German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

[gsxrcraig]

Hi my name is Craig and I just got a GWP from a local rescue about 2 weeks ago. I am wanting to train him to be a upland hunting dog. He is estimated to be between 3 and 4 years old. He knows sit, stay, come, down, and some of the basic things decently. My question is about him poining, I have some pheasant wings and I was trying to get him to point or even retreive a wing but he dosen't really seem interested in them. How do I get him to point and hold it? Also the dog will play fetch indoors but nothing outside. Do you have any advice for me?
Thanks for the help,
Craig

[GWP-Fritz]

Craig,

I am by no means an expert but I know my Pup did not point a wing after he was a few weeks old. He was interested in the wing but would not point it. He also doesn't point frozen birds, but he retrieves them like it his job, though he doesn't retrieve tennis balls outside either. I am going to Force Fetch him when he gets older since retrieving to hand is something I value.

I don't know where you are from but it sounds like you should introduce him to live birds. That is where my GWP started pointing. If you are in a city find a game preserve or find a trainer to help you. I found most people who train will want to evaluate your dog. Let them know that you just want an assessment of his Natural Ability and see if you could get a bird from them. I also joined North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA). My local chapter has 2 training days a month where Fritz and I get help and it is always good to train with others.

I hope this helps. If you have more questions let me know and enjoy your wire! They are such great animals.
Adam