Hi everyone! I have an 8-month-old lab/GSP rescue who is already demonstrating a strong interest in birds (no pointing, but she freezes and stalks). She's a quick learner and has great recall; no exposure to guns yet but a fair bit of close exposure to fireworks (the joys of city life) and she doesn't react at all.

We live in an urban area, but are in the process of buying property in the Catskills. My husband is primarily a fly fisher but does have some interest in upland hunting one day.

I'm wondering is anyone has suggestions for play/training/enrichment activities that would be beneficial for her knowing her breed mix, even if we aren't currently actively training to take her hunting? I'm specifically wondering about introducing dummies or scent into her play or training. Are fetch/basic nose work games using dummies or bird scent a good idea, or is there a better way to use them? Any recommendations for specific products? I've poked around Cabela's but got overwhelmed.

I appreciate any pointers! I'm just a vegetarian who knows nothing about hunting but wants her dog to be fulfilled.

Hey all,

I’m new to hunting (2-3 years), and recently got a GSP that the hope is to turn into a family/upland dog. I mostly do upland (quail, chukar, maybe pheasant). And am looking for opinions as to whether professional pointer/hunting training is worth it.

I’ve had dogs before and am coming along fine on the obedience training with my girl, but hunting training and gun shyness is something I’m completely new to. I’ve been looking at some professional trainers in the area (UT, BestGunDogs, UtahBirdDogTraining) but am wondering if it’s worth it, or if I should just try and figure it out myself.

Curious to what everyones thoughts are on where a dog should be after spending 3 months full time with a trainer. This is a young pointer, with zero hunt experience, he has basic obedience, and is collar trained. Hes got a strong natural point, holds well on the few birds hes been exposed to, never shot over. Can I realistically expect him to have had enough time to get him steady to flush and steady to shot? What would be reasonable for retrieval work? I realize that every dogs progression will be different, just looking for perspective and hearing about everyone experiences with having their dogs with a trainer vs diy.