Anyone with German Longhair Pointer experience?

[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 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 of the Mountain]

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.

[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