Anyone with German Longhair Pointer experience?

[Bob Brown]

I was wondering if anyone on the site has experience with or has hunted with GLPs? We haven't had a hunting dog since our last Lab passed almost 5 years ago and it feels like time. I've had Labs and a Springer in the past, but never a pointer. After hunting over a great GSP I've thought about getting one, but wanted a breed a bit better suited for Canadian weather. For upland I would mostly be hunting for grouse, occasionally sharptails. Probably some early season ducks over decoys as well. The litter I'm looking at is by two German imports.

[John Davis]

I'm not familiar with the German Longhair Pointer breed. I've owned a few German Shorthairs and judged many, many AKC field trials with both GSP's and German Wirehaired Pointers competing. Never ran across a GLP but sounds interesting.

[Bob Brown]

Thanks for the reply, John. Its not really surprising that you haven't run into them. They're not recognized by the AKC, but they are by the Canadian Kennel Association. Not common up here by any means though.

[Timothy Salgado]

Bob,
German Longhaired Pointers are registrable with NAVHDA=North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. If you go to their website you can look up performance test scores, etc. They also have a list of registered breeders. I know from looking at their site , most breeders are located in the Western US or Western Canada. Good luck with your search.
Tim

[Bob Brown]

Thanks Tim. I'll do that.

[Chris Pope]

I saw one work in a NAVHDA test and as I recall she did well. But that was just one dog at one test in Montana. I have never hunted over one. To follow up on Mr. Salgado's post I absolutely agree that, especially for your first pointing breed, that the NAVHDA registry is an excellent place to start. It is open to the public and you can look up the (hunt) test records of versatile dogs from any breeder in any part of North America. All of the records are public. If that is too overwhelming I know the staff at the NAVHDA office can help but probably the best thing to do would be to visit a local NAVHDA chapter training session or test.
I was a flushing dog guy my whole life but wanted to try a pointing breed when I retired. My local NAVHDA chapter was the absolute best resource for learning how to train a versatile dog, meet new folks, bond with my dog and just have a ton of fun. We ended up with 2 Griffons. Just put our first one down which has broken our hearts.
There are many breeds in the versatile category that can handle cold weather hunting.
Best advice is try to match the personality and traits of the breed to your style.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Just my 2 cents worth--if you want a pointing dog, go with a proven bloodline and breed. Lots of GSP, GWP, ES, Britts, etc out there with tons of hunt and point in them. I have hunted with German Longhairs(friends) and was not at all impressed, then again I am not so sure that it wasnt just as much the owner/trainers fault. They would get all excited and giddy when their dog got birdy, but my Eng Setters had been on point for quite a while by then. Some people just want something different , however. Good luck. The dogs themselves resemble setters somewhat, with long dark liver colored coat

[Mike Koneski]

As Ken Alexander always told us, the more "Champions" in the dogs pedigree, the further out they hunt. We hunt close so we don't want a lot of field trial champions in the lineage.

[Mike Koneski]

Thanks for the reply, John. Its not really surprising that you haven't run into them. They're not recognized by the AKC, but they are by the Canadian Kennel Association. Not common up here by any means though.

We're not fans of AKC. Elitist snobs. We had American Bulldogs decades ago and AKC didn't recognize that breed even though it was older and more pure than most of the breeds they did recognize at the time. AKC had bought out FDSB and said they will no longer accept English Setter registrations from FDSB after July 1. My wife spoke to s girl at AKC and she said they are not registering Setters now because "They already have too many." Seriously?? It's like dealing with schoolgirls.

[Tom Kidd]

We're not fans of AKC. Elitist snobs. We had American Bulldogs decades ago and AKC didn't recognize that breed even though it was older and more pure than most of the breeds they did recognize at the time. AKC had bought out FDSB and said they will no longer accept English Setter registrations from FDSB after July 1. My wife spoke to s girl at AKC and she said they are not registering Setters now because "They already have too many." Seriously?? It's like dealing with schoolgirls.

The long and short of it is: I have hunted over a lot of different pointing breeds and the Einsteins show up in all of them. For the last 65yrs, I have primarily hunted grouse and now have two outstanding older Labs that point. They were both given to my wife and I by a trainer/trialer friend who likes our retirement 'dog' environment, as our hunting dogs live in the house with us. That way our buddies are always having their 'education' reinforced. So, after you decide on the breed and breeder, close your eyes, stick your hand in the puppy box, and grab first one to check you out, repeat until you get the sex you want; then All the Very Best of Good Luck and Enjoyable Hunting. PM me with your phone number and I can forward videos of my troops working. One of the best 'grouse dogs' I have hunted over was a Gordon owned by a close hunting buddy. He had two, one an absolute flawless bird machine, the other as dumb as they come. Sadly, all are long gone, a problem with living too long, best old friends, both 2 and 4 legged, are no longer with us. I now hunt mine one at a time, more fun for me and at an crippled arthritic 82; much easier.

[John Davis]

I have participated in, and enjoyed, AKC pointing dog trails for many years and I have run and judged dogs all over Georgia and Florida. But I have grown weary of the Pros. and my back just can't take 8+ hours a day in the saddle anymore. These days I just enjoy running the dogs off horse back on my place and not having to worry about picking them up because they weren't steady enough to wing and shot. Or, God forbid, their tail wasn't at 12 o'clock.

[Bob Brown]

Thanks for all the advice and info. The NAVHDA looks like a great organization. Unfortunately no chapters or registered breeders in Manitoba, or any where close to where I live. I know that if I want the ultimate bird dog I should do the research and look far afield to find the best hunting blood lines and competitively successful breeders. I could do all that, get on a waiting list, spend many thousands of dollars, and still might find that the personality of the pup I buy doesn't fit me, my wife, or our my two small dogs and two house cats.
My wife and I drove down to see the GLP breeder. A very nice, very German retired couple who have been in Canada since 1993. They were very welcoming and wanted us to take as much time as we needed. We took our two small dogs (one about 6 pounds) to check for compatibility. We spent several hours with the breeders, pups, and parents. One male pup really stood out. Bold without being aggressive, smart, affectionate, and responsive. The breeders believe in holding on to the puppies for longer than other breeders. When I got home we had a bit of a language barrier to overcome. The breeders first language was German. After I went on you tube and worked on my commands in German it was much better. He bonded with my wife and I almost immediately. I'm very happy with him.

[Chris Pope]

Congrats on your new family member!
If there is no group near you to train with consider any one of a number of good books on training the versatile breeds. The book recommended to me by a breeder was, How to Help Gun Dogs Train Themselves by Joan Bailey published in 1993. So it's an oldie for sure. But it was a great assistance to us especially in starting with our pups and very easy to read and follow along. I am no pro but certainly pleased with how my dogs work. As you can tell there are a lot of pretty strong opinions out there. So I welcome others to chime in with ideas better or different than mine.
Good luck! Be patient!

[Bob Brown]

That looks like a good one. All I have is lab and flushing training books. If anyone else has suggestions for good training books please post and I'll add it to a list from Abe's books.

[Timothy Salgado]

Looks like a nice pup Bob, since GLPs have a small gene pool here in North America I’m sure he’ll turn out fine , I also recommend Joan Bailey’s book, and the second one she wrote. I’d also recommend the Green Book from NAVHDA and Paul Long’s training pointing dog book. I used all three for training my two German pointers. Good luck and have fun.
Tim

[Bob Brown]

Thanks, Tim. I'll look for those three as well. Both the sire (3 years old) and dame (2 years old) were imported from Germany as pups, so they'll help broaden the North American gene pool. They are registered in the Deutsche-Langhaar-Verband (German Longhair Pointer Association) in Germany and the CKC. I went on the Deutsche-Langhaar-Verband website and the medical and hunt testing that have to be passed before a candidate is approved for breeding are very strict. Not a guarantee a pup will be healthy and have potential to be a good hunter, but still comforting.

[Alfred Houde]

My wife spoke to s girl at AKC and she said they are not registering Setters now because "They already have too many." Seriously?? It's like dealing with schoolgirls.

That's a real knee-slapper considering the AKC is simply a registry and all they care about is the money. You know why the AKC doesn't like the FDSB or the National Red Setter Field Trial Club? Because they outperform the AKC dogs, hands down.

I don't know anything about GLP's, but NAVHDA is a great organization. Friendly folks who are more than happy to help. Their hunt tests are realistic and a good gauge of your pup or dogs' ability and desire.

Once you get a pup and is ready, start training for the Natural Ability Test. Take a look at the NAVHDA website and schedule and find a test close to home. Sign up early though, they fill up quick.

[Aaron Beck]

Those are three good training books. I would add that the "orange book" so called is more in depth than all and for the right personality really breaks down every step of every aspect of everything you might wish to train. truly. It can be a bit much too.

http://www.ahdc.org/ahdcsite/storeitems.php

If you are more low key and less is more.

Bird Dog
by Ben O. Williams

[John Dallas]

"Already have too many"? How many Labs are registered each year? I'll bet it's 10-20 times that of the Dogs in question

[Bob Brown]

That does look like a thorough book, Aaron. I'll try to pick it up. I'm more of a KISS candidate, but it would be nice to read the why behind the how.
I'd like to try the NAVHDA tests. The nearest Canadian test would be about a 13 hour drive. The closest test would probably be the chapter in the Fargo Moorhead area. I don't know what crossing the border with my dog would entail, but their tests are booked up this year anyway.

[Allen Peterson]

I saw one working at our NAVHDA dog training club. Imported at great expense from Czechoslovakia. This one was a super dog.Kind of like a setter with the drive of a shorthair. Did tracking, Water work, pointing and retrieving,honoring the complete dog. Very rare breed in VA. but thats the only one I have seen work.

[Bob Brown]

Thanks for that, Allen. Good to know some are capable of great work. I wish I had his skill as a trainer. My River seems to have a good nose. A couple of days after I brought him home I took him out in the bush about 10 minutes from home. There is an area of about 30 acres that had been cleared quite a few years ago and had grown up a bit. I was just walking slow in sparse waist high brush letting him smell everything. He got on a trail and I let him follow it. After a couple of minutes I looked over the brush about 35 yards ahead and locked eyes with a large fox kit in front of a 10 foot tall loose pile of bulldozed tree trunks. There was a fairly strong cross wind. I knelt down to snap on River's check cord and let him keep going. The kit was gone when I straightened up. River worked his way on the trail through the brush in an almost straight line to the spot the kit was and spent the next 5 minutes just processing the scent in about a 20 foot area. I called him off and we went on a cross wind angle to the direction we came. Just after we re-entered the scrub brush a kit broke from the brush down wind and bolted for the spot we left. It reached the pile, jumped off two logs and dove into the pile. Must have caught a second kit wandering from the den.

[Tom Jay]

Mike, a correction is needed. UKC (United Kennel Club), not AKC, purchased American Field and along with it the FDSB registration.

[Mike Koneski]

You are correct, I had my AKC/UKC confused. However, it was AKC that told my wife they were not registering more Setters.

Bob, that is a beautiful pup you have!! May you share many happy moments with that boy!!