This is how I got my pointer, but it was just the beginning. We then started a frantic search for the breeder, found him, bought our puppy, rescued the other puppy and got it back to him, and we have started learning everything we can about this breed and training bird dogs. It turns out the puppy was just shy of 14 weeks when we got him, so he is just past 4 months old today. He was pure bred, and the breeders use their dogs as part of a hunting guide service on a pheasant preserve. They aren't big time breeders and only seem to have a litter when they need another dog for their guide service. So, it is unlikely that anybody will know this kennel or the lines for this dog, but they told me they did breed their two best hunting dogs and this puppy was one of the better ones in terms of potential for hunting pheasants. Of the five males puppies, I think they took the best bird dog for themselves, had three others that they thought they could finish, and one apparently was a little too mellow. I also found out that these dogs are bred on the smaller end of the size range, so I think we will end up with a dog around 45 lbs, maybe a few pounds either way from that, but most likely well shy of the breed standard of 55-70 lbs for males. I think it is likely he won't be as tall as 23" either, but I have spoken to several people out here who think a 40 - 45 lb German Shorthaired Pointer is ideal for our terrain and climate, so that seems like a plus.
We have been exercising the puppy every day, we have started basic obedience, he is crate trained, and I think housebroken. He gets along well with my wife, other dog, two cats, and two kids. He is now an indoor dog, and we are building a fence around the back yard so that he can have a small play zone back there that is enclosed.
I have never hunted anything, and I really don't know anything about it, but it seems like a fantastic way to spend time with these dogs and I love being outside. I am trying to learn the basics, and I look forward to the training events for the local breed, NAVHDA, and NSTRA groups this Spring. In the mean time, I am getting that dog off road and out in the hills every chance I get, and he seems to love it.
My wife runs marathons and half marathons. I knew that these were some of the best dogs for accompanying human distance runners, so if all goes well, this guy will have a lot of running in his future. He will be family dog primarily, and to whatever extent an absolute novice can work with a German Shorthaired Pointer to find birds out in the field and point at them, we plan to be doing a bunch of that as well. If I can find somebody else to shoot some of the birds, there might even be some retrieving in his future.
I look forward to learning more fro the people on this forum.
Heer are a few pictures of our puppy. We named him Simon.
Thank you,
Andy
