Looking for reviews on this breed. Primarily for grouse and pheasant, pointing ideally. Temperament, train-ability, breeders...whatever could be recommended. Also negative reviews welcome.
Love the look of the dogs, and would prefer something different from the norm. Not really interested in english setters, brittanys, griffons, german shorthairs etc etc....I know there is at least one user "Gordonsetter" perhaps they will find this thread.
All reviews, insights welcome. Thank you!
Got my 3rd Gordo.....great temperament, very obedient, loves to hunt and point...... even tweety birds.?? Has the best coat of all of them. But my God does she shed. Just had her spayed 3 weeks ago....
the other two shed a little. but they were males. Anyone else with Gordon’s have a “shedder”. This dog is unreal! Tough to brush her too she fights it.
Breeders/proper training defentiley matter! Idk how anybody could hate this breed. Anybody trashing this breed has only seen less than a few...I don’t even hunt with mine and he’s birdy as hell. It’s pretty easy to find quality breeders with Facebook and review sites. Just understand you’re getting a high energy dog that can run More than you’d think. I only know this because I work on a golf course and he’ll just trot behind me wherever I go. Great breed.
Out of all the gordon's I have come across, not one have I seen signs of aggression. That is not one of their traits. Even the ones who are part of the breeding program that are dominate males. I have seen humping, peeing on trees after another male did it, but not once aggression, especially towards people. I have been hunting over gordon's for the last 21 years.
The Gordon setter may be a good-sized, sturdily designed, black and tan dog, well muscled, with lots of bone and substance, but active, honorable and classy, showing capable of doing a full day’s add the sector. He contains a robust, rather short back, with well-sprung ribs and a brief tail. the top is fairly significant and finely well-defined. I think you can get more idea here
Ayefeesh, contact Heather Kelly at Eastshore Gordon Setters as she's a quality breeder and knows the breed well. Google her kennels or she's on gun dog breeder website. You won't find the Gordon on any list of "dangerous dogs". Hell I have relatives and friends who have P-Bulls that claim their the greatest thing......HA! I will never trust one of them! Like I said in a previous post I am now raising #3 at 17 weeks.....like any pup she's a handful. However if I could live long enough to raise #4 I probably would...then again I'm not a hunter of birds anymore. There's just not a lot of pheasants in this state in the wild.....
Gordon yes that is very true. That dog was the alpha and the owner was it's omega bi**ch. HaHa.
He also had a beagle that he let get so fat it's stomach would just about touch the ground when it was standing. He's a really good guy.But he doesn't understand that you aren't always doing a dog a favor by letting it do whatever it wants.
I was hesitant to even post about that Gordon Setter. I hate to give a breed a bad rap based on one dog. But all training deficiencies aside that dog had no interest in birds.
I've only known one but it was not a good hunting dog.
It belonged to a friend that I usually hunt with 1 or 2 times per year. In the times I hunted with it, it never once pointed or retrieved a bird. It generally ran away and disappeared as soon as it got loose. Not like it was hunting or seeking birds it was just running. We would then waste time looking for and calling the dog until it finally came back. Then it would be satisfied or tired out and walk behind us for the remainder of the hunt. One time it took off as we were trying to load it up at his house. We wasted over an hour looking for and chasing it all over the neighborhood. If it was up to me we would have just carried on with the hunts and let the dog come back (or not) on its own. But he was always worried and we'd hunt for the dog.
The dog also had no interest in birds. Even when we walked it into a spot where a bird had gone up or another dog was working a bird it showed no interest.
Lastly it was nasty. It would snarl and snap at people if it didn't like what it was being told. If it was on a couch/ bed/car seat and you tried to move it or you tried to get back food it snatched you'd get snapped at.
The dog was poorly trained and spoiled by it's owner but it just was not a natural hunter.
I got so sick of that dog that the owner didn't get asked along on hunts for a few years until the dog passed on.
That's only one dog and I'm sure there are other Gordon's that are great. But that's the only one I had any first hand experience with. It was a good looking dog though.
Buy one of these to keep your dog's coats at minimum shed and burr free. Both my GWP and English Setter love it as does my wife and her vacuum.
"Mars Coat King Double wide dematting undercoat grooming rake stripper tool for dogs. Stainless steel with wooden handle, made in Germany $35.99 on Amazon - the 20 blade model"
You'll thank me later. Way cheaper than frequent groomer visits. Just a great tool.
Apologies for thread hijack.
I'm on my third, the first one hunted OK (pheasants in MN) but had an ugly point. Had no interest in picking up the bird. however if he got one of your socks, it was his, if you valued your arm! The second one was a Springset......bought from a breeder in Illinois. Absolute sweetheart, no attitude, an early attempt with a pro trainer went poorly, prompting the guy to say he was not a hunter, with get rid of advice. At approximately 8 months he suddenly was putting on the classic one leg up point on every Robin, etc. in the back yard. At doggie daycare he was up on his hind legs looking out the window at the birds rather than playing. Back to the trainer who said woops I was wrong. Never seen anything quite like this he said. when I had time I went to game farms and he was great to hunt over. was not a retriever though. ABSOLUTE SWEETHEART and gorgeous tho! Unfortunately we lost him at 9 to heart issues. The new one is 15 weeks and we have high hopes shes at least a good family dog, a lot of work however.....you just can't put this breed in a kennel and walk away. they need contact and a lot of it! Other things to remember. they have to be groomed at least every 4-5 months at $50.00+ unless you can do it yourself. they have a coat that needs to be brushed a lot, doesn't keep them warm so outside in the winter, not really, and they do shed a little but not bad either. what is kind of nice is when your out walking them cars stop and go Wow what kind of dog is that? A little tough to find. I was on a waiting list for over a year. Lastly if it's all about hunting there are probably better breeds.......like I said they require a lot of attention. hope this helps>
Cut my teeth on grouse and woodcock with my buddies Gordens. There are pro's and con's with any dog, and this breed is no exception. My buddy has had 2 national champion's in his blood line and I have been able to hunt over both many times. He has also had a few dogs that were "less than desirable" from a hunting perspective. For what you are looking to do, if you buy from a very proven line, you should be okay.
They can be very good grouse and woodcock dogs, and do preform well with pheasants. They are not a good versatile dog choice in my opinion. We have used my buddies gorden, a finished dog including force broke, to retrieve ducks. He did great on his first duck and was so cold on the remaining ducks, he would not retrieve.
I am not a fan of any dog in a black coat because for me, they cook out too quick in my early Sept. hunts. I currently own a fairly black GSP and won't own another black dog. The gordens I have hunted over seem to tolerate the heat better than my GSP, but still cook out. Neither of these breeds handle the heat like my Vizsla or my brothers pointer FWIW.
If you buy from a good line, certainly not a dog I would shy from. Do not buy from a back yard breeder. Make sure they are a proven line and the breeder is in it for the right reasons.
