Just got word from the breeder that the litter hit the ground. This will be my first GSP and I can’t wait to get started. I’ve read mixed reviews about GSP’s for hunting dove and duck and they’re over all retrieving abilities. I do not hunt upland but would like to possibly dabble in some west Texas quail. I plan to try and train the pup myself with the help from my dad. Any tips on training or retrieving for GSP’s would be greatly appreciated. I will post a pick of the pup when I pick it out.

Thanks

My GSP will be 15 in July so they stick around, good luck with the pup. Looking forward to reports on progress.

Does your dog retrieve well?

No

I had two GSP both retreived well. The first was a female but as she got older she develiped the habit of dropping the bird short if it was dead and no chance of escaping. She would bring tghe bird back as far as she needed to make eye contact and then as she looked you in the eye lay the bird down and go back to hunting. If it was thick cover or if the bird was alive she would bring it to hand. The ranch we hunted had a number of stock ponds that would fill up with ducks during the day and we made it a habit of pulling up about 200 yds. from the pond dam and walking up to the dam and checking for ducks. If ducks were present we would stand up and let them get a off the water and take them. We would go back to truck and drop her out and by the time we drove up to pond she would have all the ducks retreived and layed up on the bank. In her career she retreved quail, doves, pheasants, sharptail and ducks. Not good for doves because she didn't want to sit still next to shooting stool in dove field. She wanted to be up and hunting. The second on like wise too high energy to sit still in duck blind or dove field.

My long time hunting buddy is a GSP guy. He has an older dog that doesn’t have much natural retrieve and is not a swimmer. Has a six month old GSP from NAVHDA lines with a lot of retrieving desire that is a strong swimmer. A lot depends on the breeding. I think the young one is going to be the total package. GSP’s coats are well suited to dove hunting in Texas. Be careful with your retriever training. The programs most often used were developed for and are used predominantly with Labs. Most Versatile breeds I’ve been around will not hold up to the same level of pressure as a Lab. Good luck with your new pup. I hunt versatiles and I like Shorthairs.

Thanks for the information guys, I’m going to take my chances and take my time, hopefully the pup will retrieve.

Understand it's my fault not the dogs, find someone who can force fetch your pup, IF NEEDED!! my lab retrieves her butt off and never had an training

I followed the sport dog YouTube series and turned out to have a half decent duck dog with my GSP. 11 years old and just as much drive as his first hunt at 6 months.

Hope you have room to run, still can’t wear the dog out.

My GSP was from Germany and she retrieved extremely well and loved the water.

Zero complaints

Congratulations on the new pup. German dogs usually require forced fetch training to be accomplished retrievers. If you have not done it before you are going to need help from someone who has. You might be interested in the Texas Chapter of North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. They hold group training sessions with fields and birds etc. There will be plenty of experienced trainers to help you and your father get the most out of your dog. Hopefully they have a group near where you live.
https://www.texasnavhda.org/

Enjoy your pup!

I got a GSP from a guy in Seymour several years ago. She would fetch anything with feathers or fur, and was a great dead bird finder. But would not fetch a ball or a training dummy. Never needed to be force fetched as far as I was concerned.

Thanks guys, luckily my dad has trained labs in the past and has force fetched many. Hoping we can do the same with my GSP and make a good hunting dog out of him/her.

Like Rustbucket said, had a GWP that would fight to retrieve. Hunted with many GSPs. They are great retrievers

I have two, my male has turned into a full blow knucklehead at 13 but big picture they are the best dogs I've ever owned. Great family dogs and my male has pointed pheasants and quail, tracked wounded birds, retrieved ducks and geese, etc. He has an unending desire to hunt and as soon as he sees me with a gun he forgets how old he is. Typing this out sure makes me smile as I remember his glory days; now he just whines, eats poop and pisses on everything....

Have had 3– all three came from different places, all loved the water (not necessarily the cold tho) and all would retrieve. My last one literally did it all, various upland, dove, duck, goose, and even a fall turkey haha!

My GSP came from Charlie Rose in Seymour. She is a hunting machine and retrieves well. I crossed her with an Rabidou FC dog. Man her pups are some kind of hunters. I had the one I kept trained in bloodwork/tracking as well as on live birds. She is some kind of locator and will retrieve bird to hand. Only downside is she isn't found of cold water.

Mine came from Charlie Rose also. When I went to pick her up, he had a few young pups in a baby pool half full of water. They looked like wet rats. He called it his water introduction class.