[Colleen]

New job and classes starting up again.

My boyfriend and I had a lot of disputes and thought a long time about a dog. He had a Malamute growing up and I had a Yorkie. He hates little dogs and I prefer big ones (though I do love my folks' Yorkie to pieces), and he wanted a husky type dog but I wanted one that's more of a people dog. Our first instinct was Weims, for the look and the sporting ability, and we also thought about an Australian blue heeler (ugly as sin but really smart dogs). Some Aussie neighbors talked us out of the blue heeler, unless we wanted every moving thing in our house herded relentlessly. The Weims (don't take offense Weim people) I was warned, by Weim people, can be hyper, high-strung and nervous. Not one to be deterred so easily, I talked to the Weim breeder in my area. First she tried to talk us into an 8 year old rescue with lots of baggage, when we insisted we wanted a puppy, we got a "Well, (nose high up in the air) THESE are going to be $900 show puppies. Can you even afford that? Besides, I'm not interested in people who won't show my dogs." Needless to say, end of interaction with her. We tried contacting Weim rescue in other areas who had dogs we might like (younger, not too hyper, etc) but no one would let us adopt out of the area.

Meanwhile, some other family members were trying to convince us that what they'd read about GSPs seemed to fit what we were looking for. So, we did exactly what you're not supposed to do--got the first puppy we saw. Thank goodness it was the best almost-mistake we ever made, and we're going to the same guy for #2 in a month.

The breed is perfect for us--active but tranquil in the house, hunts, travels great, loves the crap outta everyone in his circle of loved ones, and pretty darn good-lookin too.

[tfbirddog2]

First off I been here pretty much everyday, but nobody has had anything realy I've wanted to responed to. I also found out that my work schedule might change at my regular job cutting into my guiding,which has stressed me out big time. For those of you not wanting to see three good birddogs sit at home more than they should, your prays for them an myself would be oh so greatful. As far as my breeds go my halfbreed was my wifes idea she knew I wanted a birddog like a GSP or by funny chance a weim. Than some friends had the litter of Lab/Weims an I said sure an if th dog didn't work out we would have a good house dog. I had my GSPs given to me, but I would of had them oneday either way.I had done most of my hunting with dogs with GSPs an always liked the breed.Colleen that is funny that an Aussie owner said that about a Heeler, I had one an the only thing he hearded was livestock when I told him to. the aussie owner didn't tell you that aussie are hearding dogs too bark at falling leaves. I speak from experiance. Both good breeds but need a lot of space an things to do, even more than most birddog breeds.

[12 Volt Man]

I have hunted pheasants since I was a kid with my Dad. We never had a bird dog. I guess I was my Dad's bird dog growing up.

My Brother In Law's Sister's Husband (wow that's a mouthful) runs a hunt club. We have hunted there several time with his shorthairs. One day he sent us out with one of the guides who had a couple of English Pointers. This was the first time I had seen one. I watched those two dogs work all day, their beauty on point, and their excellent retrieves. That day I knew I needed to have one. Looking back, this was the first I had seen well trained bird dogs work. If they had been any other breed I probably would have fell in love with that breed.

I learned a little on internet. I found a breeder in California, and picked one out by pictures in email. This is how Cooper came to be a part of our family. Now we also have Cowboy. Two Pointers.

[ginia]

Colleen,

No offense taken; Weims *can* be all those things, especially if the breeder is not breeding for temperment, but rather to make $. (Unfortunately, pretty common for Weims as they have gone through some popularity cycles.)

There are always going to be those "nose in the air" breeders, and we actually ran across that a bit in our search for a Viszla. We're looking for a companion first, hunting dog a close second, so we're not paying an extra $500 for a show dog.

I think we're stopping with two dogs, but I would totally consider a GSP or English Pointer. Who knows, by the time we get another dog, maybe we'll have added some to our list!

[Ayres]

The first part of the week is pretty heavy for me, that's why I've been lacking with the posts lately. By the end of the week any posts that I might have a comment on have usually been commented on already (that was a mouthful too!)

Really, classes and meetings and obligations have taken most of my time, but on the dog-side of things I've just been preparing Justus for more formal training. More topics to come about that subject later though.

I first started looking for dogs almost two years ago. I was in a third-story apartment finishing up my last year of undergrad with two roommates and a lease that disallowed pets :roll: . But, like anything I do, I thought I better start putting in the research that way I could get my dog the following summer.

I originally wanted a hound-type dog. This was mainly for looks. I thought that most were smaller in size, and they look cute if you get the right color combinations. I started looking at beagles, but quickly switched to foxhounds and then settled on a lesser-known breed; the harrier. There were only nine registered harrier litters in the United States that year. Finding a dog was, as an understatement, a bit difficult. I did finally contact a breeder out in California though, and called and talked with them a couple times. I even bought books from amazon.com about harriers to learn more. Finally, a few things broke me of wanting one of that breed: 1) the breeder wasn't having another litter for quite some time; 2) the breeder named all her pups before selling (registered names.. just my preference to get to name my own dog if I was gonna spend $1k on it, y'know?); 3) the price: $900 plus shipping was steep for a college kid; 4) I was beginning to become wary of the specifics of the breed, as if it would be the right one for me.

So, after the initial harrier treatment (especially due to reason #4) I began to research many different breeds at the same time to pick the right one for me. I still wanted a little hound guy, though, so I leaned heavily toward the beagles. At this time I even bought "The Fox & The Hound" on dvd, and a couple more books concerning beagles from amazon.com. So, in effort to prove myself right, I began doing some online breed-selector questionaires. The only problem was that I was putting in all the qualities of a beagle to get it to come up #1 and not the qualities of a dog I really wanted (including limiting the selection to only the hound group ) So, finally I decided that if a beagle was really right for me then it would fit my ideals and I wouldn't try to fit its qualities. So, I opened up a breed-selector to all breeds of most groups (sporting, herding, working, terrier, herding) and the number-one dog for me was the vizsla. So, I took it to heart and started doing the research. Seems that the vizsla is the smallest of the pointing breeds. I've always loved hunting upland game but my family has never had a gun dog since I've been alive.

So, I researched (important) and talked with some owners, went to the local dog show to see them, talked to some more people, saw some more dogs, did some more research, etc. Finally I found a breeder with good recommendations and put down a deposit for the first pick of the male dogs. I really liked the breeding and the breeder. I got to pick the name of the dog, I get to make all the decisions about whether to get him neutered, I get to make all the decisions about him period. My guy basically said, "He's your dog, you get to decide what to do with him. Aside from keeping me updated as to how he's doing from time to time and taking good care of him, you get full ownership. I'm not gonna tell you what to do with your dog." I really liked that.

So, since we've gotten Justus we've done a lot of training and learning together. I can say it best by 'he's a sweetie in the house and a hunter in the field... the best of both worlds.' After our wonderful experiences with him I can honestly say that we wouldn't have it any other way than with a vizsla. We're planning to pick up a second dog in the next couple years.

[Kevin]

Man Ayres I thought I did alot of research before deciding on a dog or anything big for that matter :roll: but you got me

My Dad had labs and a golden when I was growing up, and my Mom has a lab now... none of which are hunting dogs. I have always liked GSP's and started hunting deer and turkey when I was 19...not very successfully though nobody in my family hunts so I'm teaching myself. Now that I own a house I'm in the position to have my first birddog, and will expand my hunting to include Grouse,Rabbits and the occasional duck. The GSP is great versatile hunting dog and the shorth coat is a big plus for around the house.

[Country-Side Breeders]

Aryes,
The Fox and the Hound DVD, huh? What a great movie that is..."Hi, my name is Todd and I'm a hound dawg."

[Kevin]

Country Side, I was going to say something about that flick...but didn't have the heart But you don't pull any punches :shock:

[Ayres]

Yeah. It was one of the few Disney classics that I really enjoyed as a kid... and one of the few that nobody in my family owned.

But Todd was the fox. Copper was the hound dog.

[emae]

I originally was looking for a running partner and kicked around the idea of a Australian shepherd, but didn't want to mess w/the long hair. Than thought about the weim's. My husband wasn't too keen on them, but wanted to look at the gwps. And after researching the wiems', sounded much to high maintenance. So I looked at the gwps too and we went ahead and got our first female. My running has taken a dive these days :roll: , and since I've gotten way into this bird hunting thing, been having agreat time training her (well most of the time anyways). Absolutely love her temperment: outside, all business hunting, and inside a loveable house dog that lets the kids wrestle her without batting an eye. Great great thing w/young kids obviously. Hubby so impressed w/her, we decided to get a male and don't know that they are the same breed, as he is much more laid back. got the best of both sides I guess. He's still a pup and we are letting him be just that for now. I cannot wait to see her in action this fall and to try out my new and first gun too!! Thats my story on our dogs.

[Sniper]

Hey everyone! After hunting with labs growing up, I hunted over a well trained GSP, and fell in love. I have a 5yr old Dixieland Rusty bred dog, and he;s a machine!!!

[tfbirddog2]

Sniper, I have seen that more than once after a Lab man comes down an hunts behind Gsps at the lodge.Maybe its the pointing or the way ground is covered without panting to death afterwards.(ha!Ha!) Just kidding I know what you mean.