Pointers/HPRs

[levigsp]

Cheers guys, very interesting reading! I’ll have a good look around and try and source a good breeder. I imagine if I focus hard on the retrieving it shouldn’t be a problem, any dog can fetch? Good to hear all the feedback and by the sounds of it, every dog has its quirks. Same as any breed you go for I suppose, no two are the same



What made you get one from Europe out of interest? Great photos!

Simply because some breeders in the UK are producing mad house dogs, as can be seen from some replies on this thread. I have never had a gsp that had to have exercise! I walk them and if its raining I don't and they sleep, infact I would say they are laid back and I've owned, Russel's, Lurchers, Labs, Spaniels, etc. One other thing retrieving is natural to them, its bred into the work lines, you just need to polish it.

 

[Dunwaters]

Cheers guys! Appreciate the feedback.

Have you noticed any benefit with docked or non docked tails? Wouldn’t have a spaniel without one but is it as big an issue on the pointers?

Happy to hear of any recommended breeders as well. Or do they tend to be more individual litters?

Cheers!

I have a GSP bitch going on 4 years of age, she's my 7th. She will indicate and find a shot deer, hunt point and retrieve and she's still field trialing.
On the down side they tend to be slow to mature, an 18 month old hpr is about where a 12 month old springer or lab would be and their coat isn't great in cold wet conditions, all mine have been great family dogs and not aggressive with other dogs.
Tail docking is probably a good idea if you rough shoot or work it in heavy cover. Most dogs have a lot of tail action and the last 1/3 can get badly damaged, I've seen a few that needed amputations and some others needed a lot of down time during the season to heal. Normal dock is to cut to 2/3, ie, leave that much.
As you might have gathered I love them, graceful, athletic, handsome and a good point is one of the prettiest sights in field sports, sort of ruined me for labs and spaniels.

 

[James0586]

View attachment 133890
My youngest GSP On a pheasant last night..
On the whining issue mentioned above.. Be very careful as a lot can get get from my experience.
I did a grouse test the other week and half the gallery... GSP HWV GWP... were singing like a choir

Beautiful looking dog

 

[countrryboy]

Cheers guys, very interesting reading! I’ll have a good look around and try and source a good breeder. I imagine if I focus hard on the retrieving it shouldn’t be a problem, any dog can fetch? Good to hear all the feedback and by the sounds of it, every dog has its quirks. Same as any breed you go for I suppose, no two are the same





It will all depend on the individual dog.
I know a few hpr trainers and they always use FF to train a dog to retrieve.


Most off the smooth coated hpr breeds do often struggle with water and cold. And that is a physical thing which can't be helped
Not sure if training or breed as most decent dog folks will swim, think more about how u introduce them but seen an awful lot that won't.
But if u speak to any old FT boys there's plenty off good stories about dogs refusing the water test, or handlers chucking stones or even dogs into the water.

IF the bulk FF my shooting was wildfowling I wouldn't entertain an hpr breed, plenty off breeds actually breed for that job.
If u want something a bit different try a cheesie, flatty, golden or IWS.
Even a poodle might be easier to train for that than an hpr
If they have a nose, which they still have to have for wildfowling just a case of training them for the deer also.

 

[spiker76]

Theres nothing like having a GSP go on point whilst stalking !!!!!

 

[Dan Newcombe]

Slightly on a tangent but why do you guys reckon that a HPR will help to shoot more deer than say a lab?

Honest question, we have labs and I've found that they will indicate deer but all in different ways, with the pointers is it simply because they will properly point deer?

 

[Uncle Norm]

My Labrador bitch will indicate deer ahead by lifting her head, looking up at me then back at the scent until she knows that I have noticed. Not a point as such but does the job. She never makes a murmur when out. I have tried to get her to bark when she finds the deer but no way will she do so.

Much to my amazement she will bite the neck hard if the deer is still alive otherwise she is soft mouthed and does a bit of picking up for a local small shoot.
Her biggest failing is that I have to watch her like a hawk when searching off the lead in heavy cover, because if the deer is dead, she will not stay with the carcass.

Yesterday evening, as the light failed, I got a call from one of our members for help with a lost Muntjac. He had marked the strike spot very well, so put Ruby onto it and off she went into the undergrowth. Sixty yards in she found it, much to the relief of our member.

I have always been a lurker/fancier for a GWP, however I don't think I would bag more deer if I had one. Academic really, as its not going to happen now anyway.

 

[Brittany boy]

Any well trained/behaved dog will help you shoot/recover more deer, for me the GWP just suits my style of shooting. Once you learn to read the dog they all have their own way of indicating the deer are about . My Jack Russell ( not trained ) would indicated by running in circles when we found foot scent but would bump the deer rather than indicate them. Used him to find lost deer and he even bayed a young buck that was highly mobile after a low brisket shot. Some people prefer labs some HPRs, it's just a personal choice for me. The wife says the GWP doesn't cast anything like our black lab did so that helps marital bliss.

 

[Siggy]

I have always been a lurker/fancier for a GWP, however I don't think I would bag more deer if I had one. Academic really, as its not going to happen now anyway.

Go on, go on, go on, everyone gives into temptation eventually!!

 

[wildfowler.250]

Cheers guys! Plenty useful info.

My lab will scent deer but she does the exact same for other game nearby so it’s hard to say!

Out of interest, what makes people source a HPR from abroad? Must be hard enough to do background reading on a UK breeder

 

[levigsp]

Cheers guys! Plenty useful info.

My lab will scent deer but she does the exact same for other game nearby so it’s hard to say!

Out of interest, what makes people source a HPR from abroad? Must be hard enough to do background reading on a UK breeder

Far easier to get the correct info for GSps etc abroad, but Im not going into the details here. If its something your planning on the PM me.

Slightly on a tangent but why do you guys reckon that a HPR will help to shoot more deer than say a lab?

Honest question, we have labs and I've found that they will indicate deer but all in different ways, with the pointers is it simply because they will properly point deer?

For me its the fact that GSPs are air scenters and will scent a deer many 100s of meters away and indicate straight away, but point when close.

 

[paul newham]

It's all down to personal preference...I love this trait.

 

[McKenzie]

Stanley pointing a deer

 

[James0586]

It's all down to personal preference...I love this trait.

Nice looking dog mate. I do like the GWP on point

 

[longhair]

Cheers guys! Good to hear and any more comments welcome

Are there any particularly good GWP breeders that people would recommend? Labs are easy as everyone has one so word and mouth has been no problem. Looking ahead for likely next year anyway

depends on where you are in the country,but rory major in lincs or chris grey in the borders but plenty of gwps around.they will do everything you need.if you do a lot of fowling avoid the smooths i.e gsp visla weim etc iv got german longhaired pointers,awsome dogs and happier on the marsh than the thin coated

 

[AndrewS]

depends on where you are in the country,but rory major in lincs or chris grey in the borders but plenty of gwps around.they will do everything you need.if you do a lot of fowling avoid the smooths i.e gsp visla weim etc iv got german longhaired pointers,awsome dogs and happier on the marsh than the thin coated

Is Chris Grey still around? Our GWP was sired by one of his Danish-extraction dogs (to one of Rory Major's bitches), but he seems tohave vanished off the face of the earth; his web site is gone as well.

 

[Brittany boy]

A friend has a GWP that's a year old and has a harsh wire coat , my GWP has a softer coat which appears slightly longer and fluffier, is it the Dutch or Danish blood that gives the softer coat than the German. Not that I'm complaining as long as the coat doesn't affect him working in the cold I'm well pleased with him up till now. Just wondered where the difference came from as he looks like a Korthals Griffon

 

[countrryboy]

KG do look very similar, but I think gwp were used when they founded the KG breed.

Thank my previous reply got lost in a quotation.

Personally if fowling was my sport I would not be contemplating an hpr breed as my only dog.
Yes some could do it, but many individuals simply won't so ur peeing into the wind before u start.
If u want a different novelty breed a cheesie, golden or flatty ( or even curly coated if u can find 1) or IWS even a poodle would probably be more likely to turn into a decent fowlng dog
U didn't mention where u fowl? How cold it is or how quick the tides are.

As lonhair says many smooth coated dogs struggle with cold and many won't swim.
Plenty of decent stories from FT water tests were stones or even dogs are thrown in to get them to swim.

Nothing against hprs but with any dog breed ur playing the % the chances of u ending up with a decent working dog, there is no guarantee with any breed.
But when ur expecting a breed to do work completely alien to its initial breeding ur % of getting a decent working dog will always be lower.

U don't buy an X5 4x4 for feeding ur pheasants/ work on shoot etc!

 

[Brittany boy]

I don't do much if any wildfowling, will take them on the stubbles I know what your saying if it's wild fowling that's your main sport get a chessie or lab, I'm a rough shooter / stalker so the GWP suits me , the previous vizla felt the cold and the Brittany won't retrieve or work deer so went for the all rounder (hopefully).

 

[Gm81]

I love all of the comments in this thread.
I think you need to get one to have the experience and relate to a GWP.
Come and join us!