GSD winning hunting trailis - Page 1

As a child I use to accompany my father to hunting competitions with his German Shorthair Pointers. I remember for a couple years there was a buzz going around of a handler winning every event across the country with his mx breed dog. One weekend this man showed up at the trail, there was so much excited & gossip going around about the dog's abilities. Well, when I saw the dog it was no mix it was a purebred GSD! Which did an amazing job at the trail & won again. The man with his GSD became National Champions that year(s) for the Gun Dog trails. I don't remember all the details, but he was a avid hunter & competitor. His hunting dog past away, then shortly later he found the GSD as a stray. He loved this dog dearly, everyone close to him told him to give up the dog & get another hunting / competition dog. He decided this dog was smart with a good nose, so started to train her. The GSD excelled in training, she even learn to have a gentle mouth when carrying the birds back.

The gun dog competition consist of hiding live pheasants in a large field. A dog & handler team our timed on how fast & accurately they find the birds within the field. The dog must flush / point out the birds, be steady under the close gun fire, not take off running after the bird if it flies away, then retrieve the bird back to the handler with a soft mouth bite. There are more details in judging about the obedience / handling, nose work, temperament etc.
But the GSD not only excelled in this sport long ago, but blow away the hunting dogs at it. Does any one know of more information? I've always loved GSD's & had one around that same time, I was so happy for that man & his GSD. Don't remember where they were from, or names. The time frame must of been in the late 1970's - very early 1980's. The GSD was a very light Black & Tan, with the typical GSD structure.

Take care, Carol

Interesting post, Carol.

I have often wondered if there were any GSD's trained as bird dogs, either as pointers or retrievers or in any other gun-dog capacity.  I am not a hunter so my curiosity does not pertain to any possibility that I might attempt to pursue that sort of training myself.  Still, the well used phrase, "First at nothing, second at everything" raises the question in my mind about how GSD's might perform as gun-dogs.  Why not?

Hopefully somebody else will chime in with tales of GSD's making the grade, or not, in these capacities.

SteveO

I once knew a person who owned, showed and worked Curly Coated Retrievers and she also owned a GSD and she ensisted it was a better gundog than all 3 of her Curlies put together!

Also there was a famous Lurcherman in the UK who had trained his White Long Hair bitch to a very high standard of gundog work.

I believe any breed can do anything if it is taught from a young age the correct way and you stick to it and don't waver from sport to sport.

I've known a Dandie Dinmont Terrier be steady and pick a standard sized Gundog Dummy on a 15 yard marked retrieve and be steady to gunshot.

Chuck Eisenmann (Littlest Hobo) trained his dogs to retrieve birds. That makes sense to me, because GSDs are required to be gunsure for Schutzhund, and to retrieve dumb bells for the obedience work. There's not much difference between training to retrieve a dumb bell and a bird. Both require the dog to wait for the trainer's command before retrieving.

NICE................. I USE MY GSD' S FOR HOG AND RABBIT HUNTING...THEY SEEM TO DO WELL AND LUV EVERY MINUTE OF IT

"There's not much difference between training to retrieve a dumb bell and a bird."

There is a significant difference.