First of all, let me say I'm by no means an expert on anything. So take all of this with a grain of salt.
The German Shorthaired Pointer is a fairly large member of the sporting group of dogs recognized by the AKC. They're generally a combination of liver and white, with a good number of color combinations possible. I'm not going to go into the specifics of the physical attributes of the breed.
If you're interested, however, here are two good links:
The German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America
Some German Shorthaired Pointer Pictures
What I'd like to talk about, though, is their personality traits.
When I was showing dogs in the Junior Handling classes back when I was growing up, I actually had the great opportunity to show and own a GSP for a little while. In addition, I was around them a lot at dog shows.
From my experience, GSPs have some of the coolest personalities in dogdom. In fact, I'm not sure why they aren't more popular than they are. Generally, the love everyone, are extremely smart, and are absolutely beautiful. Their coat is easy to care for, and aside from a few hereditary diseases they're generally pretty healthy.
On the other hand, they can be stubborn sometimes, have an extremely high exercise requirement, and like to chew more than maybe your regular dog breed might -- although being mouthy (i.e. wanting to hold something in their mouth all the time) is a GOOD thing, considering the work they for which they were bred originally.
They're one of the few sporting breeds that still has a good-sized following that actually does field/hunting work outside of a competition arena. That's because they stay true to their original purpose. They're smart and aloof at the same time because they were bred to point to game -- finding it by themselves ahead of their owners and using a good deal of individual judgement to determine what to do in a situation to help with a successful hunt.
The dog I had the opportunity to live with for a while, Stacey, was absolutely awesome. She was just a huge goofball; a huge clown. In the show ring, she was fairly poised and it didn't take her long to be trained to show her stuff. At home, though, she'd slobber all over everything, roll on her back in the middle of a mud puddle, or run directly at me until I was either bowled over or covered in dog drool.
She also did not stop moving while she was awake. Granted, she was a puppy, but even as she got older her high energy was clearly much different than the rest of the American Cocker Spaniels in the house. She'd run circles around them... and they would watch her as if she was on crack.
When she finally fell asleep, though, she was OUT. You could pick up her legs and jiggle them around and she wouldn't move. More than a few times I picked her completely up from a chair to put her on the floor, and she didn't even do much more than grunt at me.
A GSP would be great for an active family with kids. Or someone who liked doing things outdoors on a regular basis. I don't think they'd make a good apartment dog... although I suppose anything would be possible as long as they still got enough exercise.
They're one of the coolest, healthiest, and prettiest of the purebred dogs. You just have to have a sense of humor, and be ready to deal with an EXTREME stream of energy.
If you're thinking about getting one, make sure to do your research and make your purchase from a reputable breeder. :) Do you have a GSP? If so, do you agree or disagree with my opinion? Let me know in the comments, or email me at sadievlogg at gmail dot com.
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Happy Memorial Day!
Monday, May 28, 2012 blog post, video
I hope everyone had a happy Memorial Day! Sadie and I pretty much just sat around and did nothing, except I did do some yard work and she hung out with me while I was picking up pine cones in the yard. She was wholly unimpressed. There was a distinct lack of cats/squirrels to chase, and she was not about helping me at all.
Lazy mutt.
At any rate, here is a video I took today of the bird's nest that has been built by some sparrow/wren type birds in a non-used hanging flower pot in the yard. The baby birds are in there, but you can't really see them in the video. Momma bird was also wholly unimpressed with my video idea. The nearby squirrels were also quite pissed off at me.
Maybe there will be a more exciting video next time. :)
Lazy mutt.
At any rate, here is a video I took today of the bird's nest that has been built by some sparrow/wren type birds in a non-used hanging flower pot in the yard. The baby birds are in there, but you can't really see them in the video. Momma bird was also wholly unimpressed with my video idea. The nearby squirrels were also quite pissed off at me.
Maybe there will be a more exciting video next time. :)
Sadiefur
blog post, Sadie
I actually had planned to write a post about some sort of breed of dog today. However, after having given Sadie a bath and brushed her, there is only one thing on my mind; shedding.
O. M. G.
What you are looking at is a pile of Sadiefur. I brush her every other day, and this is also after a bath. Every day I brush her, I get about this much fur off. Yet she's still fairly fluffy, and has a bunch of undercoat still.
Where the hell does it come from?? Does she have some sort of super-fur follicles and it grows back immediately after it falls out?? Is she pulling it from a 3rd dimension? Does she really not have that much fur, but when she does go outside she sucks extra fur from the air that belongs to other tan colored dogs?
You would think, having had Australian Shepherds at one point in my life, that I'd be used to the shedding. Honestly, I don't remember very well that far back, but I don't remember any of the Aussies having this huge of a shedding problem. Maybe it's a combination of her basset hound and sheltie that makes her shed like a husky with a dire need of Rogaine.
I -do- remember that the husky was an epic shedding machine, twice a year. I remember that as if it were yesterday. The husky shedding made this pile of Sadiefur look miniscule and diminutive and other words that mean small. When I was living with the husky and it was the time of year for EPIC SHEDDING, I had fur everywhere, even with baths, brushing, and forced-air drying with a professional grooming dryer. I fur in orifices, people. Think about that.
So look at the pile of Sadiefur, multiply that by about 10, and then wonder if you want a husky as a pet. Heh.
I actually did have a de-shedding tool at one point. During my numerous moves, it appears to have vanished. Trust me, I looked for it everywhere.
Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, this will taper down. Until then, vacuuming, sweeping, and epic brushing will be an almost daily routine.
My next dog will be hairless, I swear.
O. M. G.
 | |
| A pile of Sadiefur |
What you are looking at is a pile of Sadiefur. I brush her every other day, and this is also after a bath. Every day I brush her, I get about this much fur off. Yet she's still fairly fluffy, and has a bunch of undercoat still.
Where the hell does it come from?? Does she have some sort of super-fur follicles and it grows back immediately after it falls out?? Is she pulling it from a 3rd dimension? Does she really not have that much fur, but when she does go outside she sucks extra fur from the air that belongs to other tan colored dogs?
You would think, having had Australian Shepherds at one point in my life, that I'd be used to the shedding. Honestly, I don't remember very well that far back, but I don't remember any of the Aussies having this huge of a shedding problem. Maybe it's a combination of her basset hound and sheltie that makes her shed like a husky with a dire need of Rogaine.
I -do- remember that the husky was an epic shedding machine, twice a year. I remember that as if it were yesterday. The husky shedding made this pile of Sadiefur look miniscule and diminutive and other words that mean small. When I was living with the husky and it was the time of year for EPIC SHEDDING, I had fur everywhere, even with baths, brushing, and forced-air drying with a professional grooming dryer. I fur in orifices, people. Think about that.
So look at the pile of Sadiefur, multiply that by about 10, and then wonder if you want a husky as a pet. Heh.
I actually did have a de-shedding tool at one point. During my numerous moves, it appears to have vanished. Trust me, I looked for it everywhere.
Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, this will taper down. Until then, vacuuming, sweeping, and epic brushing will be an almost daily routine.
My next dog will be hairless, I swear.
Introduction to Sadie's Mom
blog post, Sadie's Mom
Hi! I'm Sadie's mom.
First of all, let's get the preliminaries out of the way. I'm 36 years old, single, and live in Georgia. There. That should be enough.
Now, about why I'm writing a blog about dog stuff...
Starting from the age of about 6, I was always around dogs. In fact, my mother still 'blames' me that the family got into showing dogs. When I was in 5th grade, two of the teachers at the school I was going to at the time had a student dog obedience class that was held once a week after school. I signed up for it, and attended with our mutt at the time, Kris.
After that, it was a LIFE filled with dogs. My mother acquired an American Cocker Spaniel named Dizzy. From there, we started showing and breeding them. I got involved in junior handling and even wrote a junior handling column for one of the American Cocker Spaniel breed magazines. I can't remember a weekend in my youth where I wasn't at a dog show ... or at least grooming and bathing dogs to go to dog shows in the future.
From there, our family eventually got into a different breed, Australian Shepherds. And that's when the obedience bug took over. I helped my mother teach 4-H dog obedience with our local 4-H club, and eventually even got a Companion Dog title on my pup at the time, Tattle Tail. [She was a Cocker Spaniel. I have no doubt there will be stories forthcoming about that, lemme tell you...]
I grew up, got married, and while I was married worked at several veterinarian clinics and also the local Humane Society. While married, we were the proud owners of a Shih-Tzu named Pepper and a Siberian Husky named Shiloh. I even managed to get the AKC Canine Good Citizen title on the Shih-Tzu.
My divorce allowed me to take Pepper with me, while my husband decided to keep Shiloh. During it all I was always training and learning new things.
Eleven years later, after moving around a bit and having to say goodbye to Pepper, I decided I couldn't live without a dog. I traveled to a Humane Society in rural Alabama, and that's where I met Sadie. Sadie and I have been together for 5 years now, and she's been something else -- to put it mildly. I've never had a dog like her, nor have I been so challenged. But I'm sure I'll be spewing about that, too.
So over the years, my life has been filled with dogs. I have a lot of knowledge about "old-school" obedience, a good deal of different breed knowledge, and a love of dogs that borders on obsessive. So, I figured, Why not write about it?
So there you go! I hope to be doing posts here a few times a week on different subjects that cross my mind. Feel free to leave a comment whether you agree or disagree. But mostly, this is a place for me to toss out all of the doggy ideas I have flying around my head that I feel I need to get out. I guess that's your warning. :)
First of all, let's get the preliminaries out of the way. I'm 36 years old, single, and live in Georgia. There. That should be enough.
Now, about why I'm writing a blog about dog stuff...
Starting from the age of about 6, I was always around dogs. In fact, my mother still 'blames' me that the family got into showing dogs. When I was in 5th grade, two of the teachers at the school I was going to at the time had a student dog obedience class that was held once a week after school. I signed up for it, and attended with our mutt at the time, Kris.
After that, it was a LIFE filled with dogs. My mother acquired an American Cocker Spaniel named Dizzy. From there, we started showing and breeding them. I got involved in junior handling and even wrote a junior handling column for one of the American Cocker Spaniel breed magazines. I can't remember a weekend in my youth where I wasn't at a dog show ... or at least grooming and bathing dogs to go to dog shows in the future.
From there, our family eventually got into a different breed, Australian Shepherds. And that's when the obedience bug took over. I helped my mother teach 4-H dog obedience with our local 4-H club, and eventually even got a Companion Dog title on my pup at the time, Tattle Tail. [She was a Cocker Spaniel. I have no doubt there will be stories forthcoming about that, lemme tell you...]
I grew up, got married, and while I was married worked at several veterinarian clinics and also the local Humane Society. While married, we were the proud owners of a Shih-Tzu named Pepper and a Siberian Husky named Shiloh. I even managed to get the AKC Canine Good Citizen title on the Shih-Tzu.
My divorce allowed me to take Pepper with me, while my husband decided to keep Shiloh. During it all I was always training and learning new things.
Eleven years later, after moving around a bit and having to say goodbye to Pepper, I decided I couldn't live without a dog. I traveled to a Humane Society in rural Alabama, and that's where I met Sadie. Sadie and I have been together for 5 years now, and she's been something else -- to put it mildly. I've never had a dog like her, nor have I been so challenged. But I'm sure I'll be spewing about that, too.
So over the years, my life has been filled with dogs. I have a lot of knowledge about "old-school" obedience, a good deal of different breed knowledge, and a love of dogs that borders on obsessive. So, I figured, Why not write about it?
So there you go! I hope to be doing posts here a few times a week on different subjects that cross my mind. Feel free to leave a comment whether you agree or disagree. But mostly, this is a place for me to toss out all of the doggy ideas I have flying around my head that I feel I need to get out. I guess that's your warning. :)
Hi!
blog post
Hello!
My name is Sadie's Mom.
Well, okay, that's not what's on my birth certificate, but it might as well be at this point.
I am the proud owner of a 100% certified rescue mutt named Sadie, who is a big part of my life. She's such a big part of my life, in fact, that I thought that she deserved her own blog. She is about 5 years old, and is a basset hound/Shetland sheepdog mix that I got from a shelter in Alabama about 4 1/2 years ago. But there will be more about that later.
Here on this blog, I hope to have posts about many things. Not sure yet what will be included, but I have lots of ideas. Hopefully, they will be entertaining... but mostly they'll just be my rambling about all things dog - including Sadie-specific posts.
Hope all goes well! :)
My name is Sadie's Mom.
Well, okay, that's not what's on my birth certificate, but it might as well be at this point.
I am the proud owner of a 100% certified rescue mutt named Sadie, who is a big part of my life. She's such a big part of my life, in fact, that I thought that she deserved her own blog. She is about 5 years old, and is a basset hound/Shetland sheepdog mix that I got from a shelter in Alabama about 4 1/2 years ago. But there will be more about that later.
Here on this blog, I hope to have posts about many things. Not sure yet what will be included, but I have lots of ideas. Hopefully, they will be entertaining... but mostly they'll just be my rambling about all things dog - including Sadie-specific posts.
Hope all goes well! :)
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