Praise the Lord for the rain we've had out west of here! I went and ran my dogs at my tiny lease this morning and man were the weeds thick and tall. My English looked like she was on a po-go stick. My other girl a rescued GSP pretty much followed my foot steps, but I'm working on her, more later...
The bad is that all the brush is covering up all the cactus. Poor Scout had spines all over her. I spent about 2 hours picking them out of her. During her run, she all but started hunting for the cactus. I tried the cordura boots, but she looks like a fawn on ice. I may try them again, but has anyone else had any better luck with a different boot? What about a chest protector?
Lastly, like I said, I rescued a beautiful GSP who had been badly mistreated. We immediately bonded. She is trained and seems "birdy" in the field. However, she won't go more than 40 to 50 yards out and then come back to me. I like the commradery, but I'd like her to at least try and keep up with my wide ranging English. Do you guys have any tips on how to get her to extend her range?
Thanks for the help and man I can't wait to get out there for real. Oh, I did see one small covey of young birds

GSP normaly dont range as far as english pointers. My uncle has 2 GSP and if he only runs one at a time they range out more and hunt better. Also the more she gets into birds she will probably range farther. I am no expert but this is what I have experienced. My brother has a GSP that will not go more than 60 yards from you no matter how many dogs we have out.

Im pretty sure they are still on the market, I helped design them in 1951. The Lewis Dog boot is the best I ever used, the are made out of moulded rubber and will last for several years.

Kudos for rescuing a GSP. As for her being “clingie” right now, I think your best bet right now is just to give her some time. GSP’s are a very social, loyal breed and many trainers will suggest that you actually bring the dog in the house to firm up the family bond for a well rounded dog. The downside of this is that GSP’s can suffer psychologically from being abandoned and that is what many rescue orgs will tell you, even to the point of being “velcro” dogs. I think as someone suggested above, just hunt her, put her on birds and she will figure out that she is supposed to cast. Be patient and let her bond and settle down. I think that once she figures out that you’re not going to abandon or leave her, she’ll run and hunt a little bigger. She’s probably dealt with a lot mentally and once she gets her confidence back, she’ll work for you. When I’m around the house, my GSP will follow me from room to room in the house and I can never go outside without him being right behind me. He runs and casts well when he’s hunting (up to about 200 yards in open territory), but he doesn’t like to lose touch or sight. Around the house he is at my side or at my feet at all times. Good luck.

Thanks guys for the info. Dixie, GSP, and Scout, English both think they are lap dogs especially when they come inside. I do like having them around. They play very well together and pretty hard too. It will be a pleasure seeing them both out in the field this winter. I've had Scout for going on 3 years and haven't been able to put her on birds consistantly. I'm hoping the area that I am hunting will bring a change to that and allow her to become the dog I'm sure she will be. She's got a great nose and loves to please. I'm sure once we get into the birds both dogs will "figure it out"

I will look into the Lewis boots. I found some on the web and I've seen them for many years. I'll defintely check them out.

on the boots.... Cabela's sells them. I agree that they are the best, all purpose boot that you can buy.

Marshal,
I just sent you a PM about getting together for some bird work.

First Chance....back at ya on the PM.
I did manage to "run into" a pair of the boots. My dad had some, however, they are large and my girls are small and medium. I'm going to see if Dixie can wear them since she's larger. I'd post pictures, but this forum is hard to post them on.