His name is Cooper, Coop for short. A house is really a home when you have a dog, and anyone who has ever had the pleasure of rearing a hunting dog knows this best. With a hunting dog there is a more of a partnership between owner and dog, unlike with non-sporting breeds. When the talk in my house turned to dogs it took some persuading that a hunting dog would be a good idea. I have experience with gun dogs and in particular German Shorthair Pointers or GSPs. I knew their personalities and abilities. When you are at the stage of making a decision on what breed to choose it makes a pile of sense to do some research. The AKC categories Coop, and GSPs, in the sporting group. They are versatile hunting dogs meaning they are happy either in the field or water. So ask yourself what type of hunting you will most do and start to narrow you selection of breed from their. Another question you need to ask yourself is whether the dog will live in your house or outside in a kennel. The GSP breed is very much a social dog and Coop is no exception. Indoors he is calm as calm can be and wants to be in the same room as people. He sits in your lap or lies with his back against you to have that people contact. He is as affectionate as you could ever want a dog without the frenetic licking off some breeds. Since must of my hunting is in the field and the dog would live in the house the GSP was a natural choice. And I equate GSPs with GPSs when it comes to finding birds. Another requisite with any gun dog is space. Coop is a fierce runner and loves to play catch, he needs to be exercised or else he will become something a whirling devil if left indoors too long. He needs to be walked and walked a lot. Just think of what will become of your waistline after the miles you’ll put in. Typically we walk Coop at least two miles per day and our yard is large enough for him to get his wiggles out. In posting to come, you can follow Coop through his home training as well as his bird dog training.