Info about some gundog breeds please General Chat

i saw some pictures of some beautiful breeds! can you tell me more about each one of them?
1. wirehaired german pointer
2. Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer
3. Braque du Bourbonnais
4. Spinone Italiano

hope some people with better people come along soon.

i know Devildogz has a spinone, labradork (i think ) has a slovak x. and there are people on here with pointers. not too sure whos got what types though.

Spinone Italiano http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XXIYKICjS4

Braque du Bourbonnais = French Pointer

Our Spinone will be 10 this year, and still thinks hes the pupster of the house. Hes a such a laid back - gentle lad. with so much love to give to anyone - he lives along side smaller dogs and is so gentle and patient with them, even though some of our past fosters have been known to pull him around.

As a youngster he needed quite abit of exercise to keep him happy, but as hes got older he isnt coping to well with the long walks and his joints arent at their best. Although he still enjoys a run aroud, before crashing out!

People dont tend to like his kisses and cuddles as he has a grungy beard - but we love them here

He was an easy pup to train in all areas. Spinones from my experience are defo family dogs - he has helped with lots of our fosters that have come in nervous or fearful of dogs, as he is so calm and not pushy/in your face.

I cant speak of the breed overall - as we have only ever owned one, and never really had much to do with others - although most Spinone owners say the same about their gentle, loving tempermants and fun characters.

If you do go with a Spinone make sure you find a breeder that health tests for atleast the following;

Hips scoring & cerebella ataxia (CA)..

Alot of breeders are elbow scoring, and also eye testing - which is fab!

Good luck with the rest of your research.

Are you looking for a dog to work or just a pet??

From my little bit of expirence each hpr is a bit different sometimes more different than first thought and then different lines with in a breed can be quite different too. I do not know enough about each breed to give advice but I suggest you go and meet some

lol you misuunderstood me..i recently adopted a dog, and i dont want one anytime soon..i was just curious about their personality because they look so beautiful. devildogz, can you post some pictures of tour spinone?

At various ages - the first two with foster dogs. The last is the most recent. Nearly ten

Is that a Brittany in the first picture??

Well, i've met enough GWP's to know that they have such a great outlook on life and are always doing things that make you laugh. They have big characters and generally love people but they can be willfull and are hard work. I do know of people who have had their GWP's put down because they've bitten people so there are obviously some lines which carry the propensity for aggression (these are HPR experienced people so I wouldnt say it was down to socialisation).

Labradork has a full Slovak, it's me who has the cross!

pictures?
and is there a way you can know which line is aggresive and which one isn't?

he is gorgeous!
where did you got him from?

oops sorry wasnt far off

Yes - he was in as a private foster - such an amazing dog - that was when Fable was two so in 2003!

Thanks - hes ever so special. not someone I would reccommend (not that theres anything from with Fable) I dont even think shes breeds any more.

This is Flynn when he was a pup (he is a GWP x Slovak):


And this is him now at 3 years old:


Flynn is obviously the solid liver and the rest belong to somebody I know who breeds them (hers isnt a line which has aggression!):


I couldnt tell you which lines have aggression in them TBH but I was surprised at how many experienced people have had thier wirehairs PTS (4 admitted it on a small gundog forum!) I've read numerous times that GWP's require early socialisation with other dogs if they are to be ok with them and even though mine has attended classes from pre-vaccination age right through until now and lives with other dogs, he isnt the friendliest of chaps!

I think you would just have to choose a very good breeder, people who are well known for producing good dogs, kennels like Bareve, Kimmax, Bryanstcroft, Abbotsbourne, Sashal etc (thats in the UK though).

I must have missed this yesterday.

I do indeed have a lovely but naughty Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer bitch. What can I tell you about them? well...they are a fairly 'new'ish breed so there isn't 100% uniformity in temperament. The original crosses were predominantly a mix of Weimaraner and German Wirehaired Pointer, with a few other breeds thrown in there. People that have owned both Weims and Slovaks have said that Slovaks are very different in temperament to Weims, but that really depends on who you speak to! I think they have traits of both breeds.

They are very full on dogs and not for the faint hearted. They are not the type of dog that is happy with a quick walk around the park twice day -- they need a lot of exercise and stimulation, and preferably some focus beyond that of just being a pet (work of some kind). They retain all their working instincts and live to run and hunt...you can't tire them, ever!

They are vocal and love to bark. Getting them to shut up is the problem and they are LOUD.

They are bouncy and rambunctious and like to throw their weight around.

They can be challenging to train as they are fairly headstrong and are not interested unless there is something in it for them. They are an strange mix of being headstrong and sensitive at the same time -- harsh handling will definitely not work. When you find what motivates them, they are very responsive and pick things up quickly. They are intelligent dogs and get bored easily.

They are very affectionate and loyal to their owners. Mine is not interested in strangers and in general is wary of and avoids those she doesn't know. Those she does know and like, however, are greeted with the full Slovak exuberance!

Mine is excellent with other dogs (if a little OTT at times!), although I'm aware that some males in the breed have reactivity issues with other dogs.

Wonderful dogs overall but a real handful; you don't ever get a quiet day with one around, that is for sure. You learn to love their quirky nature though, naughty bits and all.

At about 8 weeks:



Nearly 5 months:



Around 17 months:

A friend had a dog from one of the well known kennels , and had to have him PTS at 12 mthis of age!! through aggression.

Such a shame the breed is plagued with this, I would have hoped things had got better by now, but my friends was around 10 yrs ago.

I'm not sure how long ago these people had their dogs PTS. Somebody very recently had a young wirehair that twice reacted badly to people walking by it in the pub. The second time it took a bite out of a mans leg and so he made the decision to euthanise (my first thought was that he shouldnt have put his dog in the situation again knowing it wasnt happy). Then several other people said they'd done the same in the past as their dogs had bitten.

I can see how a dog such as a GWP could develop issues if certain measures arent taken (not that i'm saying these people didnt take the right measures). My ex had experience with terriers and GSP's and once owned a GWP. He said out of all his dogs the GWP was the worst to handle and caused him the most trouble as it would pick fights with other dogs and he described her as an "excellent guard dog".

I think if you get a one with a sound temperamant they are extremely loving, cheeky, fun loving and loyal yet if you pick a bad apple then you have a problem on your hands.

it must have been around 8/10 yrs ago, the dog in question was a rehome from the breeder, it was sent back to breeder from original owner, (friend never new reason) she took him on at abotu 12 mths old, within days he was showing aggression, the breeder in question would not have it back, , so friend tried all she could, , it ended up going for her young son, so she felt her only option (no help from breeder) was to have him PTS, "rage syndrome was mentioned" but not investigated... the breeder in question is one of the most well know "respected" in the breed

I don't think they do Spins in an aggresive version

So true, our lad doesnt have a bad bone in his body!