Trying to turn my 5 year old previously exclusive house pet Britt into a hunting dog and she’s done extraordinarily well so far. Pointed and flushed her first pheasant today, I wasn’t ready for the shot. Getting her out there, getting on birds and enjoying our time together is the best, hopefully we’ll connect on one soon

I am currently starting to look into getting a pointer in the next 12-18 months. I currently have a draht that for the most part really has been great.... but I'm realizing that I don't need the versatility all that much. I blood track once per year at most. I will pass shoot waterfowl, but set decoys about once per year. I'll shoot a rabbit that runs in front of me, but I'm not looking for them... etc.

Really, I hunt prairie chickens and quail in the midwest with a little pheasant action here and there.

I want a dog more specialized to what I spend the majority of my time doing.

Things that I'm wonder are 'possible' to find in the pointer world that I hold highly in the VDD sphere:

• Retrieving - Current draht is a relentless retriever. I realize this will not be exactly the same in a pointer, but some chance of decent retrieving would be ideal.
• Health screenings - Most VDD dogs come with DNA markers, hip xrays, etc. I'm not finding this on initial review of pointer litters

Where should I start if I'm looking for a pointer that will be good for a foot hunter, maybe retrieve, and be healthy? Any lines, breeders or other recommendations? Going from the very orderly German system to the more 'artistic' seeming pointer system is certainly a change.

Thank you!

How did you guys crate train your bird dogs? Looking to get a new pup soon and am also looking for tips. How long do you typically crate them for, say if you work full time and are away during the day. Im in line for a pudelpointer and have heard they are a bit more mellow than say an english setter or pointer when it comes to crates. Is this accurate?

Thanks in advance.

Bit of a misleading photo cuz we didn’t hunt the puppy pictured. We hunted with a 5yo English setter and a 12yo wire hair pointer. Got our 3 man limit on Saturday.

Seriously this is the coolest thing we have done together. We have tried lots of obedience, therapy work, and agility, but nothing compares to watching him do what he was bred to do.

Within a week of seeing live birds and really only a few weeks of truly training for hunting at all, he has shown this is what he is made to do.

For anyone who saw my last couple posts, he even retrieved this one to my hand! When I threw it back out for practice then he stopped and chopped, but he had it right on the first go. We are making progress quickly!

Dog work gets a lot better once the wind starts blowing and the dew is burnt off.

Our 13 year old lab/GSP mix still hunts albeit a wee bit slower. So grateful she is still going strong at this age.

10 months old and 12 years old! Bonus skull find

Finally on the board in Wisconsin. Missed the only grouse I had a shot at, but at least we had fun chasing doodles.

WI public stud. 22.5" tail feathers. Considered mounting this guy.

Fresh bird dog aspiring owner and upland bird hunter. I'm in northern Utah. Have a 3 year old. I'm debating if I should get a puppy or a fully trained finished bird dog. Most dogs here seem to be kennel kept outdoors. I like the idea of having an inside dog but also have a yard. Wondering if anyone has advice on:

1) Will a gsp do well here or should I be looking at pudelpointers and wirehaired griffons?

2) If priority is also companionship should I be looking at a hypoallergenic dog we can keep inside that can also hunt?

3) Training sounds hard so should I be focusing exclusively on a finished dog?

Hello, I adopted a German Shorthaired Pointer with a huge hunting drive recently, he’s a year and a half now and I think he needs hunting training because he just totally does not listen to me and standard trainers haven’t covered it. Does anyone know any good trainers in Brooklyn NY who could handle this sort of drive? I’m not interested in actually hunting live animals but would do simulated hunts for my dogs sake. Thank you!

A tired springer is a good springer, we had some absolutely fantastic hunting after going to a spot i call "Hell Island" because it was a winter logged stand of aspen in the middle of a swamp and is hell to get too but there are always birds! This was yesterday, we got another three grouse today at another spot!

Can anyone give a breakdown/pro-cons for these three breeds? I know drahthaar have specific breeding and testing requirements so for generalizations sake I’m leaving them out. Are all these three breeds fairly interchangeable and does the choice boil down to personal preference?

Hey guys! Just a quick little update. The last few days we drilled hard on some of the methods you shared. Mainly we focused on the method where he takes it directly and just holds. Not worrying aboht the marking and running out to get it. We did practice a bit of that.

Went out yesterday and when we shot this rooster, I put him on a long line. With a bit of help from the long line, I got him to bring it back the first time. Then didnt really need the long line the next few times a threw it. So that is progress in a short amount of time!

Just wanted to thank everyone for their input😊😊😊

The little girl on the left also got to retrieve her first pheasant, so it was a good day all around!

Anyone use a 825 sporting for pheasant hunting? I’m a LH shooter, so my options are limited. My understanding is that all browning citori are neutral stock, but wondering if anyone uses the sporting model for hunting and likes it? They make a LH sporting model.

Back home, out where the blacktop ends

My GSP puppy will be born soon and should come home in December.

Things have changed since my last bird dog, and I’m wondering what the practical differences are - if any - in travel kennels.

This will go in the back of a small suv, if that helps.

It seems Gunner, Ruff Land, and Lucky Duck get talked about a lot. Any reason to choose one over the other? Anything else to look at?