Hi guys I'd love to gain some advice on my GWP pup (Maggie). I'm particularly looking for any kind of advice concerning adolescence and how they change during this time. I read in this thread (http://www.forum.breedia.com/threads/gwp-info-please.11423/) that one of the owners here made some mistakes during puppy training, which she had to rectify during adolescence. I would like to try and re-empt as many issues as I can...though I'm sure some will catch me by surprise! I'm also quite concerned about two main aspects of the breed. A lot of online info refers to these dogs as being aggressive towards other dogs and potentially humans. Is this something that develops with age, or does their puppy temperament dictate their adult lives? Maggie is incredibly affectionate to dogs, adults and children, so I'm hoping this stays true. Lastly, at 3 months of age, I was thinking of starting working her in the next season starting in September. I'm not sure if that is good timing, plus I am attempting to do her basic obedience training myself, and have been told to have her trained professionally for her working life. What do you think about this? Lots of questions, I know! Thanks in advance for your answers!
Hi Charlie, I hope that an experienced gundog person will be along soon, but didn't want you to feel ignored! I have no experience of GWP's, but know that they are high energy dogs which can be a challenge to train. I don't know where you are located, but if you intend to work her in the field, I would be looking for a specialist gundog trainer who could teach me to train her. To be sure that you like their training methods, ask if you can observe a training session before you sign up for a course. I think it is optimistic to think that she would be ready for serious work in the coming season. I would concentrate on basic obedience, and allow her time to be a puppy and learn as much as possible through play.
OMG! Maggie is soooo cute! I have a German Wirehaired Pointer named Vino. He is 13.5 years old and doing pretty well. His back hips are growing weak, but this only started showing up in the last year. My wood floors don't help. When someone comes to the door, he goes running and barking to the door, and his hind legs slide out from under him Vino is not a hunter, because my husband did not start hunting until Vino was about 6 years old, and now he is gun shy, but these dogs are incredibly smart, and I wouldn't be surprised if they could learn later in their life with professional training. He has the natural ability! My husband says the breed should start training very young, 12-15 weeks. Vino is extremely loyal and territorial. My dog has bitten a horse's behind, but the horse was on our property uninvited. He will charge other dogs and people that walk by our property. If we invite a dog into our home and introduce he/she to Vino, Vino is totally hospitable! Away from our property, he is fine. For example, on the beach, the park and on the trails. He did develop separation anxiety when we moved to our home 7 years ago. Our lives became very busy with two children. If I left him in our home, he would unlock the front door and escape. He never ran away, but he would just lay in front of our home, and harass anything that walked by, so then we began to leave him in our fenced-in backyard, but he would jump onto railings and hop the 8 foot fence. When we took out the lower railings, he chewed on the bottom of our gate until he could squeeze under. Mind you, these escapes were never for running away. He just wanted to guard the front of the house. We crate him on rainy days. He grew up in a crate, but as he grew older, we were not consistent, so he tries to escape the crate, and has done so successfully until we got a four way lock crate door. Unfortunately, he has hurt himself many times trying all these escapes. He has ground his teeth down to nothing, and he has hurt his paws quite a few times He is still a very happy dog! He is our first baby. We have two children 12 and 9, and he adores them, but mostly me and my hubby. Vino did not show any aggression or anxiety as a puppy. He was not a working dog, and he did not like to be left alone. Our lives became very busy with our kids lives, so that is when he started acting out. My advice to you for this breed... be consistent with your training. Take Maggie when you go out. Socialize her as much as possible. Exercise her everyday! If you introduce a crate, stick with it. She will be your best companion. She will love working. GWPs love purpose. They are great family dogs and very affectionate! GWPs are so beautiful and expressive! Vino still looks young at 13.5 years. Good luck with everything! ~Lindsay Here is a photo of Vino now
