re: What do I need to know about a GSP?

I'll put it a little more bluntly than the rest of he posters have here, don't waste your time trying to duck hunt them. They don't like the cold water and more than likely your dog won't fetch a dead bird. I say this because I have wasted 1,000's of dollars trying to get one to retrieve and he simply won't. I do have a female that will out swim most labs, but the cold water is a big challenge. She'll fetch any dead bird and love doing it, but if the water is ~40 degrees she likely won't get to the duck.

Save your time, $, and countless hours of frustration and don't retriever train it because it more than likely won't have the natural drive to do so. It's probably not what you want to hear and most will likely disagree with me, but that's what I have learned about these dogs over the last 4 years.