German Shorthair People

I definetly understand where you are coming from. I got my dog in August, she is a 4 year old German Shorthair Pointer/Great Dane mix.
 
I will admit I had NO idea what I was getting myself into. She looked like a Lab and it wasn't until after I got her did her previous owner tell me her mom was a purbred shorthair.
Raja was chained up for her whole life outside. I figured she would be so happy to have a home and I have delt with difficult/hyper dogs before so I thought this would be nothing new. She was also almost 4 years old.
 
She had never been inside, so she is like a wild dog inside, literally she would jump on counters, jump fences, you name it she did it.  Things are slowly improving. Does she still act wild sometimes and run through the house..yes. But, things have gotten a bit better.
 
I also had no idea her prey drive would be so high, we have stray bunnies in our neighborhood that have decided to make our porch their home. Raja will sit by the door and whine the whole day to get to them, the first few days she wouldn't even eat. She also tried to jump through a window to get to them. She is obsessed with them. She is also extreamly stubburn, when she doesn't want to do something she will not. I can walk her for 2 hours and within half hour she is back to her hyper self whining to play and jumping everywhere.
 
I take her to the dog park alot, luckly she is great with other dogs and it really helps get her energy out. She also has a Kong that I use when I need her to be quiet and just stay put. Also training helps them get out energy. So I try to do some training with her for about half hour a day, plus she gets a walk in the afternoon plus playtime in the backyard with our other dogs.
 
Sorry for the long reply!

I would be more than happy to help.  Abbi is about 7 years old so she is done with the puppy stuff, but not the energy.  We rescued her 9 months ago.  When we got her we were looking for a high energy dog, mostly considering labs.  I wanted a dog who would be sweet and cuddly and a great workout partner.
 
We walk almost everyday, depending on the weather.  Usually an hour or more per day.  Once a week we try to go to the dog park, we would go more often, but it is a 20-25 minute drive each way.  Every Friday she goes to day care, which wipes her out.  If it was more affordable I would send her more often.  When it is nice we go swimming and hiking at my mom's house.  I have used  a backpack with her, especially if I don't have an hour to devote to exercise that day.  I found her backpack at a sporting goods store with a huge camping dept.  She seems to like it.  I didn't start with weights right away as I wanted her to get used to wearing it first.
 
For indoor activities I have taught her to play fetch and upstairs/downstairs (which is basically running up and down the stairs).  We have an open plan house so she will run in circles sometimes, which we encourage by changing directions with her and calling her from other areas, sometimes we will even hide and jump out.
 
She can not be trusted off leash so everytime we go out she has a leash on.  Usually if we are out for potty breaks we will walk around the yard for a few minutes, every second of movement counts.  If I have to go out for the mail or paper she is with me.
 
If you haven't tried training you might want to take your dog to some classes.  Abbi and I just started basic obedience last week.  There are 2 other shorthairs in her class and they are all having fun.   Abbi is learning a lot and is pretty tired out when we are done.  All the gsp owners stayed after class last night to learn more about the "off" command.  I am hoping to start agility classes with her this summer.
 
I do spend a lot of time helping Abbi get tired out, but an added benefit is that I am healthier now too and I get to wear smaller clothes, without paying gym dues or dieting.
 
Hope this help.

Thanks for the replies. It's actually a little reassuring that other people have GSPs that didn't have a TON of previous knowledge. Like I said, I had always heard Labs were high energy breeds so I thought I was prepared...Dakota could run circles around my Lab all day and still have the energy to chew holes in the walls. [:@] She's a monster. I think we are going to take an Obedience Class this summer, but until then I guess we'll try to work on coming up with ways to exercise indoors. I'm also looking into Doggy Daycare, but I'm not having much luck...there doesn't seem to be one in my area. I am very jealous of those of you with dog parks within driving distance. Oh well, I'm rambling. Thanks for the replies.

Let's see...how old is your dog again?   I would try to mentally stimulate your dog as well as phyiscally.  I play "find it" with my dog in the house.  I hide a piece of extra special yummys in the house and then let him sniff it out.  I usually run him for about one and a half to two hours every day and that is usually is enough to make him easy to handle.    While he is running though I make him search for game.  Now this might not be an option for you and it did take a fair amount of trainning to get the this point but it works wonders for me. He has to watch where I am going, and stay ahead and search target locations like big bushes or the tree line.  This way I let him use his prey drive to take some energy out.  I also make him pull me.  This is called roading.  I have a special harness designed to pull  and make him pull wieghts, a wagon or a bike.  These are just a few examples of things you could do.  Also you can try feeding her with a buster cube or something like that to make her work for her food.[]

I have a German shorthaired pointer/ English pointer mix (both very similar breeds.) Since I work at a doggie daycare she comes with me a lot. She loves to play and it completely wears her out. She also gets at least one, sometimes 2, walks a day. I like to mix it up and take her to parks for her walks sometimes instead of just the neighborhood. A trainer once told me that sniffing new stuff wears them out faster since it requires both physical and mental exercise. Sometimes I take her to my friend's house for a doggie playdate with her dog. It's so funny because she literally runs circles around the other dog.
 
We also just started agility a month ago. She LOVES it. Mostly because she's the most food driven dog I've ever met, but I'm sure she loves the mental stimulation too. I do short obediece/ trick training sessions with her a couple times a week (lately every day) in the house. This tires her out too.
 
You might want to look into dog sports like agility, flyball, etc. They're really fun for both the dog and the human []

Brain work is just as important as physical exercise for many of these dogs. My breeder (who I adore) stressed this to me when I got my pup a year ago----and boy was she right!
 
In nice weather this past fall I could hit tennis balls until my arm was ready to fall off twice a day, plus long walks and my Gizmo still had lots of energy--what took the edge off was training. Agility is awesome.
 
But even hide and seek inside the house with toys or people or practicing heeling helps take the edge off.
 
I have been very sick and so the dog has been cooped up ALOT lately and a long walk is just out. So I have really had to step up some of the tricky training. One of my favorites is "close" which is probably best described as heel. Gizmo has to stay right next to my left hip as Iwalk through the house. Well I don't just walk, I take a step foward---step back, sprint three steps to the front and freeze and he has to keep up. It is a BIG game to him and it reinforces that he is supposed to be focused on me. We go heavy on the treats, too[].
 
Hide and seek with the kids and "close"for a little while and he's sprawled on the floor chewing a toy peacefully even without a two mile walk.
 
Good luck!

Hi Marie,
I have an English Short Haired Pointer,10months old on Sunday.
He is an absoulete sweetheart & charmer but but VERY VERY hard work.
When I discussed with friends about getting a Pointer,most of them said "Why one of those" they are so lively and needs loads of excercise!!!At the time I was only working 3days a week(so had loads of hours alone) and thought yes I want a Pointer despite of what they all said.
I bought him at eight weeks old and have spent every spare minute of my time with him & when not at home he comes with me in the car.
I am very lucky to have the beach in walking distance so daily we go there and spend at least two hours playing, he runs with other dogs and plays with his ball and chases seagulls.
On other days we have a 3mile road walk,up and down dale!!!Jazzie could go on all day but me I get weary.
I am able to leave him for about an hour after we have done all that excercise,but I wouldnt like to if we hadnt,apparantly they can eat through walls,chair/table legs and anything they can hold of,he is a very sensitive dog and would rather come everywhere with me than be left,he does pine even if im out for an hour and when I get home I get a MASSIVE welcome almost like he hasnt seen me for years.
To get the most from this breed I feel you have to have lots and lots of time on your hands and spend all that time with them and then you get all the pleasure from them,they are the kindest and most placid dogs I have ever known and give you lots of affection and in return |You have to give them the |Excercise they Require.
Sorry to go on and on but these are my thoughts and feelings on the Pointer.
Lots of Luck & hope this helps,
Claire & jazzie
ps it also gets u very fit []

Well, the first 'step in the right direction' has been taken--Dakota is going to doggie day care a couple of times a week. I've been looking around at different training methods/ styles for the fiance to start practicing with her at home, and she will be starting obedience training when the weather gets nicer. Hopefully, this will take the edge off of her insanity. Thanks!

Hello and welcome to the "club"! I am the proud "Mommy" to a ALMOST 5 month old GSP. We too had NO idea what we were getting into...ON TOP of our two terriers.... He is currently almost 5 mos old and 35-40 lbs of pure energy and strength. So far he doesnt/hasnt tried to destroy anything. His exercise right now consists mostly of running around the house playing with the terriers....its been really really really cold lately and where we live its dark until just before I leave for work and dark when we get home so our walks are very long. He seems to be fine so far. Once it warms a bit I plan to take him to the dog park each weekend to let him run off some steam.   He is sharp as a whip but he doesnt seem to get the whole we dont counter surf thing...and he seems obsessed with drinking water although he has no health issues...recently he has decided that maybe if he digs inthe bowl more water will appear...when he has finished it. He is a crazy boy. He seems to think "in your bed" means lay down where you are and look at mommy with that sad, please dont make me go in there face...yet if I say are you hungry he goes in the crate! I feed him in there, so he is a bit confused on those things! LOL. Still working on housebreaking, but he goes to the door to be taken out...the problem is...what do I do if noone gets here fast enough...ugh oh...peeing and walking at the same time...that is what happens! He is so loving and sweet...loud when he barks/whines. STRONG too...still learning to walk on a leash....
 
ANyway that is where we are with our GSP...would love to continue the discussion with you all about GSP's as there doesnt seem to be too many of us on here....

Hey I second that motion.  I love to talk to other gsp owners about their crazy antics and stuff.[]

I rescued a 1 yr old GSP female 6 months ago. She had been owned by a family with small children- that was the story that came with her. I think she was punished often- she has a lot of fear if I have papers or a broom- something that could be used as a weapon. She is fine with my grandchildren, but fearful of most other children and most women. She barks at them and runs circles around them. I hadn't realized how active she would be. Fortunately, we have 6 acres. I needed to reinforce the fences and gates so she couldn't get out. She almost seemed driven to run. She is very sweet and easy in the house, but probably runs at least several miles each day.We have lots of squirrels that keep her busy. She wants to please and is getting much better about coming when I call her. I need to use a Gentle Leader collar as she has trouble walking without pulling on the leash. She is such fun to watch when she is running and playing outside, but I can't imagine what she would be like if I worked and she had to be inside all day.

I like seeing how many people have pointers and how many people here are worried about getting their dogs enough activity.  Before I got Abbi she was owned by an elderly woman who clearly loved her but wasn't able to get her the exercise she needed.  Its amazing how much happier Abbi is when she can get the excerise she needs.  She was 72 pounds last year and now she is 50 pounds of muscle. 
Between starting Abbi in obidience classes and this thread I am realizing how important mental stimulation is as well.  I have started feeding Abbi more meals out of how kong and praticing commands with her more often.
Yesterday we were at a party with her and she was showing off for everyone.  She was calm enough during her sit-stays that my 1 year old niece could pet her, at least until she scared my niece with doggie kisses.  Towards the end of the party she was calm enough that my husband I could both sit down and play poker.
The one thing that continues to amaze me about my dog is how sweet she is.  She was up on the couch with me last night laying on my side with one paw and her head resting on my chest.  I told her over and over again last night how much I love her. 

Well since we are still on the topic.... []  Beau had his first trip to the dog park this weekend. At first he was like "hey wait a minute why are all these guys bigger than me....uh oh..." Then within about 60 seconds he was running around playing. He had lots of fun. I tried to get him to play fetch but he doesnt seem to get it....wonder why? Anyway, he had a grand ol time! We took a nice walk when I got home this afternoon from work. We are working on the leash , I just hold it so he cant get anywhere in front of me, and is walking beside me...when he pulls I say "eh eh or hey" really loud and then once he starts walking where he should lots of praise. He is getting there, slowly but surely. I dont use a harness anymore...I did for the first couple of monhts, but it seemd to have taught him not to pull like a maniac and now he is ok with just a collar...he pulls a bit, but not like a crazy lunatic like before. He is so sweet. I am amazed at what a sweet boy he is...he is so cute in the mornings, every morning when we come in from that first potty trip outside he wants to give me lots of kisses and just makes the grunting sounds like he cant get enough of giving me kisses. Its soooo cute. I just love him so much! As per the vet's suggestion we began feeding him more a few weeks ago and I can totally tell the difference! His ribs were showing before and while he should be lean it was a little much for her liking so she had me increaase the food and voila...much healthier looking. He is growing so quickly! He was 35 lbs when he was a bit too thin, so I would imagine he is closer to 40 now...at almost 5 months...whew...wonder how big he's gonna be! Anyway, had to just log on and talk up my Beau Beau (We call him that because Beau sounds like "NO" We didnt want to confuse him...although BoBo is kinda funny

Butterfly- Forty pounds at 5 months? Our GSP (female) is almost 11 months and 40 lbs...I think she's just now starting to pick up a little weight though.
 Anyways, Dakota loves the dog park too. I wish there was one in our hometown, but she only gets to go when she visits me at school. Unfortunately, she is definitely the "bad dog" at the park...my fiance and I don't want to claim her most of the time. Last trip, it was wet and muddy...so of course, darling Dakota finds the deepest, muddiest puddle in the park and literally submerged herself in the hole. The other dog owners thought it was hilarious until their dogs started catching on to the game...haha.
 Sounds like your guy is doing way better than Dakota on walking on a leash also. We've resorted to a prong collar (she's too smart for halti's) when I'm walking her because she almost dragged me out into the street a few times. Are there any trainers I can ship her to for a couple of weeks? She's just not learning from us...and I'm tempted to think that the problem isn't entirely us because the new rescue (Boxer, 6 months) is picking up everything SO fast. :igh:: I *would* get the monster GSP, lol.