Help finding a Dog Breeder

[sinkingboat]

We are looking for a hunting dog type.

Base on what I know we have limit it to a German Short hair. (Co-worker has one) I've talk much to him and see his dogs all the time at work. Dog will not get to big, not hairy, very playfull with the kids.

I will not hunt with the dog, but prefer a hunting dog type. We have have mini pinscher and jack russell before. As you can see these were smaller dogs.

So if any help from you would help. We live in MN and willing to travel to get the right dog.

I really don't know what to ask beacause I don't know much about getting this type of dog. All our dogs was bought at local pet store as family pets with little research.

Please advise what to look for also.

Thanks in avdance!

[SteveJ]

Sounds like you want a Sporting dog. If you are just looking for a pet versus a companion hunter, I would suggest that you go a local dog show. Plan on spending the better part of a day and you should be able to see all of the breeds. That are a lot more to pick from than you might think. I would then go back a second time to spend time meeting owners/breeders of the breed or two that may be of interest to you.

Every breed has hereditary defects. Do some homework...ask some breeders. They should be willing to share the issues with you. Then look for a breeder that spends the time and money to obtain health clearances for all of the hereditary defects that the breed suffers from. Go to any prospective breeders house and see how their dogs live and how they react to strangers. If the breeder won't let you see all of their dogs, it is likely they are hiding something. If you get a bad feeling, or a sense they are not being honest with you, head for the door quickly. The last thing you want to do is commit to purchasing a dog from soneone that you dont' trust.

You should also expect the breeder to be checking you out while you are at their home. As a breeder, if we are not comfortable with someone we will decline to place a puppy with them. We are looking for the right home, not just a home. You may also find a show breeder that a dog that they have recently finished, known as an AKC Champion, that they don't want to keep for their breeding program. We often sell these for less than a puppy. We are picky with our puppy homes, but even more picky when we are placing a 2 or 3 year old Champion.

Plan to put some time and effort into this project. Involve the whole family, even children if you have any. It should be fun and will be well worth your time and effort. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[JimSticks]

I agree the shorthair may not be the best family dog. In general most hunting dog like alot of excercise and do better as outside dogs.My history with the German Shorthair is the are made for hunting and not for families. If i were you i would look toward a smaller lab, but if you like the pointers stick with a english pointer they have a better temperment.

[sinkingboat]

Although we don't hunt yet.... We do have children that would keep the dog well accupied. I myself would most always take it with me fishing. I know we won't be running or hunting but it'll be my fishing partner. Maybe I'll teach it to fish. LOL!

Currently we are not looking at any labs. Size, hairy are the major point.

We do alot of outdoor things so the dog will have plenty to do.

Thanks for all the replies so far.

[sinkingboat]

Originally Posted by SteveJ

Sounds like you want a Sporting dog. If you are just looking for a pet versus a companion hunter, I would suggest that you go a local dog show. Plan on spending the better part of a day and you should be able to see all of the breeds. That are a lot more to pick from than you might think. I would then go back a second time to spend time meeting owners/breeders of the breed or two that may be of interest to you.

Every breed has hereditary defects. Do some homework...ask some breeders. They should be willing to share the issues with you. Then look for a breeder that spends the time and money to obtain health clearances for all of the hereditary defects that the breed suffers from. Go to any prospective breeders house and see how their dogs live and how they react to strangers. If the breeder won't let you see all of their dogs, it is likely they are hiding something. If you get a bad feeling, or a sense they are not being honest with you, head for the door quickly. The last thing you want to do is commit to purchasing a dog from soneone that you dont' trust.

You should also expect the breeder to be checking you out while you are at their home. As a breeder, if we are not comfortable with someone we will decline to place a puppy with them. We are looking for the right home, not just a home. You may also find a show breeder that a dog that they have recently finished, known as an AKC Champion, that they don't want to keep for their breeding program. We often sell these for less than a puppy. We are picky with our puppy homes, but even more picky when we are placing a 2 or 3 year old Champion.

Plan to put some time and effort into this project. Involve the whole family, even children if you have any. It should be fun and will be well worth your time and effort. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Steve,

Those are some great advice. Like I said before, I've never had a dog that will cost this much before. All our dogs came from local pet stores and we were happy just to get them for the family. Little research was done because we were HAPPY with what we wanted.

We've had hyper dogs before and I know how it is. My mini pinch. basically would be running on the walls if we didn't let him ot because it was raining.

All our dogs never was kennel up unless we had quest that was unconfortable with the dogs. They roam free in the house and yard all the time.

Hi,

I own 2 Weimaraners and have been involved in the breed for many years. Weimaraners are similar in body type and temperament to GSPs, but a bit larger. Steve gave you some excellent advice. However, you should also consider the potential negatives, as well as, the positives. Sporting dogs will make you pay if you don't give them something to do. It doesn't have to be hunting.... mine aren't used for hunting, but you'd better keep them occupied. At least you have had a Jack Russell... lots of energy and on the go. Expect much of the same from a hunting breed except on a larger scale. A GSP can do a lot more damage than a Jack Russell. Begin training when it is very young, that will help too.

I would also suggest that you investigate different GSP breeding lines. In my breed, some lines are more laid back than others. It makes a huge difference. A hunting line may have a lot more drive than a show drive, but there is no guarantee. Check out the parents and the breeders and be prepared to wait for the right dog. Good luck! Even though my dogs have given me headaches and cost me lots of money, I wouldn't give them up for the world.

[went522]

GSP's can and do make very good pets, I look over at my male right now...he's laying on his chair hanging out. He's cool and mellow as they get, great family dog. My female...she's around here somewhere?? Probably looking out the door at the birds or starring at her chuckit/ball or chasing the cat or cat is chasing her. She's a go, go, go, give me something to do dog, she's a ball!! Yes, they need their exercise though. A large fenced yard helps and a good walk every couple days helps them...and me.

I do hunt my dogs, sept-jan, that's what they do! Off season they get some work on the game farm, just helps keep them on their game. The rest of the time they're "family" dogs, they're great in the house, fine in a kennel, GREAT with kids, love to hang out with us! They come in the boat, camping, cabin...they go where we go. Dock jumping, they're good at it and love to swim!!

I stay in contact with the owners of our pups, some of these owners are not hard core "hunters". In talking with them, they're happy, they say the dog makes a great family pet. They send me pics of the dog laying with their kid(s) or fetching a ball or...dog being a dog. Christmas cards/photo...I love getting those pics, it shows my pups are part of their families! Makes me feel good about the decision to place a pup in that particular home. These people are very happy. In talking with the hunt owners, same story, great pics of the crew/dogs over a pile of roosters!

If you're looking into GSP's...go for it! They're part of the family and very loyal! That said...they are a hunt breed and do need their exercise. Training, be it hunt or family dog is a must IMHO.

Spend your time in researching different breeders, when you settle on one let the owner know exactly how you'll be "using" your dog. A good breeder will know which pups out of the litter might be best for you and your family, each pup has their own personality, some a little hyper, some mellow, some want to be independent, some want to be by your side...They're all different and these traits are noticeable even as a young pup. For a family dog I prefer males, just a better chance it'll be on the mellow side. Find a good breeder and spend some time with each pup, when you think you have it narrowed down give it a few days and go back and spend time with those pups again. The right pup will stand out, you'll know.

Good luck!

BIRDDOG

[lnagy]

shoot the owner not the dog!!!!!!!

[AllenW]

Looking for a breeder the first question I'd ask them is "what do they think is the most important part of breeding" and if they don't answer "improving the breed" and then can't show you pass linage of both the female and male, walk away.

Your going to pay for a purebred, you might as well cut the odds down to keep from getting a bad one.
There are a lot of pi$$ poor breeders out there.

fwiw we are on dog number 4, 3 English Springer Spaniel's, and our last a GSH, if your thinking of one of these I hope you have a big back yard, they are almost as hyper as the ESS we had, maybe as much come to think of it.

In the last almost 25 years we have put Obedience and Field degree's on all of the ESS and one was shown successfully in the Breed/show ring, our GSH has become just a pet and as I don't hunt anymore, she doesn't get out as much as she should.
Can they make a good pet, sure but it might be like leaving a race horse in the corral all the time...imho

Like said, what ever you get, go to at least a basic obedience class with them, also a good book to pick up is by the Monks of New Skete called "Becoming your dogs best friend" (or something close to that)

Either way, spend some time looking for both the breed and the breeder, those who berate purebred dogs evidently didn't.

Al..Just my thoughts, fwiw

[Seedtree]

Sinknboat,

check out the American Kennel Club's website. They have tons of info on the various dog breeds and can give you leads regarding reputable breeders in your area.

One tip, I see you live in MN. I live in MT where it also gets cold in the winter, and have found its good to have a breed that can tolerate at least some outside time in the winter. For example, a Mexican Chihuahua would be impractical, as may be a GSP which is a very short-haired dog. We had a GSP back when I was a kid and he couldn't handle cold to well. Also, as someone else posted, a very high-strung animal that needed to run miles a day.

I've also found that some of the hard core hunting lineages of the sporting breeds don't make the best pets. Often, you can find a breeder that breeds for temperment and mellowness as a family pet, as opposed to a field trial champion. Its unbelievable how much damage a bored turbocharged dog can do in a short time. Its my belief that many of the dogs you see for free giveaway are these type of dogs that families find that they can't handle.

My .02s.