Hello! My name is Elizabeth.  I live in Bucks County, near Philadelphia PA.  I recently acquired an 11 week old GSP/Brittany puppy. She came from an accidental litter. Her name is Leena. 

She is adorable, loves to cuddle and a little crazy-lol. I am hoping to do agility with her in the future.  I am also considering field trials...but I'm not sure how that would work since she is not a purebred?

I have a 9yo Labrador that is a certified therapy dog.  I have done rally with her in the past.  I have trained (14) Service Dogs as well as fostered serveral dogs for rescue, (GSP's, English Pointers, Labradors, Goldens, mixes).

I do have a few questions as Leena is my first GSP puppy...

1. On average how long does it take for them to get housebreaking and crate training? I have had her for a week now and she just doesnt seem to understand it...haha.  I have had tons of puppies and she just seems a little...slow LOL

2. Are GSP's prone to seperation anxiety? She seems to want to be with me 24/7 and screams her little head off whenever she cant-i.e. in the crate, (which just today she is seeming to get a little better with), and in the back of my Subaru.  I usually just ignore her.

3. Can anyone recommend a good food for her? She is currently on Canidae.  Her previous family had her on Pro-Plan and I wanted something of higher quality. She is just soo skinny My Labrador has been on a raw diet, (made by Bravo), for a little over 8 years.

4. How are GSP's with cold weather? Leena does have a coat I bought her, but she still seems soo cold outside.  She is already quite active and we are lucky enough to have tons of places I can take her off leash to run around.

Here are some pictures of her..as you can see, she looks 99% like a GSP.

Leena with her new toy

Leena on the bed

Leena in the woods

I look forward to learning a lot and getting to know everyone

 welcome, she is really beautiful

Hi Elizabeth,

Welcome to the forum, your little one is cute!  We have a discussion going on here about a GSP/Brittany mix with someone asking about what one would look like since so many people seem to have one of each.  You might want to add your photos on that thread.

As for your questions... I also do therapy dogs, although most of mine have been shih-tzus we have been training Wachter our GSP to be therapy as well.

As for seperation anxiety.. This breed tends to be very velcro and social, so if you have her kenneled, make sure she has some toys, a blanket and other things to keep her company.  Also you might want to consider pairing her with your older dog if they get along.

These are REALLY smart dogs and pick up quickly on any training, especially if it comes with very positive support... Make sure you are taking her out on a regular basis and praising her when she does her stuff outside. As well as letting her know your displeasure WHEN you catch her in the act of making a mess inside... usually it only takes two or three times, especially if she is getting the positive reinforcement for going out.  I have a doorbell attached to my back door, Wachter has learned to ring it when he wants back in.

Cold is a learned tollerance.. as a puppy, I wouldnt keep her out without a coat, you want as many of her calories going to growing and less to staying warm

I hope this helps

Carrie

Since getting her, I have talked to quite a few people who have a GSP/Brittany mix.  All the ones I have seen look exactly like a purebred GSP.

Thank you for the input.

Welcome to the forum.  Your pup is a cutey.  As Pixie said, you need to consider the personalities of both breeds even though you pup looks like a GSP.  That said, here are my answers to you questions.

1. On average how long does it take for them to get housebreaking and crate training?

Every dog is different, even within the same breed.  My oldest never had an accident and got it right away.  I got her though at 10 weeks and I think that may have made a difference.  My middle dog, Halo, also caught on quickly.  My youngest (now 8 mos), Ringo, took allot longer.  He had days of brilliance and I would think he got it, and then he would regress and have multiple accidents.  The suggestion about keeping them in the same room or near you is good and does help allot.  I did get to the point with Ringo where I thought he would never get it and them the light bulb came on and he has been perfect since. Just be consistent and keep working with her and she will get there.

2. Are GSP's prone to seperation anxiety?

GSPs love their owners and want to be with them all the time (hence the nickname velcro dogs). Don't give in to your dog when she cries though or you will never get her crate or car trained.  For the crate when you leave her give her her toys and stuff, but you might also want to try turning on the radio or TV as well. As far as the car, start out with short trips of a park or somewhere she will enjoy and when you get there play and good things happen.  It won't take her long to link car and good things.  Again you can try turning the radio on in the car too.

3. Can anyone recommend a good food for her?

Canidae is a good food, you may just need to feed her a little more.  As a puppy she should be eating at least three times a day.  If Canidae does not agree with her there are other good foods out there.  There is already a long thread on food discussion on this forum so just look back on some of the older threads.

4. How are GSP's with cold weather?

My oldest hates the cold, but my two youngsters don't mind it a bit.  Give her some time as she is still a puppy.  Take her out and play with her and she will get to where she likes it. 

That is fantastic!!  Both of you will love puppy class.

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We have a nice fenced in yard.  So, I let her out or go outside with her. She always does something outside and I praise her.

If she pees inside, I do the same thing..let her out for a bit and she still pee's again outside.  Its not like the inside peeing is little either..its like a full size puppy pee...

I think you need to be patient just a little longer.  Ringo, who is now 7 mos old, had accidents like you are describing for what seemed like forever to me (up until about 4 mos), then it was like a light bulb went off and he was fine.  You are doing all the right things. Some dogs just take longer than others.

The only thing I might add is be sure you clean up where she is peeing with something like vinegar and water, or Resolve, etc so it kills the smell of pee.  If you don't she may be smelling where she has gone before and peeing in those same general spots.