The German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) is a medium to the large-sized breed of dog developed in the 19th century in Germany for hunting. A versatile hunting breed, being an all-purpose gun breed of dog suitable for both land and water, is streamlined yet powerful with strong legs that make her able to move rapidly and turn quickly. She has moderately long floppy ears set high on the head. Her muzzle is long, broad, and strong, allowing it to retrieve even heavy game. The dog’s profile should be straight or strongly Roman nosed; any dished appearance to the profile is incorrect. Her eyes are generally brown, with darker eyes being desirable; yellow or “bird of prey” eyes are a fault. The tail is commonly docked, although this is now prohibited in some countries. In the current breed standard, the tail is docked at approximately 40% of its length before it curves. In competition, she is penalized if the tail is curved either up or down while the dog is moving. When the GSP is in a classic point stance, the tail should be held straight out from the body, forming a line with the pointing head and body. Like all German pointers, GSPs have webbed feet. They are known for going after waterfowl in the water.

The German Shorthaired Pointer is a member of the Sporting Group.

In 2016, Nunes-Atkinson the owner, breeder and handler of CJ (3-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer) won the highest honor at the 140th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Coat and color

The German Shorthaired Pointer’s coat is short and flat with a dense undercoat protected by stiff guard hairs making the coat water resistant and allowing the dog to stay warm in cold weather. This allows the German Shorthaired Pointer to be an agile hunter with high performance in both field and water. The color can be a dark brown with some lighter brown colors, referred to as “liver” (incorrectly as “chocolate” or “chestnut”), black (although any area of black is cause for disqualification in American Kennel Club-sanctioned shows), white, liver roan, or liver and white. Commonly, the head is a solid or nearly solid color, and the body is speckled or “ticked” with liver and white, sometimes with large patches of solid color called “saddles.” Roan coats are also common, with or without patching. Solid liver and solid black coats also occur, often with a small blaze of ticking or white on the chest. While the German standard permits a slight sandy coloring (“Gelber Brand”) at the extremities, this coloring is rare, and a dog displaying any yellow coloring is disqualified in AKC and CKC shows. The coloring of the GSP provides camouflage in the winter seasons. The coat can be very glossy if washed.

Temperament

The temperament of dogs can be affected by different factors, including heredity, training, and socialization. The German Shorthaired Pointer was developed to be a dog suited for family life, as well as a versatile hunter. Therefore, its temperament is that of an intelligent, bold, boisterous, eccentric, and characteristically affectionate dog that is cooperative and easily trained. This breed is smart, friendly, willing, and enthusiastic. The GSP is usually good with children, although care should be taken because the breed can be boisterous especially when young. These dogs love the interaction with humans and are suitable pets for active families who will give them an outlet for their considerable energy; they must be avidly run multiple times a week. The breed should be socialized, which includes exposure to different people, sights, sounds, and experiences when they are young. This early socializing will help to ensure that your German Shorthaired Pointer puppy will grow up to be a well-rounded dog. An important part of training would be to enroll your dog in a training class. Most German Shorthaired Pointers make excellent watchdogs. The breed generally gets along well with other dogs, though females appear to be much more dominant during interbreed interaction. The strong hunting instinct is correct for the breed, which is not always good for other small pets such as cats or rabbits.

The German Shorthaired Pointer needs plenty of vigorous activity and thrives with lots of exercises and running. This need for exercise, coupled with the breed’s natural instinct to hunt, means that training is an absolute necessity. The GSP’s distinctly independent character means that any unused energy will likely result in the dog amusing itself, most probably in an undesirable manner.

Failure by the owner to give this active and intelligent dog sufficient exercise and/or proper training can produce a German Shorthaired Pointer that appears hyperactive or that has destructive tendencies. Thus, the breed is not a suitable pet for an inactive home or for inexperienced dog owners. Although these dogs form very strong attachments with their owners, a bored GSP that receives insufficient exercise may feel compelled to exercise himself. These dogs are athletic and can escape from four- to six-foot enclosures with little difficulty. Regular hunting, running, carting, bikejoring, skijoring, mushing, dog scootering or other vigorous activity can alleviate this desire to escape. The natural instinct to hunt may result in dog hunting alone and sometimes bringing home occasional dead trophies, such as cats, rats, pigeons, and other urban animals. In addition, to exercise, especially formal hunting, the GSP needs to be taught to distinguish legitimate prey and off-limits animals.

Like the other German pointers (the German Wirehaired Pointer and the less well-known German Longhaired Pointer), the GSP can perform virtually all gun dog roles. It is pointer and retriever, an upland bird dog and water dog. The GSP can be used for hunting larger and more dangerous game. It is an excellent swimmer but also works well in rough terrain. It is tenacious, tireless, hardy, and reliable. German Shorthaired Pointers are proficient with many different types of game and sport, including trailing, retrieving, and pointing pheasant, quail, grouse, waterfowl, raccoons, possum, and even deer.

History

The precise origin of the German Shorthaired Pointer is unclear. It is generally believed they originated from Germany and that’s where part of their name comes from. It was when German Hunters spent generations cross different breeds until the GSP came during the 1800s. They were very successful that they are among the top-winning breeds in competitive hunting events. According to the American Kennel Club, it is likely that the GSP is descended from a breed known as the German Bird Dog, which itself is related to the Old Spanish Pointer introduced to Germany in the 17th century. It is also likely that various German hound and tracking dogs, as well as the English Pointer and the Arkwright Pointer also contributed to the development of the breed. However, as the first studbook was not created until 1870, it is impossible to identify all of the dogs that went into creating this breed. The breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1930. During World War II affected the breeding of GSP. Toward the end of the war, many of the breeders hid their gold, diamonds, and their GSP and more. Then the best dogs were sent to Yugoslavia for safekeeping. Rick Bass wrote a book called “Colter: The True Story of the Best Dog I Ever Had”. Today the GSP ranks 19th among the 155 breeds and it varieties recognized by the AKC.