German Shorthaired Pointers Today

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Summary: German Shorthaired Pointers Today
Review: Great Book! This is what you should know, at the very least, before you go out to buy a German Shorthaired Pup. If your breeder isn't raising the litter this way look elsewhere. This breed is one of the smartest types of dog around. BUT you have to start them early and you can not slack up on them. If you follow the guides in this book it is easy, but Please give your dog these needed encouragements to be "ALL THAT HE CAN BE" If you were to follow this book to the letter both you and your dog will be winners.
drayegon

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Summary: If you don't hunt with your GSP, don't read this book.
Review: I had to give this book a low score, but I admit Mr. Layton didn't write it for me. If you are planning to hunt, try, and show your GSP, then this is the book for you. But if you are like me, and you want a dog as a loving family member, active participant in outdoor events; if you could care less about the dog's lineage (as long as he is healthy); and if you think the AKC and FCI are just a bit nuts for telling you your dog is no good because he is a few centemeters too short, don't read this book. Admittedly, most GSP owners are professional handlers and hunters. But there are a lot of us out there, too. And we don't appreciate Mr. Layton's snide remarks about those who hold the quite reasonable belief that it is possible to enjoy nature without murdering it. This book presents a strange mix. It is at once too detailed and too simple. For example, the section on breeding bitches is excellently detailed, but I doubt the average reader would use this book as a guide in that regard. By contrast, the sections on puppy and field training are woefully inadequate, and the only way to train a dog according to this book would be to select a previously trained dog to work with, which defeats the purpose. Mr. Layton assumes too much of his readers. Somehow, he goes from his excellent section on birth to a similarly excellent section on advanced retrieval work. But how we got our week-old puppy to that advanced state of training seems to have been left on the editing-room floor.I also did not enjoy Mr. Layton's superscilious atttitude toward raising dogs. Though he is correct that the safest bet in purchasing a dog is to buy a puppy from a reputable breeder, those of us who rescue adult GSPs from the pound (and certain euthanasia) and work patiently with them, knowing that they will probably never achieve their puppy potential, deserve the accolades (not the derision) of our fellow dog owners. In sum, if this is the only book you will ever buy for your GSP, find something else. If you are a hunter or champion breeder, this may be the book for you. If you are training your dog independently, and want this book only as a supplement, enjoy it. But to anyone who can't understand why some humans get a thrill out shooting defenseless creatures for sport, steer clear--this book will only upset you.

Rating:
Summary: Basic Grounding and Reference Material
Review: This book is informative for the novice GSP owner and also a useful reference book for owners who show and work. Valuable breed line information in one book.

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Summary: Okay for a beginner who needs basic info regarding training.
Review: Unfortunately, the paper is of a much higher quality than the information or organization of the book. There is very little information regarding American field trials. The scant info included is primarily about a few midwestern GSP trainers and owners. There is no information regarding NAVHDA field trials. The training book published by NAVHDA is a much better more systematic guide to training a verstile hunting dog such as the GSP.

Most of the info on kennels and breeders is focused on show kennels and show dogs. For those readers interested in history of the GSP and current trends in breeding in a much more comprehensive manner, I recommend Der Deutsch-Kurzhaar. It costs 3 times as much but is 20 times better.