I have a Drathaar. The club breed of the GSP. They r great dogs and yes very intelligent. One of her pups did a photo shoot for cabelas and will be in the fall catalog. Abby points,flushes, retrieves land or water and oh yes will run down a Hog. Ive noticed with her and the one that my buddy has that they are independent and not likely to honor a bay. Or they haven't yet. You won't get a better all around dog....other than the jagd terrier.
since you won't be doing field trials or proving her for a breeder number then that takes a lot of pressure off. Your pup should naturally retrieve and point on scent. Some differences are that labs mark their retrieve or rely on hand casting and DD or GSP retrieve on scent for what is out of sight. The only command is fetch. There is no hand casting. Since Merle is already retrieving then force fetching will be unneeded. Teach manners along the way and make sure that any fresh kill bird is completely dead. A flapping bird is what causes hard mouths. That one is much easier to prevent than correct. Good luck and there is plenty more on the Internet. Best advise is don't try to make a prodigy out of him, appreciate him for what he has learned already. Oh and I don't know if u deer hunt but their blood tracking ability will also amaze.
