Heidi (Houston)

Heidi is a sweet, 2 year old energetic girl who LOVES to be outside. In true bird dog fashion, she always has her nose to the ground looking for critters. Heidi has impeccable manners and learns verbal commands quickly. She knows her name very well. She also knows sit, lay down, outside/inside, kennel, no, come, shake, and she is learning more every day. She responds to whistling and will come inside when we whistle at the door. She also responds to an “EENG” sound (think nasally buzzer sound) and will immediately stop any undesirable behavior when she hears it. 

We have never heard her bark, but she might let out a little cry of excitement when she sees a bird in the backyard. She is also excellent on car rides and will quickly curl up in the backseat and fall asleep. Heidi also loves a good bath and does not try to run. Unlike a typical GSP, Heidi is not at all food or toy motivated. She has zero interest in human food and has never begged or even shown interest when we are cooking or eating. Although she adores head scratches and belly rubs (and will nuzzle her head on your hand or paw at you to keep petting her), she is a bit more independent than other GSPs and might not always want cuddling or constant affection. Her main interest and motivation is looking for critters. Most of the time you can find her lying by the back door looking out the window.

Heidi should be in a home with absolutely no cats, as she has a VERY high prey drive and will try to “hunt” them. Our cat is very friendly to all dogs, even trying to cuddle with Heidi, and this does not stop her ambition to see what the cat tastes like. This is to no fault of her own, just her natural GSP instincts. Heidi has done well with our male GSP, but we were told by the previous foster she might need a slow introduction to other dogs. She likes to play alpha dog sometimes. They enjoy running around the backyard together and love looking for birds and squirrels in the trees. 

We believe she could make an excellent hunting companion with a bit of training. Our GSP hunts quail, and conclusions are drawn from this experience, but she has not been field tested, nor is she tested for shotgun noise. She should be considered as a family pet first, and hunting dog second.

Due to her prey drive and longing for the outdoors, we think she would be most happy with someone that does not have cats, has a larger backyard with taller fences (she will try to follow squirrels over the fence) and will take her on long walks often. She has a lot of energy to let out. I can’t reiterate enough how sweet and well behaved Heidi is, and we’ve heard it from everyone who has had the pleasure of meeting her. 

Heidi is spayed, micro-chipped and up to date on vaccinations.