I guess it won't hurt to put in one more vote of confidence for the GSP. Mine are indeed family members, and while they love to hunt, it's not something they take off and do as soon as I let them out of the kennel. They will come give affection if you ask, but they never beg for it. They are great around my kids (I've hooked them up to the Red Flyer wagon and let them pull the kids when Mom and I took the family for a walk). I haven't taken these fishing, but I did take their old man a few times. He just sat and watched or took a nap. Several posters have mentioned breeding, and I agree that is important. I've seen some GSP's that were pretty wired.