GSP Breeders

[AspenBud]

GSP breeder of the year for AKC is in washington, Foxglove kennells, There's also Real Dog kennells who has GSPs ,Scott Chavez.I have it firsthand from a fella who has trained some real dog offsprings that they are great hunting dogs and super super easy to train.

Foxglove has a litter due this month and next. Last I heard they were taking deposits on both.

Real Dog's dogs were featured on American Gun Dog and I think the host of the show eventually bought a pup from them too.

[constructeur]

Now is when I'd be burning fuel to get out to tests and kennels and watch dogs work. Everyone says their dogs are the best/biddable/easy to live with, if you have a chance though, chat a few wives up and you'll hear who is a PITA to live with and who isn't 

Find out what's the difference in AKC vs. NAVHDA/VHDF vs. NSTRA and how it meshes with your hunting style....or not.

What size of GSP do you want? Where do white GSP's come from? How about black spots? Mother lines? What's a DK and what does that have to do with a GSP?

Does the kennel OFA, CERF, etc. their dogs? If not why not? If there is a training issue down the road will the kennel be willing to help you out (As best they can) or will you be asked to drive the dog back to the kennel and pay a tall fee so that it can be 'assessed'? (GWP breeder in Idaho pulls this crap...)

Anyhow, those are just a few things that would be jammin' through my brain housing unit if'n I were any of you. Have fun with the 'journey' 

[salmonchaser]

There are a number of events going on this summer, get out and watch some dogs work, that was excellent advice. I love them, we have two. They are not perfect but they love to hunt and do it well.
You haven't lived until your dog points a grizz, that gets exciting.
Good luck, perhaps we will bump into you chukar hunting.

[Elk whack master]

Thanks for the info on what to look for. This will be our first gsp. It needs to be a great family dog and I know its gonna be a crap shoot in temperament, they all say great temperament and raised with the family. How bad can their temperament if its on the worst side. Its all about training them,right  

[constructeur]

Temperament shouldn't be a crap shoot. There are dogs that will be hell on feathers, yet be cool as cucumbers in the house. No fighting with other dogs, No yarding on the wife and kids when they're on a walk, no howlin' like a devil when on a chain or in the crate.

A couple of the things mentioned above can be solved with heel training, or a bark collar (Garmin has integrated a bark collar into some of their stuff, nice for overly vocal dogs), but my point is if you can get a dog that doesn't need that from the get go your family unit will be better for it.

I'm not sure where you live but we have a NAVHDA test this coming weekend May15-17th, if you attend you'll see shorthairs from at least 4 different breeders. it's in Silver creek near Mayfield Lake.

Directions: http://www.pnwnavhda.org/

May 30-31st VHDF is having a test in the Elma area: http://www.vhdf.org/index.cfm/testing/calendar-of-events/ If you e-mail Barry Wild he'll tell you what is running  and where/when so you can make the most of your time

There are a number of AKC events coming up, (kind of hard to sort them out sometimes) many are held on the Koopman Farms property in Oakville, Wa. I just check all the AKC club sites (Puget sound visla, weim club, shorthair club, and compile a list of dates and go from there.)

GSPC of Wa: http://www.gspcofwa.org/

Visla club: http://www.pugetsoundvizsla.net/

you can find the rest if you're keen...

Or just e-mail a kennel and tell them you'd like to visit and watch some dogs move around. Take the whole crew, make a fun day of it. 101 out of 100 kids like to go look at puppies and dogs and pigeons and stuff (If they don't then they're either robots, aliens, or some sort of midget spies...trust me here)

Some folks above have suggested kennels that breed for trailing and I couldn't suggest buying a dog like that without watching the parents work to know what you're truly getting into. They are lightning quick, ALWAYS want to work, smart (devilish?!? and seem to pull energy from the thin air around them.

No, I'm not kidding.

 I have a dog from a trialing background and he seems to never be satiated with running. Today we ran across a group of Killdeer and he broke off and caught one mid flight. Yeah, that fast.

But he's also biddable, fun, loving and otherwise a complete joy to be around and one damn handsome mother...

Do what you can/afford to do/works with your schedule; my jist is to just throw an eyeball on some dogs before you spend $800-1200 and pick a family member that will be with you for the next 12+ years.

[AspenBud]

Some folks above have suggested kennels that breed for trailing and I couldn't suggest buying a dog like that without watching the parents work to know what you're truly getting into. They are lightning quick, ALWAYS want to work, smart (devilish?!? and seem to pull energy from the thin air around them.

No, I'm not kidding.

 I have a dog from a trialing background and he seems to never be satiated with running. Today we ran across a group of Killdeer and he broke off and caught one mid flight. Yeah, that fast.

But he's also biddable, fun, loving and otherwise a complete joy to be around and one damn handsome mother...

Do what you can/afford to do/works with your schedule; my jist is to just throw an eyeball on some dogs before you spend $800-1200 and pick a family member that will be with you for the next 12+ years.

I make this statement partly in bias, but if a person is serious about looking at field trial shorthairs for a hunting partner they would do well to look at English Pointers as well. 

[salmonchaser]

I'm just a recreational shorthair guy, had them around for 40 years. Simply love hunting with them, living with them. We were with out for a few years and now have two two year old bitches.
I've never owned one that wasn't incredibly fast and agile, with incredible endurance.
All have been great family dogs, my dog often lays on her bed with my granddaughter.
Smart, scary smart. They are not allowed on the furniture by the wife. If she goes to bed early, they wait about five minutes, jump up on the couch and put their heads in my lap.  They have taught themselves how to hunt together in spite of my efforts to screw them up. This fall my guests killed fifty or sixty ptarmigan, about that many, chukar, quite a few quail and well over 100 pheasant and a few ducks in three states. I insisted they learn to heel and recall with out exception and I'll correct a sloppy point. I usually let them tell me where the birds are instead of directing with hand signals they would rather ignore. My dog will honor the wife's dog, but not vice versa, we're working on it but self taught to this point.
Subject to training scars. My dog's first point and retrieve was a ptarmigan at 6 months. My brothers dog knocked her down and took the bird. She still won't retrieve with my brothers dog around.
Bold and courageous. I guide out in Bristol Bay. Twice last summer we got jumped by grizz in camp. She tore into both those bears because I was in danger, as I moved to safety she withdrew. It's rare the bears surprise us, unusual wind the culprit. Normally the dogs alert, we figure out what the bear is doing and get them out of camp. Under those circumstances she is never more then 10 feet away. Smart.
Have fun

[Forks]

Barry Wild---Hoodsport
Ron Loomis---Montana Bird Dogs Kalispell, MT

[RC3]

Barry Wild, that Forks mentioned has a litter ready to go this week and I couldn't say enough good things about him or his dogs.

[KFhunter]

tag

[Elk whack master]

Can you pm Barry's info please