Who was your dog trainer?

how old is your GSP? I may be looking to send mine off for the same type of training.

Some GSPs love to retrieve; some will do it as forced, but very few will be anything like a true retriever. I know, I tried and they will retrieve to a degree, but they would rather be bird hunting and it shows.

A lot of the upland training will be instinct and exposure to birds (preferably wild) and hunting with other dogs where they can learn from more experienced dogs and time in the woods.

Wild bird exposure for training will be very limited in Louisiana, some of the field trial dogs are shipped up north for the summer.

I have three GSPs, let me give you some advise, if you have not bought a e-collar, get one soon, preferably with a beeper. Dogtra is very good, don’t get a cheap collar, you will just spend more on the second one.

i am starting to see his stubbornes now... i assume this is what you are talking about using the collar for? after a little bit of usage with it, does just the beep get theie attention enough? this is my first hunting dog fyi

The dog will reach a point soon, if he has not already, where he knows commands, and will perform those commands within ~10’ of you. The problem comes outside of that range. He knows what you want, but if leaning that he is quicker and faster than you and can run away.

A check cords will work for awhile, but not forever. A bird dog needs to run and gain independence, but you need to have him under control. The ability to stop him running a deer or to call him back from a road is priceless.

The collar is no substitute for training. The dog must know his commands; it is just a reinforcer of what it already knows. Most time a small shock, only slightly stronger than a tingle is enough to remind the dog that he is still under your control.

You will need the beeper for upland hunting. If the dog goies on point, you will not be able to see him.

Woodcock season opens December 18th, bring the dog to the woods. He will make mistakes, but he will also be learning…

Bart is in Picayune, MS. I am pretty sure I have seen Ed Thibodeaux run GSP's before. Honestly you see some in the hunt test game but not a lot so there aren't a ton of trainers running them as many GSP owners don't run duck stuff with them. However I have seen some that have run well in hunt tests and in fact saw one a few years back go to the last series of the grand.

There is a guy in Krotz Springs that trains upland dogs. His name escapes me at the moment, but if you call Long River Lodge, LINK / they can point you in the right direction.

I bought and had my male trained with Kim and Steve. I like them a lot and Steve does a great job with his 99% of his dogs. The problem was that mine was the 1% that didn't do well with his training routine.

For what ever reason, my dog lacked confidence. He would shut down for fear of being shocked if he couldn't make the retrieve. We worked and worked but could never get his confidence back.

I then moved my dog to a different trainer that didn't use the collar. DIFFERENT DOG!!! He is now one of the best dogs I have EVER owned.

That being said, Steve did a great job laying the foundation to the outstanding hunting skills he now has.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I just had a goofy dog that didn't respond to Steve's proven training skills.

As far as your expectations, keep them low. Very low. He isn't going to be what you want, but that is exactly where he is supposed to be. Remember, this is a process that takes several years to get to a great dog. Hey, if he exceeds your expectations the it will make it even more memorable!

Best of luck!

Ronnie Lee is a great trainer in MS. He got Grands and MH on two of my labs. Although he probably would not take your GSP.

Dont listen to this guy. he doesnt have a GSP. this is the closest thing he is getting to a GSP.

In all seriousness, Steve is a very good trainer and your dog should get plenty of work this year at Covey Rise. I would also suggest taking him back after the second split and letting Steve keep working with him at Covey Rise.