# GSP/LAB MIX?



## Evan1031

hey im thinking about getting either a purebred gsp or a gsp/lab mix. Are the mixes good house dogs and hunter? any suggestion? 
Thanks


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## Guest

Mixes are hard to know what traits they will take on. If it takes on the habits of a GSP it might not be great in the house same goes if the lab in the equation is not a good house dog. Not all labs are good house dogs so do your research. A well bred lab purchase price is small compared to what it cost to own the dog in the long run too.


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## Bobm

Breed doesnt matter IMO A good house dog is a trained dog, all puppys are destructive and require constant supervision or being crated in the home or out in a kennel when you cannot supervise them. Both breeds are high energy dogs like most hunting breeds and need regualr exercise to keep them from acting up in the home.

that mix will most likely be an excellent hunting dog but whether is points or flushes is a crapshoot, both breeds are strong retrievers and good pheasant dogs

Look at both parents and try to find out what they are like as far and prey drive and temperment


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## youngbuck711

I've got one!

Mom was a lab, dad was a pointer. I wasn't sure what she was going to end up hunting like, so I actually trained her as a flusher. She started pointing at 6mos.

If you're looking at a mixed litter, take a look at the pups closely. In retrospect, I should've known that she would end up pointing because she behaved "pointerish" in the litter. I picked her because she was active and would explore away from the others, use her nose. Some of the other pups were much more laid back.

She Will be a good house dog in the future. She's 11mos now, but she's already pretty good, just a chewer. She loves new people and gets excited, but calms down after a minute or three. She's really good with my boys (3 and 5 months). Mostly puppy stuff that will go away with time and training. Overall, pretty calm in the house, She usually sleeps under the kitchen table or on my bed if we're not outside.

IMO she has all the redeeming qualities of both breeds: She has a willingness to please, great nose and a natural retriever. I've had to work with her on feather retrieves (wanted to hold onto the pigeon, not damage it, just not deliver it), but I don't feel that it's because she's a mix, I think it was just different and had a lot of scent and she was interested in it. We don't have a problem with it anymore. She has a GSPs body and the added heavy lab bone makes for a very sturdy, solid looking dog. Haven't weight her recently, but she was 63lbs @ 9mos before I had her fixed. I'm guessing she'll finish in that 75-80lb range.

I started hunting her after deer season this year and in the last part of November and December, we put up quite a few birds. I ended up shooting 9 just hunting weekends (mostly Sunday mornings), but missed quite a few birds. I'm going to work with her and try her on duck and goose this Fall.

Overall, I've been very happy with her. For a guy that thought he wanted an English Cocker/flushing dog, and ended up with a mixed breed pointer, I can't imagine a better dog for my needs.

P.S She is my first hunting dog and first dog in ten years. I've received a TON of help and suggestions from these guys on here, bobm especially. A lot of guys will tell you to go with the sure thing and get the purebred with the big pedigree, but if you put in the time in training and picking the pup with the qualities you like, any dog can be serviceable. The key is spending the time.


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## birdog105

You have recieved very accurate advice, I personally own a lab and a lab chessie mix, both are good house dogs(now)... The chessie mix took about 16 months to stop eating things if he wasn't watched like a hawk, but for the last 3 years he roams the house freely without a hiccup. I catch him in my bed once in a great while but thats a pretty minor thing in the grand scheme of it all. Both of them are high drive in the field and loving calm pets in the house, but you have to get them PLENTY OF OUTSIDE TIME or they get destructive in a hurry. I do more waterfowling than anything, so I have never really looked into a pointer. I have a few guys who have brought me GSP's for basic obedience and field hunter training and they have always been very intelligent but are more task driven than a lab... meaning they are more of a "selfish" hunter than labs in the aspect that they don't seem to strive for the attention like a lab does, in my opinion. I don't know how this would carry over into the household but thats just my 2 cents.


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## camogirl74

I have one! She is perfect for our family at home and my husband says she is the best hunting partner he has ever had!
We are very happy. We got her from a pheasant hunting lodge in South Dakota, and their line is excellent! They have many references if you want to check them out. The lodge is Pheasant City Lodge in Wessington South Dakota. 
You have to see them to believe me. Oh, and she doesn't shed much at all, so I am impressed with her in the house!


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## Maye546123

Thanks for sharing.
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