Gordon/Vizsla/GSP/Weimeraner/Bouvier? Questions

Hey,

Does anyone have advice for me as to which is the best dog for my family? My husband and I are looking into getting a dog and have come accross a few we like, but all the books and websites seem to have different oppinions. I would love to hear from some owners.

The breeds we like are:
Gordon Setters
Hungarian Vizslas
German Short-haired Pointers (GSP)
Weimeraners
Bouvier des Flandres

If you own any of these breeds, or have owned them before, can you please give us advice as to what we need to be prepared for.

Thanks

Hiya

Have you ever owned a dog before? if so, what have you owned?

I'm not too sure on Gordon's and Bouviers, but Weims, Vizslas and GSP's are all very, very active and high maintenance dogs. Most HPR breeds are busy dogs that need as much training, mental stimulation and exercise as you can give them. They are most definitely not breeds for couch potatoes. Personality wise they tend to be (just to generalize here -- obviously they are all different) quite sensitive yet can be stubborn and highly strung, intelligent (too smart for their own good), biddable but can be challenging as youngsters...

But they are massive characters and fantastic fun if you have the time and energy (emphasis on the energy part!) to make the commitment to them.

Hi, welcome to Dogsey!

I have a 2 year old male GSP. He is obsessive about his ball, affectionate, energetic and very trainable, provided he sees the relevance of what you want him to do. He loves young children, even though I don't have any because he knows they will play with him and his ball for ages. Like all GSPs he is prone to Separation Anxiety, although he can be left if he is with our other dog. He needs (and gets) 2 hours of free running exercise which includes plenty of "fetch" and "find it", every day. He has pulled some outrageous stunts to get the ball out of my pocket!

As long as you realise you are getting a very high energy, intelligent dog with a mischievous sense of humour you will love them. Here's a couple of photos of my gorgeous clown.

I would say it depends what you want to do with the dog.
It seems an odd collection - Vizlas Weimies and GSPs are HPR dogs which mean they`re very active, needy and intelligent.
Gordon Setters can be pretty independant, and Bouviers are a herding breed. I know a couple and they are a bit bossy with other dogs.
All these breeds need good training, and a lot of ongoing work. What are you looking for?

My GSP is much better at being left than our vizsla, Vizsla's are definatly 'people dogs' they like to be with their person more than GSPs in general (altho they still like to be with ere owner) and our viz moans a lot but I think it depends on the individual dog.
GSPs can be hard to train as bred to hunt covering a lot of ground so will range far out of sight if a sent takes them there and recall/stop has not been fully taught and even if recall is taught they may still bog-off and similar with vizslas only vizzies are more sensertive and slightly more likely to want to be with you but at the same time I have heard one gundog trainer say that they are the hardest hpr breed to train and I can well believe that have got a young viz and a young GSP, right now the GSP takes more notice of commands than the viz.
All I know about setters is they can be aloof and hard to train and gordons don't tend to love every one as much as other setters like the reds/irish do (is what I've heard) so I'd really look out for temperament as I would in any breed because a large dog with an iffy temperament can be very, very hard work, a bold confident dog is what I look for.
I don't know what dogs you've had or what plan you have for this dog but remember these are all big strong lively dogs that can be very hard work and often need an occupation to keep them happy.
Good luck and I hope I've not repeated what every one else has said too much.
But also when training pays off these dogs can be so rewarding, and also loveable and funny.
Sorry I don't have any experince of herding breeds so can't help you there but remember to meet up with the breeds before you decide.

Wow, thank you for the replies! I really do appreciate it!

This is actually how I came across this website…I was looking for info on Gordons!

Yes, I have owned a dog before. My first dog, whom I trained myself (just basic commands), was a Dalmatian and she was a gorgeous dog, but like you mentioned with the other breeds, she was also very energetic. We used to go cycling for hours and would even go swimming afterward. I enjoyed her and she was a great companion, but that was when I was young and in school and had lots of time. I recently got married and so my lifestyle has changed a lot. My husband and I are missionaries and we work from home. We also go to rural areas where there are lots of different kinds of people, and I would love it if our dog could go with. Kids always loves dog, so this breed definitely has to get on well with all kinds of people and especially kids.

My husband and I both love gundogs in general, but we just don't want to get a dog that we might not ever be able to please physically. I love training dogs and keeping them mentally stimulated so that is not one of the things I worry about. Also, since we work from home the dog will not be alone very often. I also love nature and being outside so playing with dogs and going for walks on our property won't be an issue. That’s what we’d love to do. It’s just that I am scared to get a dog that is too highly stung and then being unable to give it the life it deserves. We also might start a family in the next couple of years and then the possibilities of being so involved with the dog might even be slimmer.

Do you maybe have any other dog breeds as suggestions? We would love a dog that's clever, but it seems like they are generally the working types that's very active. Can you maybe suggest any medium to large breed types that might fit us well?

I actually looked at the herding breeds thinking they might be less active, especially the Bouvier (going by what I’ve read), but now that might not be true, or what? Anyone who owns a Bouvier? Could you maybe give some advice? I've also read on some sites that they may be aggressive and bossy. Can’t that be overcome by early socialization and firm training?

Oh, just to answer your question ‘Labradork’, some of the other dogs I've owned before (family dogs) was:
Great Danes - they were great dogs, not too clever, but they listened and responded well, but I think they might be too big for children??
Also Rough Collies. They were great, loving, intelligent dogs. My sister and I did agility and some training with them. It was so much fun!
As I lived on a farm, we also had Border Collies used to herd the sheep. How awesome to see them work...but now, even though we have a big property, we don't have work for them and I know they need something to occupy their minds.

So I have experienced a lot of different dog breeds, I guess it’s just different now, coz I'm looking ahead...I would hate to get a dog that would not fit our future family and then have to give it away. So I'm really struggling to make a decision.

Thanks again for your replies…I will be looking into finding some less active dogs…any suggestions would be appreciated!

I'd look for calm and confident dog as they tend to be less likely to be highly stung. You said if your going to have kids I've had my eye on Tollers for a while now (Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers) said to be like collies with an off switch??
Good lucks it sounds like what ever dog you get is going to be quite happy with you .

Thanks, appreciate the advice and will do. I also believe that training is a must and I've also seen the results of it - an enjoyable, controllable family dog. I really appreciate the advice about the GSP and the Vizsla as those breeds are the two I am struggling with most. The GSP is a gorgeous dog and we love its capability as a gundog as my husband loves to hunt. But, also, like I've said in my previous post, I do think to be fair to the dog I need to make sure that this is the breed I want. After reading what everyone has said I do think that these dogs might be too active. Thanks for the advice about the Gordon too.

Smiles and sighs
(choosing a dog is not that easy after all)

If you hubby is really after a gundog to work 'Birkenwald' GSPs (google it) are in my opinion VERY VERY good gundogs and you would not find much better than them when it comes to hprs (in my opinion) as are bred not only to work to a high level but temperament / health / conformation are also VERY good (sorry I am bias as have a Birkenwald but I now wouldn't have any other gundog to 'work') but then depends what you hubby wants as they might not be ideal for every shoot as are more for rough shooting / walked up shooting. My boy is laidback, bold, loves every one (if a liitle too much ) and is not half as active in the house as the vizsla and is quite happy to lay around the house for a lot of the day. But they are too big and bouncy for young kids I would say (uk lines are often smaller).

Hi again

It sounds you will be able to provide a fantastic home for a lucky dog. Based on what you have said, I certainly don't think the HPR breeds you have mentioned would be unsuitable for you. However, if you would like something highly trainable but a bit more 'toned down' in temperament and energy level, perhaps consider a working bred Golden Retriever or Labrador? these are fantastic with kids, still have plenty of energy to keep up with all activities and are very biddable (IMO easier to train than HPR breeds).

I agree with most about the HPRs (weim, GSP, viz), I have a weim and I have a lot of friends with these 3 breeds, I am very familiar with the HPRs although, certainly no expert so this is JMO!

Weims are my breed and I will always have a weim, I also have a dal x lab, she has the temp of the dal and is still, 90% calmer and more manageable than my weim was at her age! Although dals can be very similar in a lot of aspects.

IMO these 3 dogs can all 'potentially' be highly strung, and are really quite needy/clingy breeds. Good breeding is ESSENTIAL but it's still something that is found in these breeds. They can also be aloof, the worst for this i'd say was the weim, the gsp and viz are a little more sedate but I would never recommend any of these 3 breeds for a new or inexperienced owner. If you want a friendly breed around strangers I would say that with any of these breeds, you would be running a risk with that. They are loyal and friendly with those they know but they are often aloof with strangers.

If you are looking for a similar sized gundog type dog which is a little easier to handle and a little more laid back/easy going, have you thought about a lab or a golden retriever?

Yeah I'd say that too, they'd definatly be easier (sorry adding my opinion but I like those two working type breeds as well)

LOL I can't believe you have posted the exact same suggestions as me whilst I was writing my post!

Great minds!

You haven't met my Gsp he's like an OTT golden.

You haven't met my Gsp he's like an OTT, golden but yeah agree you have to be careful. oops done some thing odd with my posts I must get off the computer now anyway.

Haha

Bo my Slovie is my first HPR and I can safely say that Labradors and Goldens are considerably easier!

LOL! Yes and my weim is all over those she knows but she generally doesn't like strangers all that much, although she has totally surprised me a few times!

But it's the same as anything isn't it? You could get a goldie who is totally aloof but I think with the HPR you are more likely and especially with indiscriminate breeding e.t.c.

Maddy (weim) is mine and even though I read all I could and met owner, went to shows, all the right thing, she put me through the mill 'til she was about 3 year old!

She's lovely now she's nearly 5, piece of cake lol!

Then I got Star and she is dally and lab and I prepared myself for her as I thought she was going to be hard work again and some might think she is but let me tell you, she's a bloomin' walk in the park after Maddy, so much calmer and just generally easier.

I`ve had 2 GSPs. They are wonderful dogs, but it was a very steep learning curve for me (never having had gundogs before). However, I don`t regret it - they taught me a lot. They were/are both `people` dogs. The first couldn`t be left on his own at all or he would panic. Both dogs were instinctive hunters, and displayed the same traits of quartering flushing and pointing - without any prompting on my part (both Rescues). Neither was interested in Obedience or agility. Both adored all the family and were great companions, while also being great characters.

Since becoming fashionable, alot of indiscriminate breeding of Weims has taken place. Most of them i've seen are poor examples in terms of temperament...very highly strung, sometimes even downright nasty pieces of work with other dogs. At the end of the day, these should be dogs who work alongside their owners, willing to please and also should work alongside other dogs in the field. If you were to go for a Weim, i'd be very careful where you obtain one from.

As with any HPR's (and spaniels I guess) they need alot of input. Leave it to it's own devices without controlling it's hunting instinct and you have a problem. A dog that runs off when it catches a whiff of game and ignores your commands is a nightmare and a risk. Birkenwalds were mentioned and believe me, these dogs are more suited to the field than a pet home so it depends what you are planning to do with your dog (I mean in terms of working drive and not general temperament).

I've read that Bouviers are for more experienced owners as they can be willful and naturally dominant. They are used as police dogs on the continent if that tells you anything about them! (I'm not suggesting aggression BTW, just a confident, assertive disposition!)

I know nothing about setters so will refrain from commenting!