re: Gsp for duck hunting

mine loves to retrieve - as long as the bird is alive.. once the bird dies..... he loses a little interest and it is more of a chore than anything else.

Hmmm no love for GSPs and ducks – I know a cpl of padnahs that retrieve w/ them and while some do not retrieving as much as others they are all serviceable. You need to use a neoprene vest with them they can go hypothermic esp in the Atch or Miss. But if you want a versatile dog that will point (maybe even track) and retrieve they would be my pick. Most are very good with families too. If you want a reterievr get a lab – if you want to get a retriever that will retrieve and bite you get a chessie. I have also hunted w/ some long hair continental breeds (drahaars, wirehairs etc) and they are not as biddable as GSPs and they stink. Had springers growing up and they are great family/flushing dogs and ok retrievers but IMO a GSP would be better. Hardhead - a pointer that sat still only if you gave him a couple of benadryl and put the E collar on him ...........

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Tuva took his in 50 deg and the dog went into hypothermic shock

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Any dog would have if the dog was sitting in water the entire time. I should have brought a stand and the water was too deep. Dog almost died.

But with that being said, I've seen some GSPs that retrieve great...others not so much. Mine will do it on occasion but like wickowick said, mine acts like it's a mundane activity and gets bored. He likes what we humans like..to hunt an alive animal.

ETA: And I have ridden a bike 10 miles at a very fast pace on a levee before with my dog loose running next to me. The dude was running up and down the hill none stop the whole way. At the end of it, he was still running around on his own. They never get tired.

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if you want to get a retriever that will retrieve and bite you get a chessie. I have also hunted w/ some long hair continental breeds (drahaars, wirehairs etc) and they are not as biddable as GSPs and they stink

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bullshite... my chessie never bit me, wife or me kid... in fact.. SHE did go off on a dog that growled at me kid....

that is a tired old myth.... are chessies protective.. yes... do they bite to protect.. only as a last resort..


and we have killed ducks and geese... with our GSP running around like a clown playing in the decoys... rarely did birds flare...in fact they kinda aimed for him...


if I had to get another retriever... It would be a chessie.. as long as I knew it was not a DM carrier...

I have had no less than 5 people try to GIVE us high quality labs in the year since our Chessie died... nothing against labs.. I just like chessies style, drive and will power more than labs...

that and wife really likes having just one dog at our house// BTW.. so does the dog...

I made a dog sit still in a blind to the point of getting frost bit once.

then I saw a NS duck toller.. work....

and.. on a slow day my chessie and gsp were frollicking on the levee. and ducks were landing 25-30 yards away..... being still aint as big of a deal as most hunters make it out to be....at least for the dog anyway...

I am not aware of ANYONE that has a hunting chessie that bit anyone... that didn't deserve it...

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sitting still yes... hunting No....

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A neoprene vest works great in the cold. I can stick my hand under that vest and my dog's core body is very warm...

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You better keep that vicious dog on a leash. I bet your pit-bull would never hurt a fly either.

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one of me dogs did drown a pit in city park many many moons ago..... the owner of pit got his arse whipped.. was a real bad day for him..... happened about 2 weeks after I got out the navy.....and yes just like me dragging a live deer out the woods.. got a witness..

Choupique – the only dog I have ever been bit by is a chessie – it was a friends dog, I walked past it and it bit my leg – not sure I deserved it but they are notably more hard headed than labs. They generally r tuffer than labs but a field bred lab will probably do everything you need and are easier to find than a chessie
As far a vests – u must have pretty tuff dogs because I have used vests on all my labs even in LA (during 2nd split). Up here I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have a vest on their dog from mid Oct on.
GSPs are squirrel chasers and catchers ;) As far as any pointing dog being calm that doesn’t happen but on the scale of Brittany (fairly calm) to a big running English pointer (look at that SOB go) – GSPs are more along the lines of a Brittany and they want to please you. To get a GSP to retrieve you generally have to force break them especially to pick up dead birds, sometimes you have to do this with labs but generally not to the same extent as pointers.
If you want a calm dog get a great dane – they barely get up but don’t expect it to hunt/retrieve ;)

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As far a vests – u must have pretty tuff dogs because I have used vests on all my labs even in LA (during 2nd split). Up here I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have a vest on their dog from mid Oct on

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vests for retrievers when the lows avg 49... really?

A guy in our club has one. In the shallow water, he is a damn good dog. It the water gets too deep to run in and he has to actually swim, he is done. That fricker hates to swim.