Hunting dog question

I have a 9 year old Female GSP and she is in the house most of the time, she sleeps in the living room on her dog bed and on the couch when I am not looking She does have an outside kennel which is attached to a heated insulated garage and straw for bedding I use to use old blankets but she would always chew them up. She stays in the outside kennel when we are we are gone for longer periods of time unless it is in the winter. IMHO when it comes to most GSP’s you will have a much better hunting partner if your GSP is in the house as they will become a part of the family they are very loyal dogs and are eager to please there owners. You can ask anyone that has hunted with me or anyone that knows my dog she is an awesome hunter and very well behaved inside and out. Now with all that being said keep in mind I did say most GSP’s should be in the house but it depends on what kind of personality they have. I know of a couple of GSP’s that are way to hyper to be in the house and they would destroy the house if they were inside all the time, if your GSP has to be outside I would recommend a kennel like mine or similar.

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an outside kennel which is attached to a heated insulated garage and straw for bedding

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I have had a few retrievers…Labs and Goldens. The main thing you want for your dog is interaction with it’s master; YOU. I’ve found that by having the dog in the house but only in a certain part of the house you are furthering the control of the dog. I like keeping them out of the elements and under my thumb at all times. If they are outside and doing their own thing they bring that to the field. We monitor where it can and can’t go in the house, when it gets fed, when it goes outside, when it comes in etc. All of that furthers their understanding of who’s boss. Just my opinion. Our dog sleeps in a porta kennel in the house every night, in the kitchen. She is 10 months old and is incredible in the field already. She’s retrieved dozens of pheasants and a handful of ducks this fall. Good luck and be sure to interact with the dog; a lot!

I have had a few retrievers…Labs and Goldens. The main thing you want for your dog is interaction with it’s master; YOU. I’ve found that by having the dog in the house but only in a certain part of the house you are furthering the control of the dog. I like keeping them out of the elements and under my thumb at all times. If they are outside and doing their own thing they bring that to the field. We monitor where it can and can’t go in the house, when it gets fed, when it goes outside, when it comes in etc. All of that furthers their understanding of who’s boss. Just my opinion. Our dog sleeps in a porta kennel in the house every night, in the kitchen. She is 10 months old and is incredible in the field already. She’s retrieved dozens of pheasants and a handful of ducks this fall. Good luck and be sure to interact with the dog; a lot!

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I don’t feel that there is a right or wrong answer to this question, it is a personal preferance. As far as having a hunting dog or a house dog I just don’t areee with that statement. I have always had my dogs inside and by no means are they house dogs. They see the gun and they know that it is time for business, having your dog trained well and the desire for hunting will not fade if you have the dog in the house. I have had a number of dogs and by no means has one of them ever decided that they did not what to hunt. To be totally honest I almost had to carry my 13 yr old dog out of the field last week becuase he did not what to call it a day, he just wanted to keep hunting, and this is a dog that has slept on a couch in a heated garage for the last 2 years and prior to that he slept in the house on a dog bed. Like I said I baby my dogs and they still hunt hard as hell for me. I have found that the more time I spend with the dog by having them inside they have more personality and they are a lot more responsive. It all starts with training at a young age and bonding with the dog, from there it is up to you.

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AMEN BOB! Perfectly said! I’m the same way with mine and he has a presonality that is unbelievable. Just ask Stacie ! My dog knows I would do anything for him and he does the same for me. It is important to have a well trained dog but I also believe in a strong bond with your best bud and the only way I can achieve that is have him around me as much as possible so that means he is by my side when ever possible and does sleep in our bed. Unless it’s raining out Kooty….. then he is tied to the picnic table

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I don’t feel that there is a right or wrong answer to this question, it is a personal preferance. As far as having a hunting dog or a house dog I just don’t areee with that statement. I have always had my dogs inside and by no means are they house dogs. They see the gun and they know that it is time for business, having your dog trained well and the desire for hunting will not fade if you have the dog in the house. I have had a number of dogs and by no means has one of them ever decided that they did not what to hunt. To be totally honest I almost had to carry my 13 yr old dog out of the field last week becuase he did not what to call it a day, he just wanted to keep hunting, and this is a dog that has slept on a couch in a heated garage for the last 2 years and prior to that he slept in the house on a dog bed. Like I said I baby my dogs and they still hunt hard as hell for me. I have found that the more time I spend with the dog by having them inside they have more personality and they are a lot more responsive. It all starts with training at a young age and bonding with the dog, from there it is up to you.

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AMEN BOB! Perfectly said! I’m the same way with mine and he has a presonality that is unbelievable. Just ask Stacie ! My dog knows I would do anything for him and he does the same for me. It is important to have a well trained dog but I also believe in a strong bond with your best bud and the only way I can achieve that is have him around me as much as possible so that means he is by my side when ever possible and does sleep in our bed. Unless it’s raining out Kooty….. then he is tied to the picnic table