In my quest for close hunting “foot dogs”, German Shorthair Pointers keeps coming up. For those of you who have personal experience with GSPs, please give me your experiences and opinions. How do these dogs compare to English Pointers . How do they compare to English Setters? Any and all info welcomed.

My GSP was anything but a foot hunter in her hey day. Depends on bloodlines and breeding. A good breeder should be able to match a pup to your hunting style. Or get a started dog, that way you’ll have a better idea of what your getting.

My oldest GSP had a range between 100 and 200 yards. Very methodical. Likes water and likes to retrieve. The breeder was Larry Lowell in calif. Larry breeds specifically for this range

http://www.lowellsgundogs.com

I run a GSP & foot hunt w/ friends that have GSP's, all from field trial stock. Overall, I've been extremely happy w/ the way our dogs run
w/ the majority of the area we hunt. Mostly quail hunt in Garza County, south east of Lubbock. The terrain is varied from thick shinnery,
mesquite, to more wide open spaces. For the most part, our dogs open up more in open country country to 200 to 300 plus yds but
will typically stay within 150 yds or less in thicker cover. I do run a GPS collar, it makes the hunt much more enjoyable knowing where your
dog is at on those times that they are out of sight or running bigger. When my dog gets out a little more than I like, I've got her conditioned
to check back in w/ the tone beep from the collar. It has worked well for me.
Field trial stock GSP's seem to be a good happy medium for the style of hunting I do. Not under my feet nor running off self hunting to the other side of the property either.
Good luck w/ your quest.

Most GWPs Ive seen, hunt closer than the GSP.
How close do you want the dog to hunt?

I've hunted all three but only owned EPs and a GSP.
These are my opinions base on what I've seen and experienced.
I think EPs are hardest to train. Once you get them trained they are the hardest working of the 3. On the average they are the most drivin dogs of the three. They require specific terrain cause they cover lots of ground.

ES is a slow version of an EP in my opinion. They seem to think more. You'll see them constantly checking where you are or testing wind and pausing.
Both of these dogs are really trying to wind birds. They don't trail scent. Super windy or no wind hurts their abilities. On the average they don't make great retrievers. It's all about finding birds. Once the bird is dead they aren't very interested.

GSPs are the easiest to train. It's commen to have them hunting at young ages. They hunt a little slower on the average. The one I own will stay close in cover and range way out in open cover. They will trail and wind birds. They actually want to hunt with you and follow commands much easier but are softer. You can ruin a GSP easier then the other two. On the average they make better retrievers of the 3. I like mine cause I can hit any cover. Ever the smallest little section of land. I usually let her do what she thinks but like that I can stop her and motion her right where I want her to go and that wouldn't work with EPs.

I think if you are willing to spend a lot of time with any breed you can make it happen like you want it to, providing it's in the dog to make a bird dog. I prefer EP's, Setter's, and Brittany's over GSP's but that does not mean GSP's don't make bird dogs. I have 6 bird dogs and the one who would be the last to go is 1/2 Setter, 1/4 Pointer, and 1/4 Brittany that I took from a hunter because he could not do anything with him, plus he was gun shy. Castration, patience, letting him run loose at home, and getting him in birds has turned him into something I value greatly. Breed is not near as important as what you do as owner.

I think the primary issue is time spent with the dog, one on one and training.
Develop rapport and communication with the dog and they will respond.

All comments above are excellent. IMO. I own both and for "foot" hunting I suggest GSP of the 2 choices.

I like the GSP. Ive been lucky because every one I’ve had has been a good dog and easy to train. I’ve also hunted behind some of them that weren’t worth a damn. Plodding dogs.
The current GSP pup im training is a smart girl that I can keep in sight without too much problem. She looks and hunts like a pointer with a short tail. She whoa broke easily and quickly.
I remember before we had good electric collars I liked the GSP over a pointer because they didn’t require the beatings that the pointers always seemed to need.
You should be able to call a reputable breeder like Rose or Rabidou and tell them what you want. They will tell you if they’ll have an upcoming breeding that will match. Let them pick your pup for you and you may come out with what you want.

I've owned both pointers and GSPs. I've owned some GSPs that were really big running dogs, some that hunted close. I hunted with one, (a friends dog) that rarely got out past 75 yards--he had no style at all but never passed a bird.

In my opinion GSPs seem a little more inclined to run fur than pointers and are easier to obedience train. However it seems to me you can bring out the point in pointers a little faster.
I feel pointers are a little more likely to have the combination of drive, scenting ability and stamina you want in a bird dog. However GSPs are beginning to get pretty close to pointers in some cases. I currently have two GSPs and 3 pointers. Pointers seem a little less likely to check back--not as much of a problem as it used to be these days because of GPSs.

I have seen some very close pointers also. (Pointers bred in grouse hunting areas are less likely to be big runners for obvious reasons.) Some years back I helped a guy purchase some pointers from a commercial camp in Mexico. They tend to hunt on foot there and all were close hunting dogs.

When purchasing a dog or pup you really need to have a talk with the breeder or trainer about the type of hunting you do and what you expect. Do this and you are much more likely to get the close hunting dog you want. This holds true for pointers, setters and GSPs.
Can't emphasize this enough.

I think that the biggest difference with these three breeds is that very few pointer owners and breeders are dog show people. Almost 100 per cent of pointers bred in kennels come from hunting lines--it drops of with setters and GSPs -- some are bought for pets or show dogs and later breed so they are a little more likely to be from non hunting and not have the drive you want.

I would stay away from the other breeds with the exception of Brits. You just don't have as big a gene pool and you don't get as much consistency. (Wirehaireds are more likely to be from northern kennels and you have to be careful because some don't handle the heat in Texas as well as pointers and GSPs.

If you are interested in a GSP, I would recommend you at least talk to John Rabidou at Uodibar Kennels. He will be pretty straight with you and if he doesn't have a dog that he thinks fits your needs he will refer you to someone who does.

One thing I would add. Whatever you do, do a lot of yard training and whoa training. (I prefer the Smith whoa post method.) If a dog has a good foundation and will whoa in the field whenever you want, it is much easier to handle in the field and correct when it is at a range you don't like. (The Smith method uses a very low level of constant on a training collar, so you can whoa the dog when it is out of voice range. )

It does not matter what breed you come up with, while they are young, you are going to have to handle the dog(s). You can’t just throw them out there and expect immediate success without your coercing. Yes, EPS will run, but will handle also even at a far distance. Like I have said before, the hunting field is still a training field. You can still do both but it takes a lot of effort. You have to decide if you are going to hunt or are you needing to train. The beauty comes when you can go to the field and look to the front and Ol’ Sport is right down the middle where he needs to be. Never, ever quit training! You can go get a truckload of different flavors of dogs, but they all have one thing in common. They all have to be trained. That is an absolute. Training does not end when you get one back from a trainer. It only begins. The trainer has put in the basics for you to build on. Take a look at your approach and determine if you need to hunt or train when you open that tailgate.

http://www.germanbirddogs.com/training.html
He did a great job with my setter training and he breeds GSPs

NTXbirdhunter,
I really like this advice. My dog is at the trainer now and that is exactly what the trainer told me. They are developing the dog in the beginning. It rings true the term "started" dog. Started is where you begin...I like the advice to never stop training your dog. Glad to have found this site!

I like your thinking

I have never owned one, but I have had guys hunting beside me that had them. They seemed to be lots of energy, they covered lots of ground. That is what the hunters wanted. I am sure a smart dog could be trained to hunt your way.

I did see a GSP do a 1000 yard retrieve on a pheasant in South Dakota about 3 years ago. That was cool and scary at the same time.