My son and I started out looking for a beagle. Started doing some research and there are a lot of warnings about beagles. We started to look at other breeds and we're liking the GSP. The dog is going to be mostly a pet but will see his share of the woods. Mostly tracking down game, some shed hunting, possible dove hunting

Your thoughts and anyone know any good GSP breeders around

Thanks

I can't recommend a breeder, but I'm sure many on here can. Only thing I'd say about owning GSPs is that they are high energy dogs that require daily exercise, especially if they are going to be mostly a pet. You might experience undesired behaviors if you don't exercise them enough. I exercise my GSP twice a day by walking, retrieving, etc. and a times she can still be a handful.

Good luck!

I think you should get a beagle for your needs.

I'm going to disagree with both of your options. Beagles that are bred for their nose are just as energetic as any GSP, and they tend to be more houndish in that they are difficult to train basic obedience. If you have the time to train either and keep up with the excercise needs (as both will require tons) either will work but be sure you can handle the energy. Beagles also aren't for retreiving doves. While I've seen a few that have been trained to do it, their owners took months of training to get them to do it. For what you are describing your needs I would say Labs, Chesepeakes, Goldens, Maybe a Boykin Spaniel if you want something smaller. You can train just about any dog to do what you are describing, but the energy level of a field dog makes the pet primary frustrating for many.

I have never owned a GSP so I will stay away from commenting on those.

I do currently own a female Beagle. She was a stray that despite our efforts we could not locate the owner. After owning her for about a year now I have come to believe that the owner didn't want to be found. She was at most a year old when she fell into my lap. Basic training (sit, here, lay down, etc) with her was a piece of cake. And just for fun I taught her to give me five. House breaking her was a piece of cake as well. She is a one heck of a retriever and although I have never hunted her I am sure she would do fantastic. Tried working her with my Lab to see if she would do water retrieves and she didn't want none of that. At the recommendation of another THF'er I decided that her job would be as a blood tracker. So after watching countless videos on how to train a blood dog I kind of came up with my own version of how to do it and ran with it. All I can say is this dog is PHENOMENAL on the trail!!!!!

Now for the bad part. She is the sweetest little dog at night but during day light hours she is a absolute handfull! After I got her I read a book about Beagles and one thing that they said was "Beagles are not for people with full time jobs because they are a full time job in themselves". I have to agree with that statement!! This dog is as hard headed as any dog I have ever seen in my life!!!!

With all that said I would say a Beagle is a GREAT choice if your main objective is to have a working dog for finding downed game. If a pet is your main reason for wanting a Beagle I would say good luck finding one that doesn't require your attention 24/7. I don't mean to sound like Beagles are not great pets because I wouldn't trade mine for the world, but you have to think of them as a 3 year old that never grows up. They are just always going 90mph and always into something they shouldn't be. I thought maybe my Beagle was just a knucklehead but after talking to many other Beagle owners and reading a ton about them online that is just their nature.

I gotta echo what JCB said about beagles. I have a female as well. She is a great dog, wouldn't trade her for the world but can be a mess much like any other dog.

I gotta say the beagle is the first dog I have ever had that would spin around and bite my hand when I whipped her but. You spank her again and be ready because she is gonna try to bite you again.

She does well with my 2-3 year old nephews as long as they don't pull on her ears. Mine has tamed down at 4 years old some but is still a very energetic dog. I trained her to trail also. After not using her for a couple years she struggled but did trail a doe I shot the last weekend of season.

Can't speak to beagles from an owners perspective, but all of the ones I've ever met that were owned by friends barked too much for my liking and were general PITAs lol. As for the GSP's we've had and have, they were/are not good retrievers. Then again, we wanted pointers, but it doesn't mean we didn't try. They could no doubt be trained to do a forced retrieve but I don't think they'll ever do it as well as a dog that does it instinctively (speaking for our dogs specifically), and the same goes for a dog that wont point instinctively. Not saying you can't get a GSP to retrieve, but I think there are better choices... other dogs that will put the odds more in your favor for a good retriever. As to which one, that's a personal choice. Most of the good retrievers that come to mind are larger dogs, and don't take well to small yards. They need a lot of exercise and maintenance. Weims are my personal favorite, and we've had half a dozen of them in the last 30 years. Labs are also a good choice, but I've had a few that could be stubborn.

I'd make some calls to some of the big kennels/trainers in the area and see if they know a good breeder.

You need to check into Boykin Spaniels. Great little retrievers and they have plenty of nose for blood trailing. They also will make good house dogs/pets, just make sure you exercise them. I think they will fit your needs perfectly.

If you decide on a GSP

http://www.uodibarkennel.com/index.html