Training GSD for hunting and retreiving waterfowl and game - Page 1

I saw a Utube video of a hunter in La using a GSD for waterfowl retrieving.  I could also envision a GSD retrieving migratory birds and game such as doves.  Anyone doing this or know of someone using a GSD for hunting or retrieving??

My first GSD would point a quail and then flush it once I released him. He would find the squirrels and show me which tree he had them in.

Dog1, did you do any specific training to get him to do that,
or was it just a natural talent ?

I knew of a couple of GSDs in the UK (some time ago) who were used for 'picking
up' shot birds or other game, but I believe those were trained for it, using similar
methods to those used to teach Labradors and spaniels.
 

My bf started one of my older pups on pheasants and ducks. He was doing just fine at it. He has a very high willingness to please, more so than actual aptitude for birds, I think. I stopped him in fear that a future buyer wouldn't be happy because his future job was in conflict with that style of "mouth work." I was right. I told people who asked about him and every one of them dismissed him for sport without even seeing him in person. I may as well have let him keep going since no one wanted a soft-mouthed GSD for sport (oh, how wrong they were...LOL). 

Mine seem to have the quail thing in him. A couple times in the field and he knew the drill. Not exactly an English pointer, but he got the job done. Squirrl treeing was a bit of a learned behavior. He got one every now and then, he had a certain motivation for his work.

The GSD is a breed with high intelligence and motivation to please.  The hunting, tracking, and retrieving instincts that GSD owners and trainers use for training various sports were originally hard wired into the GSD as part of the tool set required to survive as a canine (ie to eat).  Most Labradors do not retrieve ducks or waterfowl yet they are the #1 breed registered by the AKC.  The GSD started out as a farm dog for herding livestock and as a family companion and general utility dog to serve the family and the needs of the family for a general utility dog.  I see no reason to suppress the natural abilities of the GSD to hunt or retrieve game if the owner has need or enjoys these activities.  I am sure the dogs would enjoy these activities as well.  

Bubba i think your biggest hurdle would be the "Hard mouth" vs "Soft Mouth" Retrievers were bred to not mangle the game. Because no one wants a dog that mashes up or eats the birds.
I think your "Average" shepherd might want to play with or even swallow small game birds. Not saying it can't be done. Dogs can be trained to do the most amazing things.
And the second drawback is the coat. Shepherds are not build for water work. Sure they swim well. But can the swim well in cold water bird after bird after bird? Will he know to instinctively look up and watch for falling birds?
Will it know to make a straight line to the bird or have to cast about for the smell?

My dad use to hunt dove and quail with German Short haired pointers. He was learning to hunt from an older man the family met at church. That's who owned the hunting dogs.
At one point someone sent the older gent a dog wanting to see what he though of it's hunting ability. So my dad got the new dog and the older guy took another new dog and they went hunting. My dad's dog hunted good, finding and flushing the birds. Retrieving them quickly and when you reached for the quail he swallowed then. So my dad called out the older guy and had him work the dog. Who flushed, retrieved and sat in front of the man perfectly. But when he reached for the bird the dog again swallowed it. To which he exclaimed "Well be Damned!" and shot the dog dead on the spot. (Freaked my dad out because he was a teenager at the time)
Mail the collar back to the previous owner with a note saying the dog was a bird eater and he's now in the dirt.

But good luck and hope you don't get any bird eaters.

 

I should add that he did work on "bring" with a dummy and rewarded for a calm retrieval with no chewing or shaking or excessive force. He also watched my bf's Pit Bull (yes, Pit Bull) who is a very, very good bird dog. 

I don't think I will be shooting any of my dogs even if they eat a bird or two and I have seen plenty of pointers and setters make a mess of a quail or a dove by mouthing it and eat one on occasion if it was shot up badly and they are hungry.  The "old man" in Fry's story was both a pathetic human and a pathetic dog trainer if shooting a dog was his solution to a training problem.  As far as hard mouth and soft mouth I don't see a lot of difference between a pointer's mouth and a GSD.  If anything I think a GSD is in general smarter and more likely to want to please than a lot of pointers (and I have seen a lot of them) who are in general pretty limited in their tool set in the brains department.  Field trial pointers and high level IPO dogs have one thing in common in that they both are beautiful to watch in action but can be too high in drives and obsessive traits to make a good family or house dog.  The same can be said of many field trial Labradors.   

I'd love to see a GSD point...lol
I'm sure you could teach any dog to retrieve but the pointing I dunno, that's a trait of a different breed.
And why would you want a GSD to plunge into freezing water?
Lab's also have specific traits for this task including webbed feet and a layer of fat, it gets pretty cold around here in duck season.