JMejeur
Posts:6
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| 03/12/2013 7:47 AM |
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i have 2, 6 month old GSP's that im seriously considering sending off to get trained to be duck dogs. i was wondering if anybody on here has had success with their GSP as a duck dog. most people look at me like im crazy when i say that i want them to be duck dogs. but ive also heard that some people have had GSP's as amazing duck dogs. |
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JMejeur
Posts:6
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| 03/12/2013 7:51 AM |
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also, my male GSP is about 60-65 lbs, hes not over weight, just a big boy. i was also wondering if thats abnormally big for a gsp? my female on the other hand is about 40 lbs. |
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everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:3166
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| 03/12/2013 8:28 AM |
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Can't answer on the duck-hunting as we don't hunt with ours'.
Our boy is 70 pounds and you can just see his back ribs. He is a perfect weight for his size. Our girl is around 40 pounds and is very lean. I think 40 pounds is a bit light for most girls, but ours' would look chunky if she had more weight on her. She is very petite. 60 to 65 (and even 70 pounds) is fine for a boy, depending on his frame. |
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Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7851
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| 03/12/2013 9:00 AM |
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I know allot of the NAVDHA folks train their dogs to retrieve ducks and see know reason why shorthairs wouldn't be wonderful duck dogs. They are great swimmers and retrievers and the German's did breed them to be versatile. Hopefully someone who does NAVDHA or the German program will see this and respond.
As for size, my boy is also 65 lbs and is a tad over average for shorthair males. He too is a big boy. |
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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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JMejeur
Posts:6
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| 03/12/2013 10:04 AM |
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Posted By Texas Belle on 03/12/2013 9:00 AM
I know allot of the NAVDHA folks train their dogs to retrieve ducks and see know reason why shorthairs wouldn't be wonderful duck dogs. They are great swimmers and retrievers and the German's did breed them to be versatile. Hopefully someone who does NAVDHA or the German program will see this and respond.
As for size, my boy is also 65 lbs and is a tad over average for shorthair males. He too is a big boy.
how old? my male is only 6 months old at 65 lbs. he still hasnt grown into his paws, or his body really, hes kinda clumsy. ive seen some GSP's get up to 80-90 lbs. again, not over weight, they were just big dogs. im really interested to see how big he finally ends up when hes full grown. now my female on the other hand is 6 months as well and only 45 lbs, and shes really agile. im pretty excited to get them trained as duck dogs. im actually sending them off thursday or friday for 4 months. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7851
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| 03/12/2013 10:31 AM |
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| My male is full grown at 4 years old and is 65 lbs. So I am guessing your boy will put on more muscle weight, but may not get much taller. How big was the sire and dam? that is your best indicator of size. I know a few of the puppies from my last litter that were the biggest have ended up being the smallest dogs in the litter, but they all stayed around the size of the parents. When I say my boy is on the big side, I am referring to the standard for shorthairs. There are shorthairs that are outside the standard, but most breeders try to stay within the standard when breeding. The AKC standard can be found at the GSPCA website. There are also standards for other registries, FCI and UKC, but the size standard is pretty close between them all. |
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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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JMejeur
Posts:6
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| 03/12/2013 10:36 AM |
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i gotcha. well back to my first question. i was wondering yalls opinion GSP's as duck dogs. and if yall have had success with them? |
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MOOSE1
Fruitport, MI
MH
Posts:1789
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| 03/12/2013 12:34 PM |
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| We use our GSP's for waterfowl hunting all the time. Goose and duck. I can't be near a body of water or my female jumps in and swims and swims everywhere. I think I would say at their age if you are going to do upland hunting as well run them in the upland stuff to get some good hard pointing skills established and also let them play and get comfortable in the water with thinks like bumpers and birds but don't push the retriever work too hard too fast.They are very smart and versatile dogs. |
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pixie bee
MH
Posts:4452
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| 03/12/2013 1:56 PM |
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Regarding the weight, 65lbs @ 6 months does seem big,but how big are the parents,are there big dogs in his pedigree?
Regarding the duck retrieving, only problem you may encounter is a calmness issue.
But if you are sending them off to a good retriever trainer this may not be an issue.
We don't duck hunt, we only hunt ponds as we come across them. The dogs do break ice. You may need to have them wear a vest depending on your location.
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"Time with my dogs clears my mind, renews my faith, and lets me see the world as it is. My only regret loving dogs as I do, is the misery of their early departure." Robert G. Wehle
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Shorthairs4ever
Posts:12
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| 03/12/2013 3:22 PM |
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My GSP is almost 2, and I took her duck hunting twice a couple of months ago. She hasn't had any formal training, but she's a natural retriever and I work with her when I can.
The biggest issue I ran into was getting her to sit next to the blind and be still....... especially when ducks were in the air. One morning the temp was around freezing and it was sleeting and after a while she didn't want to retrieve when a dead duck hit the water.
I'd be willing to bet yours would make good duck dogs if you're serious about the training. It's tough to beat a lab as a duck dog, but I bet a well trained GSP would come close. |
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Mareezee
Los Angeles, CA
SH
Posts:50
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| 03/12/2013 4:09 PM |
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| Regarding the weight of your boy; My female GSP is about 75lbs, maybe more now at 9 months. You can see her ribs, so she's not overweight, she's just a big girl. She still has more filling out to do, so i don't know how much more weight she'll be gaining. She is definitely not show material! She gave that up when she hit 65lbs at 6 months also... |
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DuckFever
Central Oregon
MH
Posts:321
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| 03/13/2013 9:35 AM |
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Okay, here's my two cents that I always put in when this topic arises: GSPs were bred to point, track and RETRIEVE all types of game. There is something wrong if a GSP does not retrieve. It should be as natural as pointing, if the genetics are what they should be. These were all ducks that were retrieved out of water at ages from 6.5 months to 9 months. No professional training. He saw the ducks fall and swam out to get them:
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The worst day of hunting is better than the best day at work. |
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JMejeur
Posts:6
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| 03/13/2013 9:37 AM |
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the dam is about 50 lbs, and the sire is about 60. and my female is from the same litter, and shes about 45 lbs. |
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calsh
Posts:2
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| 03/15/2013 5:32 PM |
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Hi, new to the forum, been lurking for a while. I hade a male (passed away two years ago), just a wonderful dog, he was 75 lbs and not fat, a real athlelete.
Just adopted a little guy, 8 weeks, first vet check yesterday and he weighed 12 lbs, I think he's going to be a big guy.
If so he'll be competition for my 7 year old femal, she's 55 lbs and not heavy, just right. |
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JMejeur
Posts:6
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| 03/18/2013 8:28 AM |
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Posted By calsh on 03/15/2013 5:32 PM
Hi, new to the forum, been lurking for a while. I hade a male (passed away two years ago), just a wonderful dog, he was 75 lbs and not fat, a real athlelete.
Just adopted a little guy, 8 weeks, first vet check yesterday and he weighed 12 lbs, I think he's going to be a big guy.
If so he'll be competition for my 7 year old femal, she's 55 lbs and not heavy, just right.
thats exactly how much my male weighed at 8 weeks, 12 lbs.
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DuckFever
Central Oregon
MH
Posts:321
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| 03/18/2013 2:08 PM |
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| My male was 13 pounds at 9 weeks and is 50 pounds at a year old... |
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The worst day of hunting is better than the best day at work. |
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