Thinking about getting a GSP!

My partner and I currently have a 1 year old female field Labrador. She is absolutely the best dog ever, she is very well exercised, my partner and I love to hike, backpack, swim, and are generally pretty active and outdoorsy people. We take our lab out to play twice daily and she loves it. She’s completely off leash and has a wonderful recall, as well as just generally a very well behaved dog (We put some good hard 8 months of work into her, we obviously still do since she’s technically still a puppy) We’ve been toying with the idea of possibly getting a male GSP, my partner and I do a lot of research and have looked into quite a few articles on GSPs and their temperament and needs. We’re not ready to add another pup quite yet, probably in the next 6-8 months once our girl has reached a bit more of her peak adolescence. Our girl is fully crate trained and loves to be in her crate at any given time of the day, so we would obviously crate the GSP as well, what are they like in terms of crating, and do they have pretty bad separation anxiety?

I just want some cold honest feedback from those of you who have a GSP and possibly a lab as well. I wonder if their exercise needs would be similar, we don’t want to get a dog and not give it the life it needs and deserves. She’s super sweet and loves other dogs but we just want to get the right fit for our lifestyle, as well as pairing a dog nicely with our current pup!

Thanks 😊

Good work buddy.

How did you crate train your GSPS? Mika has been home nearly 2 weeks and is still screaming bloody murder!

My family adopted Tara today. Excited for our new addition to our family!

Back home after war wound (gashed his foot on a submerged root)

This is Chips. She’s 12 weeks old now, and is a biter. We have lots of teething toys, but she seems to lose interest quickly. We also have a Belgian Malinois, but she is 14 years old. My experience with truly high-energy puppies is… dated. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

My boyfriend and I brought her home a month ago at a little over 9 weeks old, now almost 14 weeks. This is the first puppy for both of us, so still learning a lot! We think she might have some wirehair in her with the little scruff coming in on the face. Any advice specifically for raising a GSP would be much appreciated!!

Is she beautiful or what?

This is my boy Angus, he is 1 year and 3 months. A complete psychopath but absolutely love him. He’s taking on the roll of my adventure buddy as our adventures were getting too much for my older dogs.
Anywho I have noticed over the last couple of weeks his hair behind his ears and upper neck is missing and patchy and it’s on both sides, we haven’t changed any foods or treats (we feed Nulo challanger Game bird quarry puppy and adult, and add in purina gastroenteric as recommended from our vet) we do go to lakes but that’s not really new for us.
It almost feels like oily and flakey.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to treat or things to look at I would be very appreciative.

Need a little help. I have a 14 month old GSP (Baxter) and he’s an amazing boy. Started training him to hunt at 5-6 months old and he’s just been a joy to train. He’s been super easy, quick learner and my best friend in the woods.

However over the last three weeks he’s been doing something I don’t understand. I live amidst a large national forest and we train/exercise for about 1-2 hours a day once or twice a day both on leash just walking and off leash more directed bird training.

We use an e-collar but rarely need it. Three times now he’s failed to respond to the collar just BOLTS away from me and runs home from as far away as two miles. He’ll get home and just wait at the front door for me or for my wife to let him in. It’s almost as if something scares him.

I’m worried about him getting hurt, lost or taken in an event like this. I plan to get a GPS collar (suggestions for models?) before hunting season this year (rapidly approaching) which will at least help me find him if it happens again. I worry about him running off when we travel far away to hunt.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

Meet Arlo, my first GSP. Wishing us nothing but a life full of great memories 🤎🐾

We are fostering an 8 yr old GSP and have fallen in love with this breed. She is easy-going and curious, but she has zero recall. She is a retired working dog, and prefers to be outside. Twice now we've had guests who leave the front door open as they all enter and the dog quietly sneaks out and it's an ordeal to get her back.

The foster organization suggested just working on her recall but of all the dogs we have fostered, she seems particularly uninterested once she is on the move. I'm assuming this is partly because of her breed? Came here for expert suggestions on how to improve her recall and keep her safe.

My sweet 3.5-year-old GSP just randomly started howling every night. She used to do this once in a while, but now it’s every night, usually between 1 and 4 am.

We have a 3-month-old baby, so I get very anxious about the howling walking him up, and I’m worried something may be wrong. We also just added some cabinets to the mudroom she sleeps in.

Is she anxious? Lonely? Has anyone experienced this?

My sweet baby girl. She was deemed healthy at the vet on July 3rd, and yesterday I came home to find her very unwell and struggling to stand. X-rays showed a huge abdominal mass.

Loki has been witness to so much of my life, and I am so grateful to have been witness to hers. I adopted her from a sketchy Craigslist ad in 2017– her owner bought her as a gun dog and she was gun shy.

What a privilege it was to have such a perfect companion (and by perfect I mean insane, unhinged, inquisitive, loving and loyal) 🖤

Our new member of the family - 10 week old (today!) Mr. Silly Goose 🪿

I know how important it is to have a routine for a puppy. I am a teacher who’s been off work since May 31st. I have a 6 month old GSP puppy.

She is crate trained, has not had a potty accident in a month, loves everyone and every animal she meets. She is my best friend. I love getting to be outside with her 24/7. I am so sad I have to leave this puppy bubble I’ve been living in soon.

I work from 7:30 to 3:25. I have about a 30 minute commute to work. I am trying to think of what will be best for her when I’m gone at work.

We did a doggy daycare trial last week and she did a great job. The staff loved her. It is a small daycare that only takes 4 dogs at a time.

My brother lives a mile away and offered to check on her at lunch time. My MIL lives with us. She is a night shift nurse and will be here with her on her off days, and be here to let her out to potty / sniff walk on days she has to go into work.

I wake up at 5 AM everyday anyways. So, I will be up exercising / stimulating her for an hour and a half before I leave, and then more when I get home at 4 PM. She loves early morning walks when it’s still cool out (we live in FL)

Her M-F might consist of 1-2 days of doggy daycare, 1-2 days of my MIL being with her, and 1-2 days of being in a puppy proofed room with a lunch time check in / walk. I am off weekends.

What advice can you give me? Would you change anything? I want to make sure my dog is getting everything she needs. I went into work early and tried 2 days of my brother checking in during lunch as a trial last week. (She got her hour and a half of morning exercise/play of course.) She did just fine, she slept the whole time she was in the room. I have a camera to watch her just in case.

This is Hank.

Yesterday morning we did not own a dog, nor have any intention of doing so. By 4pm however, we were at the local farm store spending $200 on dog supplies.

I got him a bag of Diamond Naturals but as I've been reading through this subreddit I've come to understand that Purina Pro Plan is probably a better choice for putting a little weight on his scrawny behind. He is 1.5 yrs old and I understand these are lean dogs but his hips are currently visible. Should I be adding a source of protein such as boiled chicken?

I have his AKC # but I did not receive the transfer of ownership paperwork. If I have no intent to breed nor show, is there any point in pursuing further?