late bloomer ?

[ruger3b]

I have a 3 1/2 yr old male gwp this will be his 3rd season. He hasn't show me the drive to hunt in the last 2 seasons or doesn't seem to have as good as nose as the past dogs I've had just seems not interested sometimes. My 4yr old female goes all out , when she points and we kill one he will actually retreive the bird to hand, I guess what i'm getting at how late have some of you all waited on one to come alive and blossom

 

[TennesseeTraveler]

5 or 6 years. I cannot remember. I had a Ryman-Hemlock cross that I kept out of the only litter my female had. He would retrieve anything I asked him to bring including the paper out of the paperbox. This maybe is not the same situation because Buck would back his mother on her points very early on. I couldn't say the same for other dog's points nor would he point on his own. Finally, he did stop on a bird and I was able to steady him verbally and was lucky enough to shoot his first bird. He was fine ever since and I was lucky to be able hunt him into his thirteenth year. Until that day, I told my family that I was going to give him to a responsible teenager in Iowa. I was sure given the chance to get into birds throughout a full season, he would turn out. If he was not out of my litter, he would not have gotten as much time.