The German Shorthaired Pointer claims to be the most numerous hunting dog in the world. Elegant, tireless, versatile worker and great companion.
Although it is classified among the pointer dogs, the German Shorthaired Pointer is a multi-functional hunting dog, being able to perform other tasks such as collecting and tracking. That is why it is highly prized among hunters.
The German Shorthaired Pointer is a cute, graceful and very agile sports dog that is a hunting dog like the Weimaraner, The Hungarian Pointer (Vizsla) and Irish Setter. This dog can hunt both small game and deer. Fearless, fast and indefatigable GSP is the pride of German breeds.
German Shorthaired Pointer photos
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Physical characteristics
The German Shorthaired Pointer is a large, muscular dog with a noble appearance. The height of an adult male is 62-66 cm, females are 58-63 cm and weigh 25-32 kg.
Distinctive features
- Head: The head is harmoniously built, wedge-shaped and rather lean. The skull is broad and slightly rounded. The occipital protuberance is moderately pronounced. The muzzle is broad, elongated with a gentle taper towards the nose and a soft stop.
- Jaws: The teeth are strong and complete. Bite “scissors”.
- Ears: Pendulous, flat ears with rounded tips. Medium thickness ear flap, high and wide cut.
- Eyes: Eyes of medium size, oval, set slightly obliquely. The color of the iris is dark brown, in young individuals it is light brown.
- Frame: A strong addition body with clean, smooth lines. The neck is rather elongated with a noticeable curvature in the upper part. The back is athletic with pronounced muscles, straight with a slight slope. The croup is wide, elongated and sloping. The chest is strong, spacious, well developed. Arched type ribs. The abdomen is lifted sportily.
- Limbs: The legs are parallel, located under the body, strong and muscular. The legs are round or oval arched type with rough pads. The fingers are gathered in a ball, the claws are strong.
- Coat: The hairline is short and hard, uniform, water repellent. Uniform coffee color, gray haired or speckled coffee, coffee and piebald, snow white with brown spots, coffee and piebald and black and snow white.
Character and behavior
The German Shorthaired Pointer is an active, incredibly sociable, playful and cheerful animal that looks at life through the prism of friendliness and openness. He even tries to be peaceful with strangers and isn’t shy about making friends, although he is suspicious at first.
This dog is characterized by strong affection and devotion to the owner. The animal feels the need for the constant presence of its object of worship and does not tolerate its long absence, so it tries to accompany the owner everywhere, even to the toilet.
A long absence of the owner (work, business trip) does not have the best effect on the psyche of the animal. Being alone for a long time, the German Shorthaired Pointer, in protest, may begin to destroy furniture or test the nerves of neighbors with a continuous howl.
At first he is wary of strangers, he may even bark, but he immediately switches to a friendly tone, especially if he sees that the owner is happy for the guests. The breed is not characterized by aggression towards humans. For this reason, the German Shorthaired Pointer is totally unsuited to the guard role.
With the children
Children are the German Shorthaired Pointer’s best friend. The dog gets along wonderfully with the little ones, agrees to play with them around the clock, patiently enduring the too strong hugs of children. But still, an undersized child should not be left alone with a large pet, as it may accidentally crush the baby.
With other animals
He gets along well with cats, dogs, except for other males present in the house, as they can arrange a showdown among themselves for the status of the leader, settling things with a growl.
It is better not to have decorative rats, rabbits and other similar small animals. The hunting instincts of the German Shorthaired Pointer will sooner or later make themselves felt, so the fate of these pets is predicted.
Health
The genetics of the German Shorthaired Pointer are risk free. From time to time, hereditary diseases are recorded:
- Dysplasia of the hip joint.
- Diseases of the eyes (entropion, progressive retinal atrophy).
- Poor blood clotting.
Life expectancy
With good care, the German Shorthaired Pointer can live up to 14 years old, and up to 12 goes hunting.
Care
The German Shorthaired Pointer has a very short coat, so it needs to be combed once a week and that’s enough. Always keep your dog’s ears and eyes clean and trim his nails once a week. Bathe the dog about two to three times a year.
Exercise
The German Shorthaired Pointer is a very active dog and needs at least two hours of exercise a day to expend some of its energy. If it cannot run freely or receive adequate mental stimulation, this dog will be bored and destructive at home. It likes to collect coins on land and in water.
History of the breed
Despite the fact that the pointer (pointer), as a hunting dog, was mentioned in Germany as early as the XVII century, in those distant times it had a slightly different appearance. And the pointer, closer to the breed that people know today, appeared much later – in the middle to the end of the 19th century. These dogs were purposely bred to obtain a hunting dog with certain external characteristics and skills.
This same 17th century German Pointer (or, as they were also called in England – German Bird Dog), was obtained from a cross between Spanish Pointers and Bloodhounds, which resulted in a large hunting dog with an elongated muzzle and excellent hunting qualities. In addition, in order to convey grace and beauty to the breed, the owners-breeders – noble aristocrats, brought their English counterparts, and as a result, in the 19th century, the short-haired pointer, which is so beloved in Germany today today, was already formed.
Over a long history of human-directed breed development, breeders have carefully selected individuals based on ideas of endurance, obedient and harmonious character, intelligence, and not just genes and hunter-looking. The work was carried out comprehensively, but it took a long time – more than 200 years.
Moreover, even Prince Albrecht of the royal house of the Hanoverian dynasty loved pointer breeding and selection. He recommended that other breeders choose individuals based on the totality of their useful qualities, and not on the appearance of the dog.
In 1925, Dr. Charles Thornton of Montana brought the first German Shorthaired Pointer from Germany, and based on this dog, he began breeding the breed in the United States. After 5 years, she was recognized by the American Kennel Club. World War II brought adjustments to the development of the breed in Germany and Austria.
The defeat in the war and the colossal destruction, poverty and hunger forced the population to decline, and if some of the dogs had not been taken to Yugoslavia today they might not have stayed at all. Currently, the German Shorthaired Pointer is ranked 19th out of 155 breeds and varieties recognized by the AKC.