Customer Reviews

The German Shorthaired Pointer: a Hunter's Guide

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Dave Gowdey is obviously a man who enjoys his dogs, and this book reflects this. Unlike other GSP books this one shows the GSP personality through anecdotes and insights into this breed through years of ownership.The basic origins of the German Shorthair are outlined, and the typical hunting attributes of this companion foot hunting breed. Picking a puppy gives invaluable advice and using positive training and dog behaviour observations rather than the electric collar Dave Gowdey explains clearly how to develop a youngster into a well trained happy hunting dog that will give its owner satisfaction and enjoyment in owning a GSP they trained themself.
I found this book easy to read with a good flow and I recommend it to intending and novice GSP owenrs, and those who like to hunt wild game with their family companion dog.

The book is an easy read and extremely informative. Whether you are new to the breed or have experience with the German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP), this guide assists in choosing a dog, training it, hunting with it and dealing with breed specific issues. It is especially recommended for anyone who has never owned a GSP and in fact every GSP should come with one as an owner's manual.

Being a breeder of GSPs I highly recommend this book to puppy purchasers and anyone who is getting their first dog. The book has a wonderful history of the breed and a good amount of training information for those who wish to train their own pointing dog.

I used this book as my guide for training my first GSP, and couldn't be happier. I thought I knew a few things about dog training, but after reading this book I humbly admit my method was flawed and I had a lot to learn. He gives you fantastic information about what to expect from your dog and how to deal with its behavior accordingly, so as to avoid potentially bad habits in the future. It was also entertaining and humorous, making it a quick read. I suspect there are a lot of people out there who are like me (anxiety ridden fools who just want a good dog that points and retrieves the 1 bird you manage to shoot a year) so to them I seriously recommend this book. It's not just a dog training guide; it's a stress reliever.

I purchased this book for my husband and he thinks it is great. I have been buying him books on different breeds by different authors and he by far favors this one. He thinks the author is intellegent and agrees with his recommendations about breeding and raising hunting dogs. Recommend highly, even if you are interested in a different breed of hunting dog.

The GSP a Hunters Guide answerd some questions i had been thinking about when buying a new dog. I have owned a GSP fro 12 years and now am looking for a new dog that can learn some things from her before she gets too old. The book gave direct advise on how to chose a new dog and how to begin the training and also when to begin the training. The author obviously loves the dogs very much and his techneques are very gentle but firm. I would recomend the book to anyone looking at a new GSP.

This is a great book for the new GSP owner as well as the new dog owner in general. From where/how to pick out you puppy, to training tips and everything in between. While the GSP is very smart, with the amount of energy they have if you don't know how to properly harness it, the process can be very frustrating.

Also it is a very easy read.

-NCSU2010

After reading several dog books, I finally found one the author brought a sense of practicallity to the table. Fun to read and the training methods work. My 10 week old pup is already on the road to becoming a great companion and hunting partner.

Very informative,great history of the gsp explained as well as raising and training of the breed.great book for all gsp owners and humters

There are very few things I would handle differently. One thing comes to my mind from the author's description which is that apparently his dogs get away with quite a bit of mischief.
My GSP do not enter the house unless "invited" meaning after each walk they sit and wait for the command to enter the house which gives me time to clean up paws etc....
I have never had a dog in my house who stole any food from the counter as scolding them once or twice is enough I find and after that a snaky "shhh" to remind them...
So, other than for being probably a bit lenient I find no issue with the author. Remember a GSP's intelligence -although ranked well below the German Shepherd- is among the highest in dog universe and these dogs are capable of learning and can be taught more than a 100 (in words: HUNDRED!) different commands easily and without stretching it, if taught consistently... The book is particularly useful when it comes to strengthening and polishing hunting skills and also the non-hunter can learn what to do in order to keep the dogs of this breed employed and busy. When I am with my GSP, for instance, they always must carry and fetch things for me (car keys, fire wood, boxes, newspaper, you name it), and they love any "job" and want to work and play! All my best to you, Mister Gowdey: Well done!
PS. The story of the "stare" gave me a good chuckle: So true...