Right time for another pup?

W

woodsman

New member
I have a 5 month old female GSP and always wanted two for hunting,is this a good time or would you wait until I get one hunting season in with this pup.Also,two females or a male and female which seems to work out better for you guys out there that run two or more dogs.Thanks and any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
jsdriggs said:
I don't know about male or female. Your choice there. But IMHO, and also what I've done, wait till that dog is 5-7 years old. My theory was I would always have a bird dog in the prime, sometimes two. But, to have two the same age could possibly mean losing both to old age too close together. I like that even though my Grace is nearly ten, Darby is only two and she'll be around for years to get me over losing Grace when the time comes. And also two dogs that are young and don't know much, as well as two aging veterans that can't hunt like they used to. I like the staggered ages approach.
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X2 lots of good points

Or maybe every 4 years and have three dogs

Steve
 
I agree 4-5 years old. 5 months seems a bit quick let her get a couple seasons in by herself so she can really grasp all the concepts you will be teaching her. Than when she has it you can start the process all over again with a new pup :). The only thing I could see being a problem with hunting 2 dogs of opposite sex would be if your female happened to come into heat during hunting season.
 
I like the 4-5 years spacing between bird dogs, for many reasons. Also IME, dogs of opposite sex get along better, long term, than dogs of the same sex.

And, unless your female has excellent conformation, has passed all the health clearances for your breed, and is a blue ribbon winner in the field, just get her spayed and leave the breeding business to the pros.

NB
 
Sound advice given. Years ago I picked up a lab when my britt was 1.5 years old, many years later I had 2 dogs that weren't physically capable of hunting most of the time. I'm thinking bout 7 years spacing myself.
 
I have always spaced my hunting dogs out 5-7 years with good success. On the other subject, having two females together can be a big problem if they are both Alpha females. You need to watch the personallities of both to see if they are compatible. This is what I have seen. It may be different for others.
 
When it comes to hunting I would not worry about gender. Most dogs are so focused on the hunt they hardly know another dog exists. There are some super dominate dogs that worry about social order but not many. I say get what ever gender you like, as it just doesn't matter!

Fights and such rarely happen during the hunt, now the parking lot or boat launch are different story!

I have never had 2 females at the same time. Do dogs adjust to the same schedule like women? That could really mess up a hunting season!

Steve
 
I have been thinking about adding two dogs for my next rotation. maybe even mixing breeds, a smaller dog that can take the heat. I'd probably switch back to the half life rotation when they were 6 or 8. That'd put me at about 60 before I was back down to 2.

The thing about rotating two dogs is that you are really only getting 3 or 4 prime years of hunting them together, before you're resting the older dog. Then 3-5 years before you start a new puppy.

I think Gatzby might have it figured out rotating them every 4. But for me with the kids and the wife, that probably wouldn't have worked out.:cheers:
 
I too think 4 or 5 years to be good spacing. It is funny how focused dogs get in the field. I have a pretty alpha intact male. Jonnyb also has an intact male. In the truck or anywhere else there is alot of growling and posturing. In the field they act like best friends. It works out either way.
 
Great advice but...

I forgot to mention I just retired and just turned 60 years old,so if I go 5 years out that will put my hunting years out into my 70"s.I hope to still be hunting,however,who knows.How would 2 years out work?
 
consider the amount of time that you have, or dont have, to properly train 2 dogs at the same time. Its rough
 
A good alternative would be to find a 4-5 year old bird dog in adoption/rescue

due to the economy there are a lot of dogs like that in rescue

Now you have the right mix immediately and don't have to wait until you are an old fart


FWIW I am an old fart
 
woodsman said:
I forgot to mention I just retired and just turned 60 years old,so if I go 5 years out that will put my hunting years out into my 70"s.I hope to still be hunting,however,who knows.How would 2 years out work?
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I'd get pick up a late spring pup early summer. Train for 2014 with the older one, be consistent with both and get the younger one some exposure in the fall.
I think the younger one would then be an easier train in 2015.
I don't know, that's what I would do.
 
I think Ideally a dog in it's prime and a new pup are the the way to go.

I have a Lab in Her prime, 4 years old last Fall. And broke in a new pup. That worked out very good.
I'm 64 so I'm not planning leapfrogging dogs anymore, just want what works well for now. :cheers:
 
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I run two females. They are both intact, run their heat cycles at the same time and are about 7 years apart. The older dog now has stopped cycling, she will be 12 next month. They are a mother and daughter. The daughter is more of an alpha dog and so it isn't a problem being in the shadow of her mother. That is my experience.

My advise to you, life is short. If you want another dog go for it! I never want to get to be 65 or 70 and say I wish when I was younger I would have...

I just sold a pup to an older gentleman who has had a few of mine at the ripe old age of 81! He is slow on his feet, but still gets around and trains his dogs weekly. He told me when he picked up the last pup, this is my 5th last dog!
 
bobman said:
A good alternative would be to find a 4-5 year old bird dog in adoption/rescue

due to the economy there are a lot of dogs like that in rescue

Now you have the right mix immediately and don't have to wait until you are an old fart


FWIW I am an old fart
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That was the first thing that popped into my head too. I would spend some time with my ear to the ground, just casually, and see if there isn't a Ready-to-Hunt dog out there that trips your trigger... That's what I would do, but everybody's situation is different.

My dogs are exactly 4 years apart. If I end up with two geriatric hunting dogs at the same time, I will consider myself blessed, and just walk slower.:D:cheers:
 
Four to Eight years apart. I have had three in the house one time. That was not as bad as one would think. Older dogs are easy 'til they start to fail.

I see eight as the max. You have eight (still prime in my book) and a pup, nine and one, ten and two ... most of my dogs are retiring themselves at 11.
 
Imo there is no wrong time for a new pup. 2 is twice as much fun.:cheers:
 
BRITTMAN said:
Four to Eight years apart. I have had three in the house one time. That was not as bad as one would think. Older dogs are easy 'til they start to fail.

I see eight as the max. You have eight (still prime in my book) and a pup, nine and one, ten and two ... most of my dogs are retiring themselves at 11.
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That's exactly my math too. I like 8yrs apart and maybe 9 depending on the health of the older dog. I had a Weim that was primo at ages 9-12. Got my Vizsla at her age 9 and he developed late. So I had a good 12yrs old dog abd a 3yr that was coming on strong.

Got a French Pointer when Vizsla was 9.5. He was a stud but got cancer and I had to put him down at age 11. Pointer wasn't quite ready but we got through this season pretty good.
 
Thanks for all the good comments...

I think I'm going to get my new pup through her first season and then start looking for a 4-5 year old GSP,maybe from a shelter or a rescue situation.I see there are quite a few available at different rescues in my area,just need to make sure it hunts.Thanks again
 
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