Shorthair pics and brag

[capthunterdude]

My shorthair and I have been out hunting some this year and he is doing great. He is about 13 months old now. It has been great to watch him grow and put it all together. His is a joy to watch in the field and I get all kinds of compliments about him. He is steady, force-fetched, collar conditioned, and into basic handling. I always think its funny when people ask if he just does it naturally. I just smile and think about the hours training that has gone into him. I am very proud of him. He has retrieved to hand during early teal and dove over 100 birds. Every time out he gets better and better.

This shoot was done by a friend of mine for a project at school in which the students will be doing pet portraits for the teachers who desire portraits. Thought I would share the pics with you guys. There are quite a few of them so caution. Any advice on which one you would make into a portrait would be helpful.

http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t...nt%2010-12-10/

This one might work better.

[TXLabMan]

Great pictures!!! Where are you located? Love seeing a shorthair pick up dove!

[capthunterdude]

I am in Edinburg/McAllen, Tx. He loves him some dove that is for sure. He also likes about anything else that flies. Ducks, pigeons, doves, quail, he loves them all the same.

[TXLabMan]

Is it hard to teach a pointing breed to stick by your side in the dove field rather than be out hunting the fields? I know GSP's are versatile, but i always love it when a pointing breed is a good dove/duck dog. Heck it is hard enought to get a young lab to sit still, but it must be a different animal convincing a gsp to wait for the birds, rather than go find them.

[northern cajun]

just a little time and patience.

[capthunterdude]

What is funny is he will actually run back and sit by my side when he sees doves or ducks coming while he is romping or we are picking up. It has been alot of time and patience with this guy especially the fact that he is very driven and has an off the charts prey drive. None the less, all the training he has received up to now has been geared to retriever training. All he has been doing for the past six months is sitting by me and waiting. He is also working on his basic handling for blind retrieves. After that I will start his pointing work.

[TXLabMan]

Please keep me updated on his transition to pointing--I am going to track this because I might be doing what you are with my next dog. I am also in TX, and enjoy hunting dove and ducks as much as i do quail--not to mention quail are getting harder to find! Would love to have a dog do both, retriever and pointer etc.

[capthunterdude]

It has been quite a journey for Saint and I. My reason for chosing a GSP was I thought they were awesome dogs with energy to spare. I also live in an area of Texas that can be extremely warm year round with just a few days of cold weather here and there. I wanted a versatile dog as well, one that I could do a little of everything with. This is my first dog to train. It has been a blast at times and a frustration at times, mostly because of my learning curve not his. Alot of people told me it would never work, that I was wasting my time. I never intended for him to be a field trial champ and doubt that he will see any kind of hunt tests. It is still an option though and I could probably add a couple of titles to his name. I got him to hunt. Nothing more and nothing less. The training has been the same for both. I am sure a lab would've been easier, and the training a little quicker, but I wouldn't trade him for the world. I think alot of people are mislead about the breed. The upbringing and training of these dogs has everything to do with them.

[gwgdog66]

Great looking GSP!

[rkappes]

Great pics!

[tnbndr]

Nice looking dog. He is very attentive, watching your every move and scanning the sky. Does he coach your shooting?

[capthunterdude]

We have been very fortunate to gain access to a world class dove field that is very close to my house. It is around 2 minutes of travel time. Because of this we have been able to hunt lots and lots. He has really caught on. He is constantly looking and scanning. The practice has really helped him. After a few teal hunts with him it was the same kind of deal. He gets real focused when he sees something worth shooting at. Our dove hunts keep him pretty busy. Our teal hunts he had a blast with. He is great around water.