His name is Cooper, Coop for short. A house is really a home when you have a dog, and anyone who has ever had the pleasure of rearing a hunting dog knows this best. With a hunting dog there is a more of a partnership between owner and dog, unlike with non-sporting breeds. When the talk in my house turned to dogs it took some persuading that a hunting dog would be a good idea. I have experience with gun dogs and in particular German Shorthair Pointers or GSPs. I knew their personalities and abilities. When you are at the stage of making a decision on what breed to choose it makes a pile of sense to do some research. The
AKC categories Coop, and GSPs, in the sporting group. They are versatile hunting dogs meaning they are happy either in the field or water. So ask yourself what type of hunting you will most do and start to narrow you selection of breed from their. Another question you need to ask yourself is whether the dog will live in your house or outside in a kennel. The GSP breed is very much a social dog and Coop is no exception. Indoors he is calm as calm can be and wants to be in the same room as people. He sits in your lap or lies with his back against you to have that people contact. He is as affectionate as you could ever want a dog without the frenetic licking off some breeds. Since must of my hunting is in the field and the dog would live in the house the GSP was a natural choice. And I equate GSPs with GPSs when it comes to finding birds. Another requisite with any gun dog is space. Coop is a fierce runner and loves to play catch, he needs to be exercised or else he will become something a whirling devil if left indoors too long. He needs to be walked and walked a lot. Just think of what will become of your waistline after the miles you’ll put in. Typically we walk Coop at least two miles per day and our yard is large enough for him to get his wiggles out. In posting to come, you can follow Coop through his home training as well as his bird dog training.
Comments
What an adorable puppy. Seriously, people have to stop posting the adorable puppy pictures because now I want one.
Posted by: kristine shreve | January 2, 2008 10:42 AM
Cute, cute dog. I am such a dog lover.
I had Brittany Spaniels growing up and have many fond memories of pheasant hunting with them when I was a teenager.
I have a White German Shepherd now and although I dont have a hunting dog anymore it is still something else to have a dog in your life.
Looking forward to seeing how his progress goes!
Posted by: Arthur | January 3, 2008 06:54 PM
Thanks for the nice comments. My wife went from not wanting a dog at all to wanting a pair--one in white and one in liver. She already has the name picked out, too.
Posted by: robert | January 3, 2008 09:05 PM
Just found your site via Pat the Terrierman. It looks like it'll become a frequent destination. If you come by our blog, you'll see we have vizslas for bird-location and armchair occupation purposes.
Coop is a beautiful boy. Good luck!
Andrew
Posted by: Andrew | January 23, 2008 07:32 AM
Great looking pup! I fell in love with my GSP over 10 yrs. ago now and he has been nothing short of wonderful. Your comments on the breed as both a family member as well as a loyal companion in the field are so true. I dread the day that I loose my boy and as the yrs. pass, I think more and more about that dreaded day!
All the best with your new friend ~
Eric
Posted by: Eric Ellefson | July 7, 2008 09:39 AM
I love my pointers but my stepdad took them to SIXA they can be seperated if anyone want two german shorthaired pointers please go there they need a good home
Posted by: Ali | February 4, 2009 05:59 PM
I accidentally adopted a GSP puppy from the rescue center 13 years ago (they didn't know what she was). She truly became a family member. Best dog a guy could ever ask for...a little crazy at 1st, but she calmed down. I had to put her to sleep just before XMas...the saddest day of my life. I still get said looking at pics of GSP's. Good luck w/the puppy! I hope he ends up as awesome as Mocha was.
Posted by: Jay | February 26, 2009 02:49 PM
i have a german short hair pointer, his name is sprocket he is a good dog!!
your pup is so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: christi drake | March 3, 2009 03:51 PM
Hey dude, I love your site. With the abundance of misinformation about dogs on the web, it's great to see some refreshing content. Keep up the good work!
Posted by: The Dog Training Guy | January 10, 2010 10:28 PM