Shotgun Farm Bird Dog Training and German Shorthaired Pointers.

Unfortunately not all bird dogs are created equal. Breeding matters. We always tell people to do their research when buying a puppy. Some dogs, no matter how hard you try, will not make a bird dog. Since this person has not identified himself, we have no way of knowing the specifics of his dog and why he was disappointed with the outcome. We spend a lot of time trying to make sure each owner knows how to handle and hunt with his/her dog and we are always available to help and answer questions after a dog goes home. Without knowing any specifics, it is impossible to address this persons problem.

This pup was brought in for training in June just before we got hit with the heat wave. We told our owners that they could take their dogs home if they would like to wait out the high temperatures because we will not risk having a pup heat stroke. It is not an invalid excuse to put dog safety first and just shows his level of stupidity. This owner chose to take his pup home to wait out the heat. If he thought that this was such a horrible place then why would he bring his pup back when his family went on vacation for us to babysit. He seemed pretty pleased then. Within an hour after being left, the poor pup had projectile diarrhea. We called them to find out if they knew he was sick; and yes, they did know that - just failed to mention it. We took care of the pup, treating his diarrhea. In addition to the heat, we were not about to take a sick dog to the field. Another dog safety thing but we suppose this was another "invalid" excuse. When they got back, they were told to take him to the vet; or at the very least to take in a stool sample. Multiple phone calls later, they still had not. After enough nagging, they complied and the pup had worms. Prior to this, they had put down a nonrefundable deposit on a GSP puppy. When they decided that maybe they could not deal with a second dog, we tore up the check for the deposit. We were very thankful by this time that they did not take a puppy. He complains that his dog is still sick and brags that he has had him to the vet three times in eight months. We consider that a negligent and bad owner. Everyone knows that if your dog isn't getting better go back or change vets. If any breeder is considering selling this family a puppy, do not.<br>The puppy received approximately two weeks in the field before the weather turned hot. We kept him an additional week while they were on vacation. Even though our contact says nothing about refunds, we were willing to refund him the balance which was about a week. He contacted us demanding over half his money back. We babysit dogs all the time regardless of the temperature and do not babysit for free.<br>Our living room is approximately 700 sq. feet and at most, will have 16 dogs in residence. They are all in 42" or 48" crates depending on the size of the dog, making sure no dog is restricted or cramped and has ample room for movement. They go out in play groups several times a day in a fenced, two acre yard. We believe that a hands on approach with positive re-enforcement in a happy environment is more conclusive to training, socialization, and dog safety. We have dogs return for babysitting ten years after they have been trained just because the dogs love it here. When recommendations are requested, we hand them the files and let them pick their own; we do not cherry pick who they can call.<br>In closing, if this person had simply called or come by and not immediately sent threatening, demanding e-mails, our reaction might have been different. We spend many long hours a day caring for these dogs, keeping them clean and giving attention, in addition to training. When the weather is bad and the dog can't be worked, those days do not count against his training days but we aren't going to pay someone for their dog being here.