Where/how did this word originate? Have you ever heard anyone use the term for a black&white dog? I heard it used that way recently, and was confused ... thinking he was mistaken about the sex of a dog.
(I asked these same questions on a couple of other boards; was curious for the opinion of a few folks in particular on this board.)

I've always heard them called rips. I think it comes from rip raps.

Bill is right. Rip = B/W dog Gyp = Female dog Perhaps you heard Rip and thought they said Gyp?

I've heard Gyp used to describe a cross breed. Ex gsp/ep or setter/ep.

female working dog is what iv always used it for

I'm thinking this is the case. I've heard rip-rap used for black & white pointers; and gyp used for young female dogs. My dad would use the word gyp, from back in the early 1900's, but I never heard him use the rip rap term. I think I know where rip rap came from, but I don't know where the term "gyp" originated.

Well there ya go.

I this is a drop or dropper.

Back in the day the Am. Field used to allow registration for droppers. Think it started with Red setter/White Setter crosses. Can't remember when they quit it but even setter/pointer crosses could be registered back then. Still some pointer lines that will occasionally put down a pup with long hair.

So, If I use the term "gyp", interchangeably with the word "bitch", as I sometimes do to describe any younger female canine, I am not using the word properly? That is interesting. Learn something every day!

I never use the word.

Gyp= female pup for you city folk

Before the internet I only had heard the term used in houndsmen circles and from my grandfather who had hunted with hounds so I always thought it a hound dog thing. Used same as you would use heifer, but for a female pup.

My Grandfather raised and hunted black & tan coon hounds and that's where I first heard the term.

Ya gyp is used constantly with hog dog circles.