A little bit of information about me and my involvement with Griffs

Or who am I relating to Griffs ? (an article Roberta kindly asked me to write)

Being in my mid forties, having been passionate about bird hunting since my early years and loving dogs, those were all the right conditions to become a bird dog passionate. When I was very young, our family had a Beagle, then a GSP and another GSP but I was then too young to really work them as hunting dogs. In my twenties,  I considered flushers, I loved the warm close companionship of the English Springer Spaniels. But as I love to hunt relaxed (most of the time I walk slowly my gun broke open on one arm), taking time to enjoy the fall perfumes, being  engulfed by the rainbow coloured forest and most of all, being entertained by the tingling of the small bell my dog uses to keep me informed of his whereabouts, it came clear that what I really needed was a pointing dog. I began with a German Shorthaired Pointer, Kleine. She was an athletic, rather an Olympic class dog : she had so much gusto, so much hunting desire that it was  a pretty tough ordeal for the beginner I was. She had a great nose, a very very strong pointing instinct and was a great retriever. She was like most of GSP around here : very nervous, very very energetic, a bit aggressive and very wide ranging for our hunting conditions. She taucht me a great lot but it was tough learning.

About twenty years ago, I met André, my best friend and hunting buddy at a hunting dog club. He too had a GSP: Toska. She was even more energetic than Kleine. For four years we tried our best hunting with those dogs but they lacked the necessary cooperation that makes hunting with a bird dog a pleasure. André’s dog died of an accident so he looked for another pointer. He found a nice big brushy face Korthal. From then on, André was firmly hooked on Griffs.

I was not, so I studied most common pointing breeds. I considered Pudelpointers, English Setters, GSP, Weimaraners, Vizslas, Brittanies, French Pointers and French Spaniels. I bought a very fine German Whirehaired Pointer, Fidji. She was a great companion and a good hunter. The more I knew her the more I understood that her temperament was more Grifflike than GWP like. So, as Fidji grew older I searched for a Griff and then came Java, now seven years old. She, too, is full time member of our family. I love her temperament and she is a pretty fine hunter.

Why did I take so much time to understand that WPG was the best breed for me? Many reasons : ignorance about the breed and lack of good Griffs in my environment (the Griffs I saw 25 years ago were independent, rather wide ranging and had poor pointing instincts) were the principal ones.

That is a resume of my implication with WPG.  I have got pretty involved in different bird dog activities : for many years I was on the board of Fédération Québécoise des Clubs de Chiens d’Arrêt, while representing gundog owners I worked on many regulations related to gundogs, I was a member of many local and international bird dogs clubs. For many years I was involved in a woodcock banding research project, « hunting » woodcock nests in the hope of finding a nesting hen : many, many, many, hours in the field for so few nests… but it was fun! I studied hundreds of books about dogs, dog training, dog psychology.

What about my future relating to Griffs? Java is now 6 years old and I am looking for a puppy. I am still thinking about breeding Korthals, I studied applied dog breeding but my decision is yet to come. My main interrests relating to dogs in general and to Griffs specifically, now are: behavior/psychology/relation and communication human-animal, applied dog breeding and, the most important, having pleasure petting Java.  One thing is certain I really enjoy working my dog on woodcock and grouse, be it with or without a gun. I particularly love this indescribable pleasuring feeling of a thin, clear communication and complicity with my dog, my Griff.

Louis Cimon
99-05-25