ever had hunting success with a rescue?

[natel24]

I was just wondering if anyone has ever had any success either hunting with or training a rescued gsp. Me and my wife are seriously looking into it. I'm currently laid off from my job for a few weeks so i've been spending a lot of time watching animal planets show animal cops and it just makes me feel awful for those dogs and i think it would be great to rescue a dog. Also the way the economy is right now i probably shouldn't be spending 700-1000 on another pup. I'd also like another dog for mine to run around with and burn some energy and if i bought a pup that couldn't happen for a while. Thanks in advance for your responses

[original mngsp]

I know one of our club members adopted a rescue GSP that turned out to be a solid hunter. Another guy up in this area has a rescue Vizsla thats a pretty nice hunting dog too.

They can be found, but they dont grow on trees either.

[nj gsp]

My last GSP was a rescue, and my current one was adopted from a breeder at the age of 5. The first was a finished hunter who was in a bad situation and had been nearly starved to death. So, yeah you can get a good hunting dog that is a rescue. But, you are inheriting a lot of unknowns, and a lot of potential problems. I specifically told the rescue people I was looking to give a hunting dog a hunting home, and it took a long time to find a dog that fit the bill. The rescue folks told me they place their dogs as pets, but there were a few people I was working with who I got to know and who did the best they could to help me find a dog to rescue.

Most of the dogs you'll find are older, and undoubtedly have many bad habits and behaviors. You can train them, but you will need to be extra patient and persistent.

Good luck, and I hope you find a good one!

[wems2371]

I think you can definitely have success. It will rely on the dogs inherited abilities and history ... as well as your training abilities. With this economy, I believe it's put a different spin on the rescue situation as well. I believe there are some desperate folks dropping off decent dogs, where the main issue will be financial and not necessarily a problem dog. Just this past weekend, a fellow NAVHDA member was relaying a story about how she recently discovered one of her viszla puppies (now a year old) had been turned over to a local kill shelter. It's a well bred dog, and a diamond in the rough, just waiting for training. Unfortunately, the owners opted to dump the dog off without pedigree in the midst of a divorce, rather than call the breeder for help. Luckily the breeder was able to rehome the dog. I know there are other promising rescue dogs out there too....... Denise

[natel24]

Here is a link to two of the dogs i was looking at. they sure looks like purebreds, no idea on their pedigrees ofcourse. They are about a 4hr drive for me, they are located in holland, mi. If any of the members are located near there maybe they could check them out for me before i drive all the way up there. I looked for one closer to me but all i could really find was mutts or senior dogs. thanks again.

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displa ... d=12805120
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displa ... d=12805121

[bobman]

They are both shorthairs I have no doubt about that. I have a rescue thats an excellent pheasant dog and have had many that make fine dogs that I have rehabbed. Basically you have to let them bond to you, both those dogs will probably do that without any problem whatsoever.

You should crate them at all times if you have other dogs and let them gradually get used to each other one on one. Your existing dog needs sometime without any threatening to get used to him.

I would go for it without worry very very few shorthairs wont hunt. You might want to find out if they adopt to hunters some rescue groups are anti hunters so be secretive until you find that out.

If you can take the dog out and watch how much it pays attention to squirells and tweety birds if it shows a lot of interest your good to go it will hunt game.

I seed a area with quail when I do this drill but your probably up to your shirt pocket in snow right now

[rockllews]

Edited out first part of post; below unchanged....
That said, there's nothing wrong with adopting a shelter dog, and there are many out there that should make great family and working companions. You will be giving it another chance, and since you hunt, great! Like another said, maybe don't mention that, since (for some odd reason) some rescue groups don't realize that these dogs love their jobs more than life on a sofa. Heck, a lot of hunters would give the dog both! I think it's great that so many hunters want to adopt dogs and are willing to take a big chance on them.

Just be aware that the dog may have behavioral or social issues to overcome, and be prepared for the possibility of health problems, since you don't know any history on the dog. Remember to appreciate any level of success with your rescue dog- I'd adopt with the idea of pet first, hunting possibly second.

Good luck! And when you get your new dog, be sure to post pics and updates!

[natel24]

i agree with you that animal planet has only shows showing the negative side of things. i'll watch outdoor channel or vs. and i dvr alot of their bird hunting shows, and the dock dogs stuff. american gun dog is a good show they have or the bird dog challenge is great. enough about the tv though. i submitted an application online to the animal shelter and i didn't hear anything for a few days and then i called and they were real short with me, and i'm sure they are busy, but all they could say was "yeah we have your application, we'll let ya know." i can't see any reason why i wouldn't be approved, i didn't mention hunting, i have a fenced yard, no kids, no cats, own another gsp, the dog will stay inside. who knows i guess i'll just play the waiting game now.

[gspman]

I currently have (3) GSP rescue dogs, My wife and I have adopted 4 over the past 10 years....3 out of 4 are/were real good dogs.

The (1) was a real nut case due to abuse. I tried to train him but was not good enuf. I got him to really like birds and to handle somewhat in the field but he was extremely gun shy. He went completely beserk at the sight of a gun not to mention the sound.

The last dog I adopted (Willy) would be an a real good candidate for a NAVHDA test dog in my opinion except that I don't have any history or pedigree's. He will be going to SD with the other 2 this fall anyway....LOL
He is a retrieving fool and has an awesome 50 - 100 yard or so circular search....always counter clockwise..funny thing to watch, Nose as sharp as a tack. We really like him alot.
We just adopted him 3 weeks ago from the humane society here. He was starved and in real bad shape. His ears were frost bit pretty good, bad skin and the runs real bad. and he was 41 lbs when i got him, he should be 58-62 lbs.
As of yesterday he is up to 45lbs and "shiny as a school marms leg"....hahaha

But i digress, Yes absolutely you can get a good rescue dog. But be carefull when initially checking them out. I found out that some have baggage that is difficult to fix.

Gspman

[kninebirddog]

thing is when you get a rescue primary reason to rescue to to save the dog and give a forever home no matter if the dog hunts or not. If the dog hunts that should be an extra bonus.

[fishvik]

I would also not overlook some local pounds and/or animal shelters. In my experience they are far less concerned with what you are going to with a dog (hunt, trial, etc.) than they are that it just gets a good home. I have a had trouble with the rescue of a bird dog out here in Idaho, where hunting is still a large part of the culture. But I have adopted three dogs out of shelters without any problems. All them have hunted and two of them I wouldn't have traded for the world.

[rockllews]

thing is when you get a rescue primary reason to rescue to to save the dog and give a forever home no matter if the dog hunts or not. If the dog hunts that should be an extra bonus.

Exactly.

[fishvik]

thing is when you get a rescue primary reason to rescue to to save the dog and give a forever home no matter if the dog hunts or not. If the dog hunts that should be an extra bonus.

I think a good majority of us who hunt their dogs want them to have a "forever home if the dog hunts or not". However far,far to many rescue folks feel that if a dog is even asked to hunt that home is not considered worthy and that hunting a dog, something that has been hard wired into these breeds for generations, equates to cruel and unusual punishment and makes a hunters forever home completely unsuitable to these rescue folks. Now I realize this not true of all rescue folks, just too dang many of them.

[kninebirddog]

Only reason I also posted this is sometimes there are reasons dogs are dumped into rescue and that could be they miss the birddog boat and lack the desired traits to the a strong hunter
or they had some other issues which handler trainer may have caused so you won't know the baggage that comes with a dog

So to take on a rescue should be for pet purpose only first and if the dog hunts being an added bonus

Saddly there are some anti hunters that are a head of a rescue program that refuse to let a dog that does have hunting potential go to a hunting home and yes that is wrong

but when you know some of the horror stories which land some of these dogs in rescue I really can't blame some of them.

we have a bunch of GSP's here in AZ that have nasty dispositions which I get literally 8-10 calls a year asking my help to place these dogs cause they are attacking their other dog or have bit the kid extra and then there are the other end which they are born scared of their shadow.

we have a few Brittany breeders that they also breed to make a buck and also are more a part of the fill the market breeders which sell to impulse buyers and anyone who hands then money and produce less then desirable dogs. ones where trainers have told the people the dog doesn't have enough to work with but then they turn around and let these dog produce a litter of puppies

Because I live and work on a Pheasant preserve these people think I have a market for puppies..i have people who want hunting dogs from proven parents not just a dog with papers.

So yes I get to see first hand what dogs that are bred for other reasons then being a bird dog will produce and then get to give dogs second chances because other trainers don't want to waste their time

Or seeing the sad face on an owners face when you have spent all summer with them just trying to get their dogs to look at a bird much less hunt for them and it isn't limited to GSP and Brittanys it is setters and pointers ...there are some breeders out there that literally think they produce the best dogs ever...and we are talking extreme kennel blindness

anyways just the view from the other side of why many rescues are concerned about people who are looking for hunting dogs in rescue programs

[Nukem]

I work with GSP Rescue, www.GSP-Rescue.org and have seen some good hunting dogs come and go. There are breeders who breed good hunting dogs, but don't screen the owners and the owners don't do their homework on what it takes to own a GSP. They are active dogs, and if you don't exersize them every day, and train them on basic obediance they become terrors. So, the owner who got the cute puppy now has a dog on crack so they give them up. We adopt dogs to hunters, however we are selective because sometimes hunters do stupid things.

A great example of this is a guy who adopted one of our dogs, we thought the owner was a resonable guy. He gets the dog, and returns it a month later stating it doesnt hunt. We asked what training did you do with the dog because it was birdy when we had it. He didn't do any training because "they are hunting dogs and should know what to do." So before the guy and this dog are bonded they go hunting the dog isn't quite sure what the owner wants him to do, and the owner is yelling at the dog. Then, just to see if the dog is gun shy they start blasting at skeets with the dog in the crate. So, obviously that dog got screwed up even more.

If you get a rescue dog, take some time to bond with it. These dogs want to be with you. Have the dog hang out with you in the house, take the dog place just for fun. Get that bond solid, then start hunt training. The dog wants to know you are predictable, so be consistant.

As was mentioned, we want our dogs to go to forever homes so we screen everyone. We have gotten so many dogs from people who have lost their homes, Marines and Sailors that have been sent out on multpile depolyments, and just bad situations. Check out a rescue dog, and be prepared to put in some work and you will have a great dog! Also, sometimes you can get really lucky and get a great dog from the start.

Good luck!

[JMc]

Below is a pic of one of my GSP's named TAZ. I am a member of the North Texas GSP Rescue group and got a call on Dec. 7, 2007 about a GSP being turned into a the pound. As I spoke to the lady at the pound in Amarillo, she stated that the man turning the dog in was still there. I convinced him to take the dog home and I would drive over and check him out. To make a long story short, I took the then 21 pound 3 year old GSP out of the yard with the full intention of putting him down. I made the mistake on the way home of moving him from the box in the back of the truck due to cold weather and let him ride in the front. We bonded immediately...here he is at 52 pounds hunting Chukar in Oklahoma; March of 2009.

[Dirtysailor]

Saw a rescue GSP at the Shenango NAVHDA NA test two weeks ago and the owner doesn't even hunt but she did a masterful job working with the dog and they both had a great time. The dog was great just have to agree with earlier posts that it takes time to make that bond with rescues. All the potential is still there.

[[email protected]]

Just wanted to add my little story here. We have two rescue ESs. One is a great lazy house dog. She is sweet, loving and is a perfect pet and house dog. She was in a pretty bad situation when we got her and our goal was just to get her into a good house and to have someone to hang out with us, hike, camp etc. Worked out great. She was heartworm positive, but that wasn't a huge deal to handle. She is gun shy (shy in general) and so she stays at the house when the guns come out.

About a year later when we had settled into our new town and house I really got the itch to have a hunting partner. So I started looking at breeders and also kinda kept an eye on the rescue boards.

I was truly SHOCKED to find the number of GUN DOG rescue groups who flatly dismissed my interest when I said I was a hunter. It's amazing that there are so many groups who really misunderstand what these dogs are breed to do. I can't imagine taking a rescued gun dog and placing it in a home who wouldn't allow the dog to hunt.

Anyhow, I came across a group in Arkansas called Gunn Dogs Inc. The owner only deals in rescuing gun dogs and really works to find homes where the dogs will be happy. We went and visited and fell for Brownie hard. He is wired to ON all the time. Eats like a horse and can't be left in the house for too long alone. He is getting better as we work with him, he is calmer in the evenings, but mornings are a little berserk.HA!

He had a rough summer (search for velcro in the health forum) but he is back up to fighting weight now and just finished 2nd in the novice class of the Tulsa Bird Dog Club's first trial of the fall. I have had him only seven months and he pointed, retrieved (!!!) backed and handled beautifully. We are headed out again this weekend and hope that he places again. Everyone in the club likes him and are pretty amazed that he was dumped.

I am sure I am as lucky as they come, but our experience has been great.

[lucky guy]

Well, I'm hopeful on this one! Got this little 10 month old guy a few weeks ago. He was basically abandoned in an outdoor kennel with another dominant dog. Was mud caked, emaciated, a week or two from being put down by the owner.

I haven't had a shorthair before. Hunted with em and always liked em. I'm really taken with this guy!

Here are a few pics.

On one of our walks.



His first point. You can see the bird launcher in the lower right corner.



Stylin' on his 4th point.

[phermes1]

zzweims has a great story about a dog that I think she was boarding for a while. Zero hunting background of any kind. Basically through osmosis, it apparently learned to hunt and point birds at her place. As good or better than a lot of dogs.

The funniest part about it? The dog was a pit bull.

[RoosterBuster]

Moose was a rescue from an accident between 2 hunting dogs, from what we were told by the place we got him. He is 50/50 CBR/LAB. So far he seems pretty "bleep" smart, and I can't wait to get him on some birds this fall to see how it all goes. I was lucky and got him at about 9 1/2 weeks. The owner of the female just wanted to get rid of the pups since it was hunting season and he didn't want to miss out on a big trip coming up or something along those lines.

[r nickell]

I just recently adopted my second dog. The first was a GSP male around 1yr old when I got him two years ago. He had no training that I could see and was gun shy. After a year of working with him on my own and sending him to a trainer he started to come into his own towards the end of last season, and is showing the making of a solid hunter. The second is a GWP that I adopted last Saturday about a 3yr old female. Much to my surprise in the short time I have had her she looks to have the possiblity of being a rock star in the feild. In 5 short days she has shown me solid retrieving skills both on land and in water. The first time I used the Whoo command she almost fell over stopping on a dime and gave me a look like where did you learn that. a quail wing I hid brough her to a solid point that she held till I walked over and picked it up. She seems uneffected by loud noises so do not think gun shyness will be a problem but want her to get settled in abit more before we test it even though she does seem skiddish. So yes good dogs are out there. Both of mine were strays I found in local shelters not the more breed specific rescues. It is a shame that people will not spend the few dallors it cost to mirco-chip their dogs both of mine were checked for them when they were picked up. Hope to get some pictures of them in the feild this season but so far this is best I have.

MO111_11826823-2-x.jpg

NE80_16707662-1-xA.jpg

[Don]

Well, I'm hopeful on this one! Got this little 10 month old guy a few weeks ago. He was basically abandoned in an outdoor kennel with another dominant dog. Was mud caked, emaciated, a week or two from being put down by the owner.

I haven't had a shorthair before. Hunted with em and always liked em. I'm really taken with this guy!

Here are a few pics.

On one of our walks.



His first point. You can see the bird launcher in the lower right corner.



Stylin' on his 4th point.

I'll be "bleep" Glenn, your everywhere! Update on that dog folks. The second photo was Duke when we first tried getting him to point a bird, that was the 8th bird. He went home with me that day. He was afraid of the car, a bit gun shy and wouldn't go into tall grass. Times have changed. About three weeks after I got him hime he came down with parvo, I thought I was going to loose him. Glenn let me dr him at home with a kit provided by my vet. He pulled thru! A week or so ago we took him to a local preserve with our other dog's and the little guy did a great job. Stole a point on a pheasant on Glenn's Ben. Held very well though while Glenn and I missed the shot! Then he was on a back with Ben pointing a chukar and stood thru two shots and a falling bird and watched Ben miss the retrieve. Then I sent him, about 40yds and he had the bird marked, boom. Right on it and right to Glenn. I was ready to cry it was so beautiful. Later we bumped a chukar and Glenn took off after it with Ben and Duke and I took Squirt and went a different way. Glenn told me that Duke found the bird, stood thru the fall ,and retrieved on command. This week we leave for Richfield, Ore for wild chukars with him. Then Glenn is going to take him home a day then off to the Steens for more chukars. Little guy had everything going against him and has pulled it out really really well.

Here's a couple newer photo's of Duke.






A rescue dog!

BTW, in that third photo Glenn put in, nobody was holding that check cord. I had him just dragging it till a few days after we got that photo.

[rkappes]

Don - That's awesome, good stuff! I love that 2nd to last photo of Duke!!!!

[fourtrax]

If you wonder if a rescue dog can be a successful hunter......
Check out my post under hunting titled "Love this Sport"

Chase (dog in post & pics) was a rescue dog. He is a French Britt. not a GSP.
The Breed does not matter. Rather it is the dogs breeding / background, and treatment / training / abuse or not from previous owners.
I got Chase March 1 st 2007. He had great bloodlines & was let go because the previous owner had not the time to work with him.
He was supposed to go to a hunting home. As I write this he is keepingmy left foot warm sitting on it.
He has been pointing Ruffed Grouse since September 2007. He turned into a great little hunter.

I guess my advice would be to be sure what kind of history the dog has before he comes home with you. If the dog was made gunshy
the roads would be difficult. If you like GSP-s by all means dive in!
I have another rescue dog I gota year go in August. This year he really turned on pointing both grouse & Phez.

[RoosterBuster]

Just thought I would throw up a picture of our rescue "mutt" Lab/Chessie



He has work yet on the retrieving end, but as far as finding, and getting on the wounded birds I couldn't ask for more. He has turned in to a flushing machine.

[r nickell]

Got a couple of pics of the recycle kids out in the field this season and thought I would post them, along with a thank you to all the people I have meet while hunting with them. I have gotten nothing but support from people in the hunting dog community in my training efforts along with many thank you's for adopting my dogs. The dogs and I all have alot to learn but so far the journey with them has been lots of fun for all of us.
Murphy and Gretta doing their thing

Gretta on point

Murphy finds a single

If I could only get them to pose for pics

[bigriks300]

My friend/roomy got this rescue dog. They called it a brittany mix; I think it's a gsp mix of some sort. Anyway, no obedience, pulls like a MULE on the leash, touch him the wrong way and he nips, he chewed up john's bible in the first week and then went on to chew anything he could reach; yes, he ATE his chew toys. Presented with quail wings; he ate them, Pheasant? ate em. Duck, yup, ate em, goose too. Shot the .22 at targets, he runs off to the truck. So, I take him to obedience school. He sits, stays, doesn't pull as much as he used to and will actually heel for about 25 steps. I took him to the field for some more target practice, starting with just a loud air gun, the the .22, then my 20ga, then a .3030. He just hung out looking at me, no more running. He still has no recall but he'll stay tight, 30-40 yards in a tree area, so I figured I'd just take him along next time I go squirrel hunting. Get there and there are a couple squirrels on the ground so I take off his leash and BAMM he's gone like I shot him out of agun: this is where I found him:





Bear in mind he was 20 feet higher into that tree. Scared the beejeezus out of me really; didn't know a dog could climb that far. Anyway, john wanted a bird dog and what he got was a squirrel dog; hehe. Oh, that dog weighs 23 pounds soaking wet and went after a coon later that day that had to be near 40 pounds. I didn't shoot the coon but he went crack dog on me when that squirrel toppled out of that tree. He jumped on it and shook it like he was killing it's ancestors.

My, long winded point is that rescue dogs come with baggage. This one was mis-treated, had zero training, and is absolutely the hardest headed dog I've ever run across BUT, BUT, I did manage to find something that he'd hunt and hunt hard. Don't know about letting him loose on coon though, he's tiny and it seems no one told him that yet.

btw, still looking for a birdy rescue dog or retriever but not a lab. Simply don't have space for a really big dog like a lab; a smaller one yah but not a 90 pounder. any help would be appreciated.

As to the rescues not giving dogs to hunters, yah, I just ran into that. I went out to look at several dogs with a couple quail wings and the young "all organic vegan", as if I cared what the heck she ate, told me "we do NOT allow dogs to hunt" and asked me to leave. To bad too, 2 of the 3 dogs went straight to point on them wings, sigh.

[bigriks300]

On bird/retriever dog, I'd really like to get a female, fixed is fine provided they didn't don't do it to darn early. Tyke is, for his size, more like a cur in temperment with other dogs, he's already got the local pits running away from him; hehe, it was funny, at least to me, don't know about their owners since they had to run their dogs down in the snow.
I say, next time, keep em on a leash. I really don't like pitbulls in any manner; don't trust em, never will.

[helpful_cub]

I rescued a 1 year old GSP in Southern California. He's family gave him up because they moved to California and didn't have a yard for him. He did have some abuse in him background but after living with me for a couple of weeks he seems to have really mellowed out and is always happy to see me getting home. He's taking training remarkably quickly and loves to run and smell. He frequency finds Sparrows in the backyard and occationally points at them. We're still working basics like leash training so serious field training is probably still a month away but he's showing great potential. Oddly enough I got all of this shot record when I rescued him so I'm currently trying to contact his puppy vet to see if I can find his Mother. If I can, then there's a good chance I can pay the breeder and get his papers.

A co-worker of mine is a member of Brittney Rescue and frequently takes her dogs to field trials in the area. They usually place fairly well and really enjoy working the birds.

I think the key is, you just have to be pacient with a rescue. They need time to figure out this is their new home and that your the boss of the pack and that you're not going to hurt them.

[RoostersMom]

I have successfully fostered over 40 birddogs (mostly english pointers, but a few GSP's and 5 Vizslas). At least 5 of them went to "hunting" homes and hopefully the others have some hunting available in their new homes. I foster for the local shelter and for the Showme Vizsla Club. You most certainly can get a great hunting dog from the shelter or a rescue. With the economy these days, there are a lot of folks rehoming dogs....most are fine dogs - and many of the ones I work with are under 2 years old. We just adopted an EP and are absolutely thrilled with her hunting ability - she was just a house dog before she came to us, now she's going for her JH title.

One EP I fostered started on his JH title and went to his new home with 2 legs finished. Yes, you need to be careful when adopting, but YES, you can get some great dogs that have been dumped. There are also a lot of crappy breeders that either dump dogs (pups) at shelters or who breed and then sell to worthless people then the dogs end up dumped at the shelter with papers. I had two EP pups that were dumped at the shelter with their papers, I called the breeder, thinking he'd care that his two pups (10 mos old) ended up in the shelter and he'd take them back in.... boy, was I wrong, he just said he'd had a new litter and didn't have the time to deal with these two pups. What a crappy breeder that guy is.

[rmoorman]

try these rescues:

Great Plains Pointer Rescue
German Wirehaired Pointer Rescue, Inc
Wisconsin German SHorthair Rescue
Illinois Bird Dog Rescue

all of these rescues occasionally get trained dogs in -

I foster for two of these rescues and they are all great people to deal with !

Rachel

[jbesachio]

I got Duke last August from a rescue in my area. Duke is from down south and was brought in by plane then dropped off at my house at 4 months old. We know he is Choc Lab, but not sure what else he has in him. At about 10 months old (after some basic training on my part) he went away for a month, came back retrieving to hand live birds. This summer we are going to work him has a flusher and hopefully have a blast this fall/winter.

My buddy that trained him said he would have never thought a rescue from unknown origin would take to birds/hunting so quickly. I may have just been lucky, but sometimes its better to be luck than good!

[singleshot54]

About 3 years ago I adopted a 2 year old female Brittany. I drove from El Paso TX to Big Spring TX to get her. Once I worked through her timidness and got her cured from the red mange she had, she worked out great. She was and continues to be an excellent hunter. In fact she helped my get my purebred Britt over some problems I was having with him.

[V-John]

I've fostered a number of vizslas for show me and have had several in that could hunt. one I've kept, and another one, on this link has a very fine point. Lucy...

http://showmevizsla.homestead.com/Femal ... ption.html

Backs naturally, has a good point. Shes very smart and would make someone a very nice gundog.
She's not the first, and won't be the last hunting dog to come through rescue.

[dawgmama]

Three years ago we adopted an English Setter from our local shelter. Surprisingly, the sheller staff was happy she was going to be able to hunt, and do what she was bred to do. She had a few 'issues', but overcame them quickly, aside from being a glutton for food, not aggressive, just a pig. She was 10 months old when we adopted her, so, not knowing her history, we trained her like an 8 week old pup, and introduced her to hunting slowly. She is great! This is her 3rd season and she handles grouse and woodcock like a pro! Her range is perfect, she backs naturally, wonderful retrieves, and...so stylish on point. In the off season, we do obedience and Fylball. I'd adopt again for sure!

[SHORTFAT]

Got our EP at 8 months... She spent her formative puppy time talking to herself in a kennel and getting the crap kicked outta her by dominant dogs... She had issues to be sure, but with patience... alot of it... she has become a great addition to the family and very capable of finding birds. We've overcome chewing issues, gun shyness, people shyness, crate shyness, washing machine shyness, neurotic psycossis... and I think a crack addiction... but she is alot of fun in the field and worth the effort put into her. She will never make a field trialer, but she is a fine family hunting dog combo...

Bird Dog.jpg

[Aries]

I got Butler as a rescue (Lab/EP mix) from a couple in Fla who didn't want him after 5 months.(I'll leave the rest out) I took one look at a photo of him and replied "I'll take him". Luckily I had a friend that lives in Fla that was coming to Del to visit his mother, I paid his gas one way and he delivered him right to my door step.

He has all the characteristics of a EP and a Lab together, the best of both worlds. I've had him for 3 1/2 months now and he's very birdie, 100% obedient, completely whistle trained, collar conditioned, will retrieve as long as I throw the bumper on land or in the water and loves to run. And now we're slowly working on FF.

He even carries my bags.

[doltuku]

thanks for all the information guys

[pennyfarmer]

My rescue dog was super young possibly 4-5 weeks. I had a bit of trouble getting him to eat.

The story goes that I had just lost a pup to parvo and was afraid of getting another dog. Someone called a friend asking if he either wanted a pup or knew of someone wanting a pup. I asked for a pic and what breed they thought he was. They said he was a yellow lab but not real sure who the parents were. The guy had gotten him from some kids in the neighborhood who were packing him around apparently looking for someone to take him. He was so small that I put him in my coat pocket and took him to work with me cause it was my lunch hour.

2 years later now he is a pretty good dog. I am not sure exactly what has happened to him this year but its like the switch got turned on. He loved the pheasant hunt and some of his "problems" have gotten so much better that I wonder where my dog went. I had real trouble getting him to pick up birds on the duck opener if the water was not deep enough that he needed to swim. I am still working through him not wanting to jump out of the boat cause he wants to tip toe in but it gets better every time we go out. I will follow up with a few picture.

[kmac61]

I rescued Cooper, a two year old WPG, about a year and a half ago with the intention of just having a pet ; but he let me know almost immediately that he was going to hunt with or without me! I got Cooper from a foster home in western Iowa and was told his former owner had hunted geese and pheasants with him. He gave Cooper up because he was transferred to a big city and didn't think he should take the dog. Well I too just moved to a big city (Evanston, IL. just north of Chicago)but live near the lake and a large park system that I thought would keep 'ol Coop busy. Boy was that and understatement, we have lots of rabbits around, and he is a pointing fool. I did notice however that he was noise sensitive especially to gun fire, not freaking out, it just took some of the starch out of him.
One of the advantages of living in a urban area is the plethora of pigeons that are all around. I built a trap, caught a few, and took Coop to a near by forest preserve with a starters pistol. Well our first several visits were comedies of errors, but it was apparent Cooper likes birds. This fall we visited a public hunting area in WI. which has released birds. Being close to Chi-Town there is a ton of activity and getting out of the car Coop was a little put off by the constant gun fire, but I said, "Hey Coop lets just go for a walk." He caught scent of a few birds, busting one out and pointing nicely on two others, so back we went to the car and I got my gun (20ga with dove loads) and went a huntin'. Boom he's on a bird running to and fro and then...locked in, I mean every fiber of his being focused on that scent that is not more than a yard or two away. In I go, Coop holding as steady as I've ever seen him and up comes the rooster, I shoulder the gun but really have an eye on Coop to see what he is doing, he snaps at him but is pretty steady. I shoot, and of course miss, with Cooper not fazed at all by the two blasts I've just unleashed over head he's just watching the rooster and then he's after him. Off I go to find Coop on point again with the same bird (which I missed again). But suspicions confirmed he's a hunter. We've been out a few times since, in some tough conditions, put he doesn't chase after running birds (too much) but needs some work on retrieving (his interest in dead birds isn't half of what it is for live ones). But he's a hunter.

[rons]

I also adopted 2 rescues over 7 years ago. The first was a Brittany Spaniel, my wife wanted a companion dog and I secretly wanted a hunter and we both did not want a puppy. The rescue had no prior history on the brit except he was picked up at a kill shelter in Ky. After he settled in our family routine I took him to a friends farm and we worked him on pigeons and to our surprise not only did he point, was steady and whoa'ed , he did it all, All we knew about him was he had a meat allergy and a weed allergy.
The 2nd adoptee was a GWP and in less than a month of work he became a good hunter also, he was found in Ohio at a kill shelter. So I was lucky to have found these 2 dogs.
I'm now adopting a young GWP with great possibilities, can't wait to get him home, acclumated to me and out into the field.

[Justin10016]

ANY one looking for a PuP to rescue check out my post, my brittany might be a good match!

[liza001]

Meet Boomer...
Only (best guess) a year old; had him since Oct 13th.. didn't plan on working him on birds this year, but when he made it clear he was made for the game.. well all that flew out the window. Boomer was found as an emaciated filthy stray that no one claimed back in June.. the woman that found him gave him to me when she realized he wasn't happy with the fenced little yard.
Someone missed out on a phenomenal dog. "bleep" shame that there is no papers on him, he could keep up with the Field Trial dogs and would have loved to trial him in the off season

[wehetler]

We took in a 15 month old Brittany that had been given to the pound because "she dug holes in the yard" After about 6 months of getting her used to our other two Britts and some intense obedience training I took her hunting along with my other two big pedigree accomplished hunters. All she did was walk along side of me. Not gun shy but just not interested. In my mind that was the real reason she was shipped off to the pound in the first place. I then started a program of introducing her to pen raised quail and pheasants. Just letting her find them. Did this a couple times a week for a couple of months. That fall we went hunting again and the switch seemed to go off and she has not looked back. Is every bit as good if not better at times than her prima donna kennel mates. She seems to know she is in her forever home and is one happy dog. She was pretty scared when we first brought her home and to see her now makes you understand that even if she never hunted again you did the right thing.

[oldbeek]

I was looking in American Brittany Rescue for a new dog. Found a dog in Washington that the owner died. His wife thought the dog was trained and did have a pedigree. She was fully trained, 4 yrs old, under nourished and the best all around dog ever. Great nose and style. When she died at 10, I started looking again. My wife asked if I ever looked at her pedigree. She had 6 HOF dogs in her line including Beans Blaze and Nolans last bullet. ABR had no idea what they were giving away. I was very blessed. Needless to say I went to her breeder to find a new dog.

[gsp1985gj]

Have rescued two shorthairs over the last two years and both had wild birds (grouse and woodcock) shot over them this fall. One dog we have worked through a gunshy issue and our older female was rescued at age eight from our local humane society, she had never had much work, but is a natural retriever, and now handles beautifully in the grouse woods. Both these dogs are very good dogs that I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have gotten to work with.

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[Demo]

Not a GSP, but I currently have a rescue springer that is the finest field bred springer I have ever met. I don't know what her lines are, but she is a champion from nose to toes. I followed a pheasant hunting party up the Columbia that had two dogs working and were getting nothing. 200 yards behind them, I had my limit in half an hour. She dug right into the brush and kicked the birds up, then retrieved them to hand flawlessly, including tracking a runner. They say you only get one great bird dog in your life, but she is my second. The first was a springer too, also a rescue. If a dog is birdy, smart, and biddable, that's all you need.

We rescued her when she was 5, from SE Idaho, over by the Montana border. Sometimes you hit the jackpot. The only downside is that she's 7 now, and I missed about 3 great years in the field with her. Can you tell I love this dog? She's at my feet right now, the perfect companion for home and hunting.

[RyanDoolittle]

Even a free dog wouldnt make me hunt over a rescue. Besides the unknown of the dogs history the biggest factor is time and you can never get that back once it is gone. $1000 is cheap in the big picture of owning a bird dog. Do your research, find a well bred dog, and out that time into a puppy or a dog that have been properly developed.

[fishvik]

I have gotten two bird dogs from local pounds Fawn was a Chessie/Weim cross. She was a great upland and waterfowl dog who lived until the age of 12 and hunted to the very end. Hanna my 12 year old GSP was adopted from the local pound as a pup and she is still going strong. She has the most amazing nose of any dog I've owned.