COUNTRY: Germany
In the German Shorthaired Pointer, we find a sporting dog of amazing versatility. He is a dog that points, retrieves on land and water; he can cold trail, flush quarry from heavy cover, and he is a good family pet.
Crossing the Spanish Pointer with the Bloodhound and the Foxhound and possibly even the Greyhound (for speed), the German Shorthair is a breeding achievement.
Today, the popularity of this breed is growing tremendously. His breeding is perfect for the hunting conditions that now exist. The German Shorthair is also perfect for the man who can own only one dog. For the hunter on foot, this is the ideal dog since it does not range far, hunts to the gun, points his game, retrieves, and has all day hunting endurance.
Training can be started when the pup is quite young, and, since he is an early developer, he can do a good job of hunting by the age of one year.
The slow-working Schweisshunds with their superb noses have been found in Germany for centuries. As early as the 1700s, dogs referred to collectively as huehnerhunden bird dogs, were used. No specific types had yet evolved, but they stemmed directly from the existing brackes and schweisshunds present in Germany, refined with pointing dogs. By the 1800s., individual breeds of versatile gun dogs began to be fixed by German breeders. Prince Albrecht zu Solms-Brauenfels, in the middle of that century, spearheaded a tireless effort to create the ultimate vorstehhund—the all-purpose hunting dog. Records show that the Prince owned good schweisshunds and fine Pointers imported from England, and these were probably the basis for the German Shorthaired Pointer.
Early Shorthairs were short and heavy bodied, long-eared and extremely slow-working, showing the strongest influence from the hounds. The oft-repeated story of the Shorthair springing from "Bloodhounds" is merely a lapse in translation. Schweisshund translates to "bloodhound," meaning a dog used to follow a blood trail, not the breed "Bloodhound." These dogs were long since separated from the Bloodhound (St. Hubert) that we know today. English Pointer blood was later added to existing Shorthairs to increase speed and style, but great care was taken to keep the desired talents in water work, retrieving and tracking, and in toughness.
When the breed was imported into the USA in the early 1900s, it was enthusiastically received by American hunters. In fact, since his official recognition by the AKC in the 1940s, the breed has fared well in AKC registrations. He is one of the favorites of the average weekend hunter because of his natural abilities, ease of training and adaptability to family life. The Sh-orthair is described as "all businesSj no frills." In addition, the breed has been successful in the AKC field trials, as well as in American show and obedience rings. The German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America, to its credit, has strongly supported all aspects of breed ability; hence, the Shorthair shows no sign of splitting into two distinct types as have some of the other gun dogs. The breed boasts the most dual champions of any breed in the USA.
His short coat requires little care, even after a day in the field. He is affectionate and good with children, fitting into the venue of pet as long as his basic nature is understood. A dog of immense energy and a desire to hunt, he does not recognize natural boundaries and may become destructive if bored by confinement and a lack of exercise. Behaviorists recommend an outdoor kennel when the owner is not at home.
Tail and dewclaws are clipped when the German Shorthaired Pointer pup is just a few days old. His expressive tail stub wiggles with excitement at his master's attention or becomes rigid on a point. His body, like most shorthaired dogs', is warm and comforting, as are his eyes. The Shorthair is very long-lived, often surviving past his 16th year.
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