When I first set the date to retire I decided it was time to think about getting a bird dog pup. It has been many years since I had the time to train a pup and it would be a good way to help stay in shape. Though I once raised English Setters and still have a soft spot for them, the absolute best gun dog I ever had was a German Shorthair so that's the route I went.

I'm not a fan of the usual haphazard backyard breeder found locally, so did quite a bit of research and checked on testimonials as well as several calls to the breeder I settled on. This included a trip to check out his dogs and facilities. I initially picked my pup out at two weeks and picked him up this last Saturday. The breeder insists on only original German lines that have proven themselves in multiple versatile/ hunting disciplines, are calm and close hunters. This also results in substantial bone and muscle. All of his dogs are proven hunters and possess natural drive. I had not known that black/roan Shorthairs existed but soon learned that they not only are acceptable, but are sought after in many circles in Canada and Europe. Since I'm sort of like the old cowboy when asked about his horse's papers replied, "Hell, I don't ride papers!", I don't hunt colors. More important to me is bloodlines and genetics. All of the breeder's dogs and pups are AKC registered and hip-tested...that works for me.

8 weeks



Checking things out



First retrieve - first try

He is one cute looking pup mate, what did you call him. I reckon he will grow into a very capable (so long as you do your bit) and good looking dog. He has very solid looking legs and shoulders, so I reckon he will be a strong dog. I look forward to following his exploits.

As an aside, you know you will probably have Stovey green with envy if you start getting quail early in his training.

Very nice looking dog. Those are great pictures, thanks for sharing. All the best...
Gil

hunting close???? I can only recommend to keep a German shorthair long time on the line. Remember: it's easier to give him more freedom than to try and keep him closer once he knows where to look for game... Don't worry about his nose, he'll probably point you faisants at distances even Stovey's long barrel is too short...

And that's a fine looking pup that can give you lots of fun for many years. Don't forget to allow him to be young and he will give you the rest of his life afterwards.

have fun!

best of luck with the new bundle of joy. look forward to seeing progress.

Name is Scout. When I mentioned close-hunting I was referring to non-tournament dogs...those not inheriting the drive to race out a quarter mile before starting to hunt. Many Field Trial lines have such a drive to the extent that it can never really be changed. I like a close-hunting dog because the main game bird here is pheasant. They are hunted hard enough that they don't hold long on points. Hunting acreage is limited too, so I don't want a dog that exhausts the given area and then moves onto other properties. I like Shorthairs because of the dense cover most of my area has. Setters just wear out in a couple hours or so but I've never worn out a Shorthair.

Just a question: I live in a country without any dangerous snakes (except in a zoo or so), the only dangerous thing we have here are the wild boars and even they aren't (yet) in our hunting area. But I'm always wondering: what do you do out there to prevent your dogs for snake-bites?


SSL, you're right to keep your hunting dog far away from these field trials. Maybe 1 exception: the first test when they are young (Jugend Prüfung) but even that you'll soon know without all these testing.

Though we do have the occasional rattlesnake in my area, they are rare enough that it is nearly impossible to figure valid precautions. Luckily the majority of our hunting seasons occur after snakes have hibernated. Other areas of the US have considerable snake populations and I have often wondered what they do. In my area the biggest threat is an increasing boldness of coyote packs. I've heard stories of hunting dogs being ambushed. My home property has a variety of wildlife that passes through at night and have had coyotes challenge me with howls from across the road when outside at night. My cure... .45ACP or S&W 629 on my hip when I take the pup out at night and .22/250 on snowy winter days!

Good looking dog, nice and curious to his surrounding too be the look of it.

Very nice, don't know anything about hunting with dogs. But, he looks great.

Germans are favoured here for ptarmigan although I have't hunted over one myself. I have hunted pheasant and I understand what you mean about them not holding long. They sure love to run. Nice looking pup.

Now that is a purty pup!

I think you have a winner! That is when he grows into that head and those feet.

Yeah, he has some catching up to do. His sire weighs about 95 pounds of heavy bone and iron-hard muscle. I'm hoping he finishes a bit less than that, but it really doesn't matter as long as he is in proportion. My vet pointed out the heavy leg joints and bone mass for his age and said that he shouldn't have issues as he gets older as long as he gets plenty of exercise and good nutrition. He's getting plenty of both.

Great looking pup SingleShotLover
Hope you have many fun hunting days
There is something special about backing up the point on pheasant
I have only shot over a black and white once and it was one of the hardest working dogs I have ever seen and it kept wanting to hunt


[quote="Aloysius"]Just a question: I live in a country without any dangerous snakes (except in a zoo or so), the only dangerous thing we have here are the wild boars and even they aren't (yet) in our hunting area. But I'm always wondering: what do you do out there to prevent your dogs for snake-bites?

Only hunt the colder months, but have heard of blokes coming home from work [when its warmer] to find their companion dead in their pens from snake bite.
Train them to stay clear of snakes but this has limited success in thick areas