Our Two Dog House

We are a two dog house. Our goal was never to have two dogs in the house, it just happened . Once my husband and I retired we decided we could now take care of A dog. If you will notice, I said A dog, meaning singular. This is our dog Jack. the dog we planned on getting and wouldn't trade for all the tea in China. What a great dog and handsome too! Jack has a very serious personality and likes to get right down to business, whether he is hunting or just goofing off.

I blame the second dog on my husband. He saw an ad in the local newspaper about a litter of pups that were ready to be adopted and it just so happened it was in a town near us. I didn't want to look at puppies. You know what hapens when you look at puppies.....you want all of them! Well, we went to look, wrote a check and came home with dog number 2.

We named him Joey and it fits him perfectly. He is a little imp and just plain full of it. He has the complete opposite personality of Jack but they do have two things in common. They are both German Wirehaired Pointers and they both LOVE to hunt!

We love our two "boys" and I hope to share a few things about German Wirehaired Pointers that you might not know because they are a dog you don't often see.

Jack & Joey

I've introduced you to Jack, the serious one. Here is our Joey. Can't you just see the devil in his eyes? He has been a handful since the day we brought him home. Don't get me wrong I don't know what I would do without him but he is just an imp.

He's nosey and wants to know everything that is going on. He's on the go ALL of the time and he doesn't want you to be sitting down doing nothing either. If you add a new piece of furniture or ornament of some type to a room he will notice it immediately. If the neighbor has parked his car in a different spot he notices that too. You won't get anything by this dog, he is on the ball all of the time.

Both Jack and Joey are great hunters and my husband uses them to guide pheasant hunts. They have the best darn noses in the business. Jack was puttiing out birds at 6 months and we had Joey out on a guided hunt at 4 months. If you are looking for a great hunting dog you really need to look at the German Wire Haired Pointers.

Jack is the liver colored dog with a white chest and a reddish tint to his eyebrows and ears. Joey is liver and white with longer hair. Jack is serious and Joey is a clown. But they both get down to business while hunting or playing tug of war.

We love Jack and Joey because they love us unconditionally. But it is more than that. It is that wagging tail when we get home and all those wet kisses. It is watching them work in the field when pheasant hunting because they are awesome hunters (Jack was kicking out birds at 6 months and lucky little Joey got to guide a pheasant hunt with Jack when he was only 4 months old) or playing frisbee with one of the grandchildren. I could go on and on but will save their adventures for later, like the time Jack got skunked! And yes, poor little Joey got skunked at another time.

Here is a picture of my dogs posing for the camera. That's Jack on the right and Joey on the left. I think they must have been waiting for a doggie treat.

Food Conquers All!

Our two GWP's are great dogs and fun to be around. They each have their own distinct personality and I couldn't pick the one who is smarter, more energetic or a better hunter. They each have their own wonderful qualities and they compliment each other.

Of course, when we first brought Joey home, Jack was 2 years old and pretty used to having all the attention and not very happy about having a pesky, little pup with sharp teeth pestering him all the time. It took about 8 months before he would have anything to do with Joey. I wonder if the bite marks around his neck had anything to do with that? Now they are good buddies and they both love to be in the field bird hunting. Jack has been a good big brother and very patient with Joey even when Joey doesn't honor Jack's point.

If you have never seen a bird dog out in the field doing what they love most please try to get out there and watch how hard these dogs work. It is amazing how smart and what good noses they have. You'll enjoy being outside and want to go again.

By the way, that is corn on the cob that they are both enjoying! This is their favorite people food. Joey was about 5 months old when that picture was taken. Their diet is made up of dry dog food and we chose Pro Plan because of the high protein value and the breeder had suggested it. We also mix a little canned dog food in with the dry food when it is hunting season and on special occasions. We buy dog treats that are also high in protein and our favorite is called Natural Dog Treats and we buy them at Sam's Club. Any other people food we would give them would be carrots, broccoli, green beans and tomato's.

Shopping for your dog

I thought this would get the attention of the lady readers. Yes, you do need to do some shopping for your dog. Of course, at first there are all the items you need when you bring your puppy home. He will need a kennel, a dog bed, dog bowls, one for food the other for water, collar and leash, training treats and dog food. Plus you need items for grooming, a brush, doggie shampoo (tearless of course) and nail trimmers. Now if you have a hunting dog you will also need to get a training collar. And, don't forget the doggie toys. These are very important because dogs love to chew, especially the pups, and when you find them chewing on your favorite strappy sandals you can take the shoes away and give them their chew toy.

There is nothing like hunting along side a good dog.

Here's Joey have the time of his life

Our dogs, Jack and Joe, love to bird hunt. They are happiest when their nose is to the ground and they are working a field. What they love the most is pheasant hunting. They love working the field, finding the scent, pointing the bird and then retrieving the downed game. It is great fun to be out there watching them do what they have been trained to do, bird hunt.

While hunting, Jack and Joe, wear a dogtra training collar. After researching the brands we discovered this to be our best fit. They were reasonably priced and you could buy two collars with one remote. These collars allow you to sound a tone to locate your dog in heavy brush or give them a little "zap" if they are misbehaving. Jack's collar is hunters orange and Joey's collar is bright lime green. The collars come in a nice carrying case and the batteries are re-chargable. These collars have been in the mud, snow, water and rain and still look like brand new.

Of course bird dogs will hunt down anything. Our boys can smell moles under the ground and track them through the yard or kick out a rabbit who has hid under a bush but one of their favorite sports, when not in the field hunting, is chasing chipmunks through the woods. Those chipmunks drive them crazy.

I know you love your pets like I love mine. Yes, they are a lot of work and yes they do keep you at home but I believe it is true when they say having a pet lowers your blood pressure and keeps you young. I know there are a lot of times when I don't want to go outside because of the weather, too cold or too wet, but they have to "go" so it gets you out walking and moving around.

I don't think you can read enough about dog training or obedience. You want your dog to be very social and very obedient. Knowlege can only benefit you. All the experts have a different methods and you need to find the one that is right for you and your dog. As for the movie Beethoven, that is just plain fun to watch and can be seen while watching with your children or grandchildren.

We had a German Wirehaired Pointer that did the treat on his nose trick!

How I dread writing this update on our "Two Dog House"....we are now a "One Dog House". Our beloved Jack got very sick. One day he is running and playing and the next he has lost his energy. He didn't want to eat or drink. All he wanted to do was lay down. He wasn't sleeping he just didn't want to move around.

So off to the vet. They ran all kinds of test, blood work, x-rays and ultra sounds. In the meantime Jack is getting sicker and sicker. After about 5 days of testing some of the results were coming back and the news wasn't very good. Jack had bone marrow cancer and his own body was attacking him as he produced new blood.

On the 6th day I noticed the inside of his ears were turning yellow. We immediately took him back to the animal hospital and were told by a very good veterenarian that it was time to let Jack go. We all ready knew that but gosh it is just so hard.

On October 23rd, 2012 we said goodbye to our best boy, craddled him in my arms and watched him take his last breath. No more pain Jack. Rest in peace and know that you were loved and you will be sadly missed.