Hello everyone, new guy here.  I joined this forum to try to learn some things about my dog.  I have a GSP named Buck.  He's 8 years old.  He is out of Miller's Gun Dogs in Knobnoster, Mo.  I got the dog about a year and a half ago.  Someone my dad new was getting divorced, long story short I ended up with Buck.  I run and train labs, but I don't know the first thing about pointers, although I've pheasant hunted all my life.  When I got him he was in terrible condition.  Bone thin, heartworms, dull coat, long nails, dull eyes.  Just pitiful.  My best friend is a vet, so he is now in top notch condition.  As it turns out, he's a hunting machine.  He was trained on horseback, so keeping him close requires some attention, but it's not too bad. 

What I am wondering is what to command him.  When he goes on point, I just tell him "whoa" and I go up beside him and flush the pheasant or quail or whatever.  I shoot it, and he retrives it back to my hand.  He won't sit, laydown or any other basic OB commands.  When I tell him to heel, he kinda just stops in place, but doesn't touch my left leg like my lab does.  I only run an E collar on him while hunting, otherwise he runs way to wide.  I sense that this dog is really awesome, I just want to make sure I'm not leaving out important commands/training etc. out of my own ignorance.  I don't want to waste his potential, is what I'm getting at.  Thank you for any help.

Joe.

Joe, welcome to the GSP message board. You can read under the training  thread and other threads what some of us GSP owners go thur training our pointers. That may help. Also Gun Dog magazine has a section exclusive to Pointer training. In one issue I read a Pointer Trainer said that the sit stay command was the last command taught to a pointer as in upland bird hunting sit and stay is very minimal or nonexistent for a Pointer. A study was done on Labs and Pointers during a pheasant hunt. For every one mile the Lab traveled in the hunt , the GSP went 2.5miles. So you can see the higher level of energy the GSP has compared to the Labs. I would work on keeping your Pointer within your shooting range. ( "whoa" command) using a check cord.  Good thing when your Pointer is locked on Point, you will have time to go where the dog is pointing and have the dog flush the bird up. You shoot and have your GSP retrieve the bird back to you. Sounds like he is a great hunter GSP already. And I am sure there are other great pheasant hunters on this message board who can give you more professional advice. Good Luck and Welcome