 | The German Shorthaired Pointer: A Jack of All Trades
As is the case with many breeds of dogs today, the foundation sires of the German Shorthaired Pointer remains shrouded in mystery. While it is not certain, a majority credit the German Bird Dog, a relative of an old breed of Spanish Pointer, as being the most likely candidate from which the breed may have sprung. Regardless of what animal the breed originated from, however, it is only after generation after generation of selective breeding with the best scent hounds and the best trailing hounds, that the German Shorthaired Pointer was able to develop into one of the best known canine sporting dogs throughout the world. Further crossing, breeding in elegant English Pointers to the bloodline, helped to refine the breed even further and create the beautiful animal that we know today.
The ideal German Shorthaired Pointer stands approximately 24 inches at the withers, or top of the shoulder, and his build is athletic and streamlined, weighing less than 70 pounds. Bred to be an all-purpose dog, they are capable in all different areas of the field. Efficiently able to scent out and trail, they are adept at locating and then ěpointingî out their quarry, as well as retrieving it afterwards. Like the needle on a compass, the German Shorthaired Pointer can effectively zero in on their prey, drawing attention to it with the natural pose that earned this dog his name. Still as a statue, with all senses tuned in to where the quarry hides, his foot raised and then frozen in mid-step, tail outstretched - the Pointer is a sight to behold, whether one is a fan of hunting dogs or not.
Fans of the German Shorthaired Pointer are sure to tell you that they are the epitome, when it comes to aristocratic hunting dogs. More elegant than the majority of the all-purpose hunting breeds, he has the good fortune of being beautiful and yet far more versatile than the other elegant hunters. In fact, not only is the German Shorthaired pointer capable of tracking, pointing and retrieving but, perhaps even more amusing, he is equally varied in the quarry that he can hunt. While he may be a descendant of a German Bird Dog, the German Shorthaired Pointer refuses to be limited by such things, and is capable of hunting not only grouse, quail, ducks and geese, but also raccoons, opossum, and even deer, as needed.
Coming in solid liver color, or any combination of liver and white (liver and white patched, liver-ticked, or the liver roan), these beautiful dogs tend to be very friendly, willing to work, and enthusiastic. Highly intelligent, they can prove troublesome to train to do exactly as they are wanted, they do take a patient owner and react best to repetition, regular routine, and gentle praise. An energetic dog, they are not well-suited for apartment-dwelling, and can also be prone to running off, if left to their own devices - without thinking and nose to the ground, a German Shorthaired Pointer may very well be a skilled tracking dog, but his desire to follow scents can lead him to stray away from home and get lost. Care should be taken, to ensure that he is properly kenneled or kept on a leash when not working in the field.
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