Any German Shorthair Pointer owners here? I need some pointers, er, advice.

In My Humble Opinion
1

My boyfriend decided to get a German Shorthair Pup from a co-worker regardless of my opinion that we can’t have a dog at the moment. I was ignored and pup was purchased. A Pit thread was composed but I decided not to post it.

The “breeder” is your typical BYB’er. Not anyone that I would ever have purchased a dog from even if I had been looking for a GSP. No health testing, dogs all kept outside in kennels, etc etc. This really rankled me as I have been helping with dog rescue for years and these are usually the people that make my life hell.

We are also NOT in the best of finances. We rent, the yard isn’t dog friendly & the house is tiny. My car just died and I’m not working.

I am trying to make the best out of this situation. While we were planning on getting a dog in the future, my researches were on Dobermans and sighthounds, not gundogs.

So are there any GSP owners that can offer advice on their breed?

He is striking me as dominant (bf just had to pick the biggest male) and I’m working on that. He’s learning to sit before he eats, he’s being crate trained and he’s discovered that my cats are not to be pushed around. I’m trying to be consistant and also trying to make sure my bf is consistant.

He WILL be neutered. (The dog, not the bf.)

I plan on taking him to puppy kindergarten as soon as he is fully vaccinated. It’s imperative that he’s well socialized with other dogs and people.

I’ve heard that letting a dog sleep in your bed from day one can lead to dominance issues. Anyone have an opinion on this? I’m discouraging the bed sleeping for now as I’m trying to get him used to the crate. I really don’t mind pets on the furniture but I really want this dog to realize his place in the “pack” right now.

Any advice, suggestions and offers of liquor are welcome.

2

Well my dad has 6 of them, which I grew up around, so hopefully I can offer a little bit of advice.

I think your taking the whole dominance thing a little too far. I’ve never heard the sleeping in the bed-dominant dog connection before, but that doesn’t really mean anything.

He definitely needs his excercise. One of you will need to take him out walking (preferably running) in a park, otherwise he will be a complete basketcase. These dogs are built to run.

From what I understand, they get bored very very easily. Be prepared for lots and lots of toys and also paying attention to the dog. It’s not the type that can be left out in the backyard and ignored for years.

If I think of anything else, I’ll let ya know…

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Hi gulo. I don’t have a GSP, but I do have a Weimaraner. From my interactions with a GSP that was in our obedience classes, I think the two breeds are somewhat similar in activity level and “tendencies.” It sounds like you’ve got a good handle on things. . .sitting for food is good, crate training is VERY good, and consistency is imperative, neutering, and puppy class, etc. All good.

You may wear yourself out exercising this puppy. . . pointers/gundogs such as my Weim and GSPs (in my limited experience with them) are super high-energy pups. We’ve got a fenced in backyard that my Weim runs around in (and he flies) a couple hours each evening, and I take him to the park or to a trail and jog with him for 3 or 4 miles every other day. I’ve started getting used to this exercise, though.

We don’t let him sleep in the bed with us. I also have read about the dangers of dominance issues caused by this. Regardless, the cat gets to sleep with us at night and it would not work to have both of them there. I think it’s a good idea to have the dog sleep in his crate for a while (a couple of years, more?), and then when he’s older, settled down, and established you can let him in the bed from time to time if you want to.

Oh yeah, and I did start drinking more liquor.

4

Aw, c’mon. Maybe you’ll find a vet who’ll be a good sport and give you a two-fer-one deal…then maybe your bf will settle down and stop doing things which expressly disregard your wishes and needs.

Anyway, at least you know what you’re up against and have an understanding of the implications of guardianship of a budding GSP life. It sounds like you have it well in hand. I worked in a “no-kill” animal shelter and we got a fair number of GSPs come through the doors. One was placed three times. Over and over we told people: “High energy dog, highly trainable but you must be consistent, positive reinforcement only, no unsupervised unrestrained time with cats, use the kongs to feed [we gave every adopter a Kong, a pamphlet on Kong stuffing, a book on basic obedience and Kong training and feeding, and recommended they get more Kongs and feed only from hand and Kongs] the first 48 hours are the hardest, treat him just like a puppy, go out after ever drink of water, eating or excitement and praise when he goes potty in the proper place…if you slip up and let him soil in the house, hit yourself with the rolled up newspaper, clean the soiled area with an enzymatic odour neutraliser and pay more attention…we’ve crate trained him to love the crate so you should be all right as long as you always make it his special fun place with treats and never make it a place he has to go for punishment…” I’m sure you know the spiel, but it seems like people just saw the pretty dog, lied to themselves and us that they were paying attention and could do it, and we’d see him back within a week, hyperactive and spaazy with new bad habits.

Anyway, they do seem to take an extra long time to mellow with age and three times more exercise than a “normal” dog, but a well trained dog really is a pleasure. Keep up the crate training–do you know how to stuff Kongs? See if you can catch a Kong sale, Kong has a yearly “seconds” sale you can stock up on, and Kong stuffing, chewtoy training will save your life, furniture, and sanity–take him everywhere with tons of his kibble, little pieces of cheese, Natural Balance sausage, beef liver for the really great moments (like potties outside!!!Scary kids touching my head!!! Loud noises!!!) and give him lots of really short periods of exercise and playtraining.

Feed from your hand or Kong only–premeasuring at the beginning of the day helps so you know he’s getting enough to eat. Set aside half to soak in water (just to covering) for combination with a little bit of cheese and sausage for Kong stuffing. Do you want the Kong stuffing recipe? I won’t bore you with it if you don’t but I have one that keeps them entertained for a while.

Playtraining Your Dog by Gail Burnham is a great book, and the Monks of New Skete have their IMO great training books…

Look on the bright side, since you’re not working right now, you actually have a job that a lot of people would love…puppy time!

Don’t forget to yip and withhold play for a minute if he nips too hard…ummm…I feel weird typing all this stuff, because you probably know it already and you asked for GSP specific advice. But it is really important for his general health, so if you didn’t know it, it isn’t wasted time.

Totally random aside: I have whippets which sleep about twenty hours a day, so they’re nothing like a GSP.

Moneysaving tips:
don’t cheap out on the dog food. I don’t know where you are, but Canidae, Natural Balance, Solid Gold…all great foods. Often, they seem more expensive because they cost more per pound, but you feed less as there is more nutrition in the food than crappy-ass Pedigree or Kibbles n Bits. No food with corn unless you want a hyperactive malnourished puppy.
Boiled white rice, yoghurt, shredded bits of boiled chicken and low sodium chicken stock are good for upset tummy days, and not a bad thing to mix in with the daily diet anyway.

old clothes tied in strips with a bunch of knots can make fun toys. You can get squeakers fairly cheaply from sitstay.com and tie or sew them in to the homemade toys–just make sure you supervise so he doesn’t get a chance to swallow the squeaker.

Cardboard boxes with yummy treats inside are good toys too, allowing the dog to use his teeth on something–my whippets went through LOOOOONG shredding phases–and all you lose is a couple minutes picking up the pieces.

Good luck and have fun with the new puppy!

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Oh, and thrift stores can be a great source for dog toys. Get those $ .25 stuffed animals, cut their little-oh-so-chokable plastic eyes and noses off (enjoy feeling like a stuffie mutilator ;)) and pup-pup has another thing to run around with. I find it outrageous to pay $8 for a doy toy–but Kongs are worth it–and my “kids” enjoy these just as much.

Oh, and “Bitter Apple” sprayed on sneakers and other chewing temptations that you can’t seem to keep out of his reach is an option to help him stay only on chewtoys. Just in case it comes up.

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GSPs are beautiful, intelligent dogs. What color is yours?

With a GSP, I’d say never let your dog run off-leash if you’re not in a fenced-in area, and depending on the dog, even if you are. They’re fast with a high prey drive, and that equals bye, bye puppy. Even once you have a reliable come, you need to be careful since little critters are always running around. Damn the Squirrels!

Look for a large fenced in place to let your dog run. My hound/spaniel or pointer mix & I use my apartment complex’s tennis courts. (Only after emptying both tanks first, of course!) I’ve found that my dog really needs to RUN for a few minutes a day, not just go for a walk. She sniffs like a hound, but has the energy level of a spaniel/pointer type dog. Unfortunately, mine doesn’t like to retrieve, so I usually end up running a little with her to keep her going or throwing bits of food around to make her run.

Since you do rescue, you know the signs of separation anxiety. These high energy dogs seem to be more prone to it. My dog was able to escape from a locked, collapsable wire crate. I had to buy a VeriKennel, the hardsided plastic ones. Plus, I had to work hard to make crate time fun time. Tortuga’s hints about the Kong possibilities are all great. Be careful what soft stuff you put in the crate, too. Unless I use fleece, which isn’t easy to chew, my dog rips her blanket to shreds and consumes parts of it. This results in PooPyrotechnics, as I like to call it.

Basically, a gun dog is the type of dog that is going to find ways to get into whatever is available. You have to watch any dog, as you well know, but this type of dog will consume an entire bar of soap in 10 seconds – the amount of time it takes to turn the lights in the living room off, or some such mundane thing like that.

FYI, an entire bar of soap will A) not kill the dog and B) turn your dog into a nasty canine version of a liquid soap dispenser for several days and C) create lots of fun vomiting. (I was prepared to get her stomach pumped on that one, but the emergency vet said it wasn’t necessary!)

Oh, and mine is 6, so puppy-hood is a relative term. (I’ve had her a year, so some of our problems are the sort of things you get with abused/neglected dogs, not puppies.)

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

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In my experience, dogs want to sleep with the rest of the pack no matter where they think they are in the pack order.

There is, I have heard, no more important training technique than allowing the dog food ONLY on command. Make the puppy wait until just before [s]he breaks (you can tell, the little quiver gets more intense); NEVER allow a dog to eat at will.

The real problem is: who’s the alpha? If you are training the dog, YOU are. If the bf doesn’t acknowledge that, the dog will have to be put down eventually.

But isn’t it a good idea to get the puppy when you are unemployed and have extra free time?

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Wow! Thanks for all the responses.

I’m still holding firm on the “no dog in the bed” rule but we do have snuggle time on the couch. I’m just really wanting this pup to learn that the kennel is his safe place especially since we travel a lot.

The exercise requirements unnerve me as we do not have a fenced in yard. I’ll be trying to find some enclosed areas to let him run loose and I’m also trying to play some “mind games” with him to keep him occupied. (Hiding toys, tangling them up so he has to work them apart etc).

I have this Kong recipe site bookmarked. I haven’t tried any of them yet. I’ve smeared his puppy Kong with peanut butter and shoved in a couple of his dog treats. Perhaps some of his kibble will go in there later today.

Oh, right now he’s on NutroMax puppy but I’m thinking of trying him out on Blue Buffalo. I’m being careful to not overfeed as I don’t need a pup with Panosteitis and I’m led to believe that it can be caused by overfeeding and encouraging quick growth. Ideally I’d have him on BARF but we aren’t able to do that at this time.

He’s told to sit when getting a treat and getting fed. I don’t want to be the owner of a dog who doesn’t know his manners! I’m definitely the alpha and we need to work on the boyfriend being firm with him as well. He’s becoming more and more of a brat, testing us and the cats. I know we need to be firm and consistant.

Tortuga: You say to always feed by hand, even his meals. Is this so he is aware of us as the food provider? I’ve just never heard that before. Ahh, whippets. You will understand why I wanted a sighthound!

Silly Dog: He’s liver with the ticking. There were two others in the litter that were solid liver. :slight_smile:

Thanks again for all the advice. I’ll be printing this out.

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Once he’s much older you can do some dish feeding, but for right now it should all come from enrichment toys like kongs, or from your hand, for the reason you’ve surmised: she who controls the food controls the pack.

I was looking at the Blue Buffalo, that looks good, like the Solid Gold formula we’re feeding now, I might take a gander next time I’m at Petsmart. With good food, you don’t have to feed as much, so feeding by hand isn’t as time consuming as it might seem at all. For example, according to the Blue Buffalo Puppy feeding guidelines, you’ll be feeding your 1-3 mos. (3-5 mos old) old puppy 1.5-3 (2.5-4) cups of food daily. Premeasure it in a bowl in the morning and you’ll see it isn’t that much. You’ll use half for Kong/enrichment toys (like kibble in a sealed cardboard box with a teeny hole started or something like that) and the other half will go quickly when used as rewards for training the basics. You’ll want to feed him the kibble, but it’s boring to just stand there feeding him, so you’ll end up really upping his learning curve because of all the obedience exercise repetition he’ll be getting. Every time you pass the kibble bowl on the counter, snag a handful, call him to you, praise and treat for coming, ask for a sit, praise and treat, use the food lure while asking for a down to lure him into down…

There seems to be a golden month in puppydom where they are just the smartest dog ever and they learn so fast you almost run out of things to teach them. Consistency and patience for the inevitable occasional blank looks are key. With whippets, I get the blank look a lot. Especially with the command, “Libelula, get OFF the table!” :wink:

Teach sit, down, settle, leave it, go crate, potties, and a fun trick like shake (high five, paw, whatever), and people will be dumbstruck with awe at your super-dog. Teach your bf what the hand signals and commands look and sound like, and be consistent so he doesn’t confuse the dog.

Definitely be consistent and keep up the training, as he’ll go through an adolescent fear/anxiety stage (check out Monks of New Skete for more info) where much of that training can be “forgotten” if it isn’t maintained. Lots of little training sessions–just like “real kids,” everything is a learning opportunity. Which can be exhausting, but worth it.

Practice vet exams (opening the mouth, spreading the toes, lifting the tail, examining inside the ears, everything but --eek–thermometer insertion, because he’ll learn that nothing bad happens when these things happen, so when you take him to the vet and they happen, but you’re relaxed and petting him and just chatting, he’ll be less anxious) tooth brushing, ear cleaning, toenail clipping, and break up the training session with soft loving massage. Touch him everywhere and give him treats, so he won’t grow up to be sensitive and snappy about any area.

Once he really trusts you, that you’re the leader, and he’s relaxed into that, you might be able to pick him up and hold him on his back like a baby, head on your shoulder. Not useful for anything, and once he’s full-grown you won’t be able to hold him for long, but damn, what a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart. And people really get a kick out of seeing a big ol’ doggie baby.

The Basic Kong Template on that site is pretty much the same as mine–make sure it is something really high value (cheese, beef liver, sausage) jammed so tight into the little hole that even after they’ve got everything else out there’s still that bit he can’t resist and must keep chewing. The only difference is I dribble a little honey in to sort of coat the inside, as it’s supposed to have antibiotic properties, dunno if it matters, but they like it.

Y’know, feel free to e-mail me if you ever have any questions or want to brag about him. My kids have their own imagestation albums, it’s a great way to share pics with online family and friends…no…must resist…can’t resist…aaahhh…Tahoe’s Album, Bélu’s Album.

So here’s the really important question now:

What’s he going to be for Halloween? :smiley:

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Get a new boyfriend. I mean it. He got a dog against your wishes!? And a difficult breed from a non-reputable source at that! And he’s not being firm with the training? That’s horrible. It’s not fair to you, and it’s especially not fair to the dog. I think with a little effort, you’ll be able to work things out with the dog. You should drop the boyfriend off at the pound immediately.

That said…Spot the Wonderpup is a Dalmatian/GSP mix. Talk about a couple of nutty high-energy breeds! We got him from the Humane society when he was a year old. They had been pretty reluctant to adopt him out to most people who were interested in him because they felt that they had to make sure that he would go with people who would get him enough exercise. And exercise is key. We don’t have a fenced yard either, but we take him on lots of walks, and we go to various places where we can let him run off leash. He absolutely loves hiking, and does just fine off leash. On the rare day that we can’t take him for exercise, he can be pretty bratty.

Training has been something of a challenge. He’s very good in some areas, but we’ve failed as far as the barking goes. (But the barkiness is more of a Dalmatian thing, anyway.) Consistency and firmness is truly the key–which is why we’ve done poorly with the barking. We haven’t been as consistent as we should be, especially because usually the things that cause him to bark are things that prevent us from correcting him. Also, since we got him as an adult, we missed the opportunity to train him correctly from the start. And he has a dominant and stubborn streak. But we’ve done quite well overall. We did the crate training and making him wait before eating thing, and I think it worked really well.

I had to laugh at Tortuga’s comment about teaching the dogs tricks. Before we got Spot, I just assumed that all dogs knew tricks, but apparently not. People are so incredibly impressed by Spot’s tricks! He gives paw. If I hold both hands out and snap, he’ll stand on his hind legs, give me his paws, and dance with me. If I say “paws up” and touch where I want him to put his paws, he’ll stand on his hind legs and put his paws on what I showed him. If I say “kennel,” he goes straight to his den. If I say “bed,” he jumps on the bed. And the best one is one that I didn’t mean to teach him–if I say “upstairs,” he runs right up the stairs, sits, and waits until I invite him to come down. Yeah, he’s a fun pupper snupper.

I also find that toys are very important. But there’s kind of a trial and error process. Spot hates squeaky toys with a passion! And he’s a strong chewer, so he destroys all but the strongest types of toys. But he loves his Kong and various other rubber things. He loves his Goodie Ship, which is a big rubber flying saucer that you can stick biscuits into. He likes Nylabones. He loves rope bones to chew on and play tug with. In general, he likes toys that are on the bigger and heavier side. Sometimes he likes a more interactive toy, and sometimes he likes to just chew on something. One of the better interactive toys that we’ve found looks like a big plastic die, and when he knocks it around, bits of kibble fall out. There are lots of similar toys on the market.

One of his favorite toys is the cardboard tube from a paper towel roll He just rips it up. I was able to snag some of the cardboard cores from the rolls of paper that they cover the tables with at the doctor’s office. They are longer and sturdier than regular paper towel rolls. He loved those. He also likes chewing up yogurt cups, but I only let him do that with supervision. Now that the Sprout is old enough to experience the joy of wanton destruction (16 mos.), the two of them just tear things up together. A paper grocery sack can keep them entertained for a good long while. As Tortuga said, it’s not any trouble to pick up the pieces, and it keeps them entertained.

Well, to sum up–a GSP is an extremely energetic, smart, and demanding dog. The most important things are to keep them well exercised and keep them from getting bored.

So, what’s his name?

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Oh, and male dogs have a reset button on their butts. As the alpha you may have to push it when he starts thinking he has potential to move up from the bottom of the pack. Bitches use their teeth but you may want to use your hand. Not hard–you are just getting his attention and pointing out that his conduct is inappropriate. Slightly more than a tap is all you need to get a flinch of recognition. More and you risk him baring his teeth, which he should know is the key to the very gates of Hell, with you grabbing him by the throat, shoving him to the ground, and making it very clear that you CAN and WILL kill him if it comes to that. Remember that DOGS AREN’T PEOPLE and, growing up in a kennel, he is not fully used to people and our ways so you need to use dog methods.

On the other hand, he’s not neurotic like many rescue dogs; as a big male he probably doesn’t have any neuroses at all beyond an inflated sense of self-worth so you don’t need to be gentle with him. My collie bitch was a rescue dog who had spent time in a wild pack. She was a bundle of nerves when we got her and none of these methods were needed or appropriate–a “love tap” would’ve pushed her over the edge. My cocker, though, was a store puppy and needs occasional reminders from us and the bitch that he is lucky that we tolerate his presence in our pack.

You may not want to do this but to sometimes lick the dog’s food or treats before you give them to him tells him that you have rejected the food and he is getting the leftovers he deserves in his place at the bottom of the totem pole.

Two dogs can be better than one because they keep each other company when you are gone. The second doesn’t have to be the same breed. I’m fond of lap dogs, for instance. They fit in the bed better, too, as it’s amazing how much space an adult gun dog can take up and they are so muscular and bony you can break a toe kicking them to move over. (Saying, “Doggie, please move over so Mommy can lie down” doesn’t work. Though dogs aren’t people they are like guys in some ways and kicking them and saying, “Get the HELL out of my way!” works best.)

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His name is Badger and he’s driving me nuts.

I realize it’s the puppy thing but I sure wish we had a yard or an area nearby where I could let him cut loose. The last few days have been very trying.

He’s learning to sit and lie down. He knows that the kitchen is off-limits and 7 out of 10 times he will sit at the edge of the linoleum and just watch us in there. He’s not allowed in there because that’s where the litterboxes are and I don’t want him snacking on kitty tootsie rolls and also because the place was sprayed a while ago because of an ant problem and I don’t need him licking dead ants off the floor. It’s also an area of refuge for the cats.

I’m having a problem with keeping him away from my male cat, Gator. Badger snaps at his face and tail until Gator runs and hides. I’m trying to teach “Leave the kitty” but so far only when they nail him does he ‘get it’. (The female cats have no problem giving him a smack when he gets too close.) I realize that he just wants to play but he’s being too rambunctious. Yes, my cats are my babies and I do NOT want them being hurt.

I don’t think two dogs would be a better option. I need this pup to bond to us and not another K9. This weekend we will be camping up in the mountains with at least two other dogs and they’re both pretty dominant. He’ll be learning some manners from them I’m hoping.

Is “Imagestation” a good place to post pics? I don’t have online webspace but I’m also not wanting to join a place that will sell my name to spammers.

Halloween. Hmm. Maybe I’ll give him away as a “treat”. [sub](Kidding, I’m kidding.)[/sub] I think this year I’ll just aspire to make him a “Good Dog” and we’ll go from there.

I’m trying to get a hold of some game bird wings for training purposes. If the boyfriend wants a hunting dog, he better damn well be training him for such. Badger met his first pheasant yesterday and he seemed interested.

Oh and we’re trying to train him to like the water, so would using a squirt bottle as a training tool be a bad idea?

13

Dogs aren’t “deep” so I doubt he’d make the connection between squirt gun water and lake water.

The cats could make good friends for him once he’s calmed down and learned some manners. Are the dogs you will be camping with gun dogs? That could help a lot. Our late cocker bitch taught our other cocker how to hunt (not that I hunt, which was sad for her, but they were hell on the rodent population) and would correct him with her teeth, drawing blood if he flushed too soon.