procall28
Stanton Michigan
Posts:9
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| 01/12/2008 5:52 PM |
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I am going to pick up a Shorthair tomorrow from a family who cant keep her any longer. She is 5 years old. Comes with a radio fence system. We have had dogs in the past, over the last five years we had to put our Beagle and our Chow down due to very old age.
Is there anything special I should know about this breed? I have done some reading and asking around. It sems to be a good fit for our family. But any advice would be greately appreciated.
Thanks for your time |
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Hogan
Wisconsin
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Posts:510
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| 01/13/2008 6:50 AM |
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Congrats on your new dog.
Be prepared for "excercise" |
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High Voltage
MH
Posts:131
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| 01/13/2008 7:20 AM |
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| I know a lot of people say they are hyper dogs that need a lot of exercise but that is not always the case. We have 3 shorthairs. We do not exercise them daily. Ours are house dogs, but are in an outside kennel/run when we are at work. When I get home I turn them loose in our fenced pasture and they rush up and start eating rabbit and deer droppings. After 5 min or so We head to the house. I do try to take them some place where they can run at least one weekend day if we are not hunting. Our dogs are clam in the house and tear it up in the fields. We also have the wireless fence and love it.I know several others who have shorthairs that are the same way, it's all in the breeding. I would ask the people who are giving her up how much exercise they give her. Congrats on your new dog. Please post pictures! |
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Pointer Fan
Westminster, Colorado
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Posts:954
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| 01/13/2008 7:47 PM |
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| You need to know that they are probably one of the most versatile, loving, fun and goofy dogs that you can find. Your life is going to get more interesting. |
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Ranger
Wisconsin
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Posts:168
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| 01/14/2008 6:55 PM |
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Ditto on High Voltage's opinion. We were warned and warned "Oh, if you get a German Shorthair you'd better have a runner in the family as they are HIGH energy!".
Our Ranger, who we just adopted this fall at age 6 (or so) is the most laid back dog I have ever seen. I'm not exaggerating to say he spends 75% of his indoor time in a full horizontal position. Outdoors he likes to poke around and can run really fast, and he enjoys our walks which are usually 1-2 miles most days. However, I have not noticed a major "hyper" outbreak if we don't get out for a walk on any given day.
Every dog is different so you may be surprised at how little maintenance your gal may need.
Post some photos! |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
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Posts:7839
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| 01/14/2008 10:20 PM |
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So I have one of each type of shorthair. My oldest, Belle, is the most layed back dog I have ever seen. Even at 10 weeks she was very calm and mature, or as we like to joke "she was born old." She is also very intelligent, and I have noticed that she expends the minimum amount of energy needed for what ever she does. This is sometimes challenging for me as the trainer in obedience. By the way Belle is 4 years old.
My youngest is just the opposite. When she was a pup she got what we called the crazy Halos (her name is Halo) where she would zoom around like a mad dog. We noticed this was especially a problem as she got tired. I would grab her and make her lay down and she would fall asleep in seconds. Now that she is two she has matured considerably, but she still gets the crazy Halos once in a while. She too is really smart, but her attention span is much shorter than Belle's attention span, which sometimes makes training in obedience a challenge.
So, I think the message here is each GSP is different, but guaranteed they are all smart and as entertaining as any dog I have ever owned. I love both types of GSPs.
Have fun with your GSP!!
Bev and the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo) |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
   
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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unowhoandwhy
Middleofnowhere, NH
MH
Posts:1805
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| 01/15/2008 11:28 AM |
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| Best of luck with your new shorthair. Five is a WONDERFUL age to get one, because they still have tons of energy & life in them, but it does become possible to tire them out, even the really hyper ones. I have two, my male is 5 and the female I just adopted is 2, and I absolutely adore them. You won't find better, more loving & lovable dogs anywhere. |
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Daniel Yankee Flyer - 8/2002
Lady Layla - 1/2006 |
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procall28
Stanton Michigan
Posts:9
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| 01/15/2008 4:50 PM |
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It's me......... The new dog guy. So first off, I would love to put some pics on here, but I guess I don't know how. I must be too backwoods Michigan to figure it out. 
Anyway, we have had Dixie at our house not for three days. And oh what a hoot and a half! We have had a beagle, and a chow as a family, and I have had two Basenji before I met my wife. And I can honestly say this dog is the most hilarious I have ever had. She is a clown. But she is also the most willing to please dog we have owned. Incredibly lovable, always looking for hugs and kisses (which my two boys adore). She seems to always want to be a part of what is going on from watching TV to bath time to surfing the net. She is so gentle with my boys, and she was that way from the second she came home. She is the most docile dog when she is indoors. But the second we turn her outside, she is ALL hunting dog! Sniffing, digging under the shed, running like the wind! I swear one day she is going to run straight up the side of one of those trees after the coons. Last night before bed, I let her out one last time, and there happened to be a coon spelunking around the trashcan. I guess I didn’t realize I had a coon dog, but in the blink of an eye, she had it growling down at us from the top of that pine. So I have learned to look around a little better before I turn her out after dark. And she is an awesome watchdog. There isn't a single thing that gets by her. AWSOME!!!!
I don’t think we could be any luckier that we are with this dog. Perfect combination of calm and playfulness. Thank you so much to everyone who responded. I want to learn as much as possible about this wonderful breed of dog. I could go on and on about her antics, but I’m sure you all know about what they do.
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unowhoandwhy
Middleofnowhere, NH
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Posts:1805
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| 01/16/2008 9:04 AM |
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I am happy to hear that she fits in so well, congratulations! They are definitely good family dogs and are hell on small fuzzy critters. Mine let themselves get mauled by my sister's toddlers without a word of protest every time they visit. ![<img src=]() " align="absMiddle" border="0" src="/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/blue/emoticons/smile.gif" /> and bring home lots of mice, squirrels & other rodents for me.
As far as pictures, you should sign up for a photo hosting service online (I think we probably all agree that http://www.photobucket.com is the easiest) and upload your pictures there. Then you can post the pictures... like this:
which looks like (without the spaces) [ I M G ]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v512/unowhoandwhy/animals/0712170030B.jpg [ / I M G ]
That's my rescued GSP being "killed" by her "big brother" by the way.  |
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Daniel Yankee Flyer - 8/2002
Lady Layla - 1/2006 |
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procall28
Stanton Michigan
Posts:9
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| 01/16/2008 4:15 PM |
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procall28
Stanton Michigan
Posts:9
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| 01/16/2008 4:16 PM |
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procall28
Stanton Michigan
Posts:9
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| 01/16/2008 4:17 PM |
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procall28
Stanton Michigan
Posts:9
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| 01/16/2008 4:21 PM |
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| Hey, there she is! Those three pictures up there, Thats our Dixie! We went out for about an hour this afternoon after work. Such a snowy dog. |
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gsp_lab
AL
SH
Posts:46
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| 01/16/2008 10:48 PM |
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She's very pretty!!! I love the liver saddle. Is she small?
They are a hoot, indeed and will really keep you on your toes. Very, very smart--they need lots of stimulation, otherwise they will make their own "fun". I can see her now in the yard. My husband calls it WFO--wide f---ng open.
Both Salley and Zipper were rescues (Zip is a GSP/Lab Mix and Salley is GSP) It took them quite awhile to adapt to their new surroundings but they are so much fun. So, even though your new baby is doing well, expect her personality to come out EVEN MORE over the next several weeks and months.  |
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procall28
Stanton Michigan
Posts:9
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| 01/17/2008 6:22 AM |
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Hello all,
Well, she stands about 23-24 inches high at her back, I think she is a good size but my wife thinks she isn’t really that big. She gets to go to the vet today, and have a check up and have her nails done. That should be an adventure. It doesn’t seem like it’s only been five days with her here. She seems to have fit in so easily. She is a happy dog, and a good dog. She is so gentle with my two year old. He has a habit of walking up behind her (we are trying to get him to understand that’s not such a nice thing to do) but even if she is startled, she hasn’t once gotten upset. And last night she jumped up into bed with my six year old. He thought that was the coolest ever! Our other dogs never seemed to have her personality. We loved them all, but she is very different. The Basenjis always seemed to be trying to get away with something and preferred to be alone. The beagle and chow loved attention and always wanted to be a pert of everything, but they were on the older side and weren’t the playful type. Dixie is always around, and loves to play, and loves to lay and cuddle just as much. She is such a happy dog. And it seems she likes my old wool Army blanket
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Pointer Fan
Westminster, Colorado
MH
Posts:954
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| 01/17/2008 8:57 AM |
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| We have had 3 gsps over 30+ years. Both boys were raised with them and even with all the kids in the neighborhood I never had so much as a nip out of them. Oh yes they are great cookie thieves but very gentle and snealky about it. Now when the grandkids come from out of state Molly is very gentle with them even though she was not raised with children. I see her tail is not docked----very unusual. She looks like a very nice dog. |
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procall28
Stanton Michigan
Posts:9
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| 01/17/2008 10:36 AM |
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Just got back from the vet. She weighs 60lbs. Vet said she is very healthy. Adn offered to take her off our hands. ;-)
I asked her about the tail as well, she said some people dock them and some dont. I am not sure how her previous family aquired her, so I'm not sure why they left her tail long. But you are right, she is an absolute doll. |
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wgspr rescue
Milwaukee, WI
MH
Posts:630
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| 01/17/2008 10:47 AM |
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| Whatta pretty girl. Personally, I like her tail, makes her unique! At that age, it's considered amputation and can be a messy and long heal time. I'd leave it alone at this point. Why traumatize her? |
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Lisa C. Rossman
WI GSP Rescue, Inc (wgspr.com)
"Until there are none, rescue just one!"
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Diamond
Southwestern Ontario
MH
Posts:349
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| 01/18/2008 1:54 PM |
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She has a tail! *laughs* I think gsp's with tails look so cool ha ha you get so used to them not having them you forget what they look like
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procall28
Stanton Michigan
Posts:9
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| 01/18/2008 4:07 PM |
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| There sure seems to be a whole bunch of people who say that about her tail. It must be odd. She has really settled right in. The vet was very pleased how she acted when she got her nails cut. The vet got one a little short and it bled, but Dixie didn’t fuss at all. We love her so much, and I like her tail the way it is. It's funny how natural it is for her foot to come up and her tail to go out when she finds something that she wants to investigate. She has that classic regal pose that I always think of those bird dogs having. And I almost feel bad how easily she came to us. We weren’t really looking for a Short hair, and we didn’t get her from a rescue. Although she may have ended up in one, but anyway. I think people who try to rescue a specific breed have a hard time sometimes.... I don't know I guess.... But I sure do feel lucky. |
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