I would like a little advice. I am currently living in downtown(ish) Houston and I have a GSP that will turn 8 months at the end of the month and I am looking for a solution in getting her a little bird dog training. The original plan was to take her down to South Texas to have her trained by a gentleman in Pearsall that came highly recommended. We decided on that location due to the fact that the family ranch is in South Texas and that is where she would do most of her hunting.

Unfortunately, now that it is getting crunch time, neither I or the girlfriend is all that thrilled about sending a member of our family off for 3-4 months. The gentleman who was going to train her has been extremely helpful and saying that we were more than welcome to come train with him or stay at his place anytime we wished however Pearsall isn’t exactly a quick trip from Houston.


I just wanted pop in here for a little advice and see what you fellas and ladies had to say. Should I just suck it up and send her off? Are there trainers in or around Houston that I could send her to that wouldn’t mind having someone tag along a bunch to learn the ropes? I think self-training is out of the question however due to my lack of knowledge and lack of access to space in the Houston area.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts!

I would stick with the guy in Pearsall.
It sounds like he is very accommodating, and you want what's best for your hunting companion. You will be surprised how quick that time will go.

Welcome to the forum!

There’s no getting around the fact that it’s tough to send your buddy off for a few months to train, but you have to look at the other 10-12 years or so that you will be able to spend with her in the field and around the house. GSP’s thrive in a well structured, disciplined environment… they NEED the training and order in their lives because they can be inherently A.D.D. when not given that kind of “order”. They are happiest when they are hunting and you have to think about who is really stressing about this… I can guarantee you your pup is going to be loving it for the next 3 months or so because she’s going to be doing what she’s bred to do. a working dog is a happy dog, so send her and try and go once a month and get some tips on training and take the guy up on his offer to stay and participate. If it was me, I would try and encourage him to get her done in three months, max, and maybe spend some time with you showing you the ropes if there are one or two things that she will need finishing on, if that doesn’t work out, you can always take her back for a month after next season to get her shined up after she's hunted a season on birds.

good luck and let us know how it's going with her.

As an alternative, I recommend Pecan Hill Kennels in San Felipe, just outside of Sealy. That is not too far away from you.

I've sent my GSP there for force fetch and may send my GSP pup there as well.

Dustin stopped by the trial today with his girlfriend, and Dixie. Dixie is a beautiful bird dog, and his girlfriend is not all that bad. Her name is Samantha. All her friends call her Sam. I started thinking about Sam and forgot what I had planned to write. I think someone else mentioned Pete Thuman, at Pecan Hill Kennels.

Bill –

It was a real pleasure getting to meet and talk to you. Sam and I really enjoyed the discussions and watching all the dogs run. We look forward to future events and soaking up the most knowledge possible. Thank you for your help!

-Dustin

I moved to the heights in an apartment with my DD and weim. There are leases that's are cheap that have pigeons and fellow trainers that are diys. There are also quail farms that you can buy birds from.

Another thing to consider is the temperment of your pup. Will it be able to handle being left alone for that long with out having issues? What training is going to take three or four months?