Both of our Shorthairs have loved the water. It looks like they were made for it. Like teamroper60 said....start them young. The younger the better, and eventually you can start throwing dummies out there for them to go and retrieve.

Retrieving is a good thing to work on. It doesn't seem to come as natural to them as pointing does, however they can be very good at it, it just takes a little practice. Don't be discouraged if your pup doesn't do it well at first.....it'll come to it. These dogs just want to please their masters, treat them right, and they will do the same for you!! Let us know when you find one.

BTW last year I found out that they have Black German Shorthairs. Never seen one, I wonder what they look like. A local guy had gone to Germany and brought them back, wanted $1500 a piece!

 

Matt. I have seen the black GSPs on a web site when I was doing my research. They look pretty. The only physical difference besides the color is the face appears to be a bit thicker. Could be just a mirrage though since I am used to seeing them with lighter lowers. Can't remember the web site or I would post it here, sorry.

Many of the kennels seem to be short on puppies right now, they have sold most of this years litter. Havn't had any luck searching the paper. I am going to set something up and probably deposit $ so I can have the pick for next years crop. Besides, the yard needs some work to get ready for the new family member. I know it is a long way off and it is kind of dissapointing, but got to make sure I am 100% ready to start training and the dog is comfortable at the house. Believe me, I want to get my GSP right now, but it will just be better later this year/next spring. I will definately keep you guys posted when I talk to the kennel, make the deposit and pick up the pup. And if we are still talking, I'll keep ya'll up to date during the training and on to the first hunt.

Keep the advice coming if you got it. Thanks a million.

 

My male shorthair does not have the proper webbing in his feet to swim well. He doesn't mind getting wet and will wade out for birds, but as fit and muscular as he is, he just doesn't swim worth a hoot. The female I don't know about, I got her when she was 6 and I've never taken her to the water.
A good friend of mine in South Dakota has a GSP that swims better than most labs I've seen. She even sets his decoys for him when he gets there and brings them in when he's done. He doesn't even have to take waders or a boat at all. He hands her a decoy, gives her hand signals and tells her to drop when she's in the right spot, same thing but retrieve when done. It's an amazing thing to watch.
I get more worried about their hair coat and getting too cold than their swimming ability, but you live in the south so that shouldn't be an issue. Up here in MN, it's just too cold to take a Shorthair duck hunting in the water.

 

I can't speak for all, but I know that I wouldn't want to spend much time, or more likely wouldn't GET TO spend much time, fishing with my buddies GSP in the boat. In my experience, they are WAY to active and restless to be confined to a boat, at least till they get a little older (or after a good days hunting.

If you want a real good fishing buddy, get a Basset Hound.

I've never been around water with my buddy's GSP, so I can't really comment. All dogs I've come across are fairly competent around water, but there's no doubt some are better than others. The best I've seen was a 3 yr old Chocolate Lab, you could dang near water ski behind that dog.

Waxy

 

I don't do a lot of boat fishing. The kind of water this dog will be around will be mostly high altitude alpine lakes and streams. I might take the dog out to the big lakes in the summer just for fun, but not in the boat. Swimming around in a lake above 9000ft can get cold even in the summer, so I will definately take measures to keep the dog warm. I think I'll pass on the Basset Hound, I have a 14 year old Cocker Spaniel now that I constantly have to poke to make sure she is alive. She sleeps 25 hours a day.

PS As far as the Labs go, I have a buddy who had 3 Yellow Labs and he couldn't keep them out of the water. Wonderful animals, especially for duck hunting, but terrible when your fishing.

 

Unless things have changed in the last 5 years, the AKC won't recognize the black shorthairs. The German registry does, but from what I understand, they are commonly referred to there as Austrian Shorthairs.

I know a man who has one a black one. He's a darn good looking dog and is just as capable a hunting dog as the liver ones. The only thing that would make me shy away from them is that if I were to breed it, I couldn't register the pups in this country.

 

It's been a while since I posted on this subject but I just wanted to let ya'll know that I finally have my GSP. I picked her up on July 5th. She is beautiful, mostly liver with a hint of lightness and spots about the chest area. She's three months old already and spent to much time around her mama. She is crying a lot ,but we'll make it up to her . I'll give her a few months to adjust, then i'll start training her on the easy stuff. My wife and I have decided her registered name will be Frauline Van Landschoot and will submit the paperwork to the AKC as soon as I finish filling out my portion. The etimology(sp?) of my last name means a long stretch of land, so translated her name would be 'Lady of the long stretch of land' I believe. The kids are calling her cocoa (they think she is the color of hot cocoa) so I guess that is what we will call her verbally.

I AM DEFINATELY IN LOVE!

 

Congrats on the new pup. She will adjust faster than you think, dont' wait too long on the training/learning. It will help her adjust and now is the time when she will learn how to interact with you, others, and other animals the fastest. Obviously the more advanced things like hand signals etc will come later, but go ahead and hit the basics hard now. Better yet, get her enrolled in puppy classes now. They learn more about how to learn than anything else in those classes. Really helps set them up to be successful later, no matter how many dogs you have raised. Even the dog trainers around here have their own pups go through the classes they teach rather than just train them at home because the social environment is important for the pups.

Have Fun!

 

She's been out twice now. I had realy good luck on the first training, got her to whoa and come after about 10 minutes of fighting with the check cord. Very smart dog! The second training session wasn't as successful, she was much more interested in the heavy equipment operating in the next field over, so we stopped after about 10 minutes and ran around and played frizbee.
Got some realy good points at the bird noises on The Outdoor Channel. Can't wait to see her do it outside. Funny to see her point purely off of sound, can't wait to get her in the field with some scent trails.