OldLSU Fan

I've had four GSPs. I have two currently. They are indeed very active dogs. My younger dog will stay outside and hunt the backyard staring into the trees until the sun goes down. She occupies herself that way. My 14 year old has trained the sofa to lie beneath her. Training is the key. They are hunting dogs and need to somewhat be trained as such. They train fairly easily. They are very instinctive and need to channel those instincts. Lack of training could prove to be a disaster. I train mine from the day I get them for at least a half hour a day for the first 9 months to a year, this becomes their reward. Recall is the most important thing to get right. Even if trained they will roam far from you on hunts and walks. I start using the check cord method, (the Delmar Smith method) and progress to a shock collar and eventually just a beeper. After the initial training, I take mine out to the woods as much as possible in the fall, winter and spring until it becomes too hot. I don't always hunt, but the dogs always do. They get a bad rap for being too active, but I think some of those people just liked the way they look and didn't take the whole dog into account. As the rest have said, they are great family dogs and will give you great memories. Good luck and enjoy!