The German Shorthaired Pointer or is a German

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

of continental pointing dog of

Braque Georges Braque ( ; ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century French painter, collagist, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his alliance with Fauvism from 1905, and the role he play ...

type. It originated in the nineteenth century in what is now Germany. It is of medium size, and is an all-purpose

gun dog Gun dogs (gundogs) or bird dogs are types of hunting dogs developed to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game, typically various fowls that are shot down on the wing (in flight). The term hunting dog is broad and includes all breeds and s ...

suitable for hunting and retrieving on both land and water. It may also be kept as a companion dog.

History

The pointing dog breeds of Europe all derive from the now-extinct

Old Spanish Pointer The Old Spanish Pointer, or Perro de Punta Español, is an List of extinct dog breeds, extinct breed of Spanish pointing dogs known from the Early Modern Period; it is considered the first of its type from which all modern pointing dog breeds desc ...

, which spread through France and the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

and reached the princely houses of the German-speaking world, where at first they were used in bird-hunting with nets or falcons, and later by huntsmen with guns. Bird dogs were also brought from England; , in his ''Aufrichtiger Lehrprinz'' of 1751, describes these as taller and stronger than the local type. In the nineteenth century large numbers of dogs of Burgos Pointing Dog type were brought to Germany. In the early part of that century the resulting mixed population had no specific name – the dogs were called ('bird dogs') or ('hunting dogs'). In 1878, at the annual dog show of the in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, it was agreed that

breed standard In animal husbandry or animal fancy, a breed standard is a description of the characteristics of a hypothetical or ideal example of a breed. The description may include phenotype, physical or morphology (biology), morphological detail, genotype, g ...

s for German dogs would be established at the show to be held in

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

in 1879; standards for both the Deutsch Kurzhaar and the Deutsch Langhaar were introduced in that year. The first

stud-book A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders w ...

for the Kurzhaar was published in 1897. The Kurzhaar was definitively accepted by the

Fédération Cynologique Internationale The (; FCI; ) is the largest international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries. The FCI is based in Thuin, Belgium and has 98 members and contract partners (one from each country). History The FCI was founded in 1911 un ...

in 1954. In 2013 it was in twenty-second place on a list of the most-registered dog breeds world-wide. In the fifteen years from 2007 to 2021, the annual number of new registrations in Germany averaged about , with a low of and a high of . It was recognised by the

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit breed registry, registry of purebred dog pedigree (animal), pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions eve ...

in 1930; a three-year-old dog of this breed was classed "best in show" at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2016.

Characteristics

The German Shorthaired Pointer is of medium size: dogs stand some at the

withers Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...

, bitches some 3 or 4 cm less. The

coat A coat is typically an outer garment for the upper body, worn by any gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners (AKA velcro), ...

is dense, short and rough-textured. It may be either brown or black, in any of three patterns: the solid-coloured, either with or without small flecks of white on the chest and legs; the white, with coloured head and coloured flecks or patches on the body; and the roan, either dark – in which coloured hairs predominate over white – or light, in which there are more white than coloured hairs. The head is of moderate size, with a convex profile and a long, broad, and strong muzzle suitable for carrying game; the eyes are brown, the ears are rounded and set on high, and hang close to the head. Where not prohibited, the tail of a working dog may be docked to about half its length; it is carried roughly horizontally when the dog is moving and hangs down when it is at rest. It is a tough, healthy dog. A 2024 UK study found a median longevity of 13.4 years for the breed, slightly above the average of 12.5 for all dogs. The breed has some

genetic predisposition Genetic predisposition refers to a genetic characteristic which influences the possible phenotypic development of an individual organism within a species or population under the influence of environmental conditions. The term genetic susceptibil ...

neurological disease Neurological disorders represent a complex array of medical conditions that fundamentally disrupt the functioning of the nervous system. These disorders affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerve networks, presenting unique diagnosis, treatment, and ...

s including coccygeal muscle injury, GM2 gangliosidosis, hemivertebrae, pyogranulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis and sensory neuropathy. Other disorders associated with the breed include

cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens (anatomy), lens of the eye that leads to a visual impairment, decrease in vision of the eye. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colours, blurry or ...

, cranial cruciate ligament rupture, eversion of the cartilage of the

nictitating membrane The nictitating membrane (from Latin '' nictare'', to blink) is a transparent or translucent third eyelid present in some animals that can be drawn across the eye from the medial canthus to protect and moisten it while maintaining vision. Most ...

, hereditary lupoid dermatosis,

progressive retinal atrophy Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is a group of genetic diseases seen in certain breeds of dogs and, more rarely, cats. Similar to retinitis pigmentosa in humans, it is characterized by the bilateral degeneration of the retina, causing progressi ...

, nasal carcinoma, oropharyngeal neoplasia, Von Willebrand's disease and XX sex reversal.

Uses

The German Shorthaired Pointer was bred to be a versatile all-round

. It is capable of working in all weathers, on all terrains and in all types of cover; of finding and pointing to game, whether feathered or furred; of retrieving gently both in water and on land; of following a blood trail to find wounded game; and of defending against poachers and predators. Registration is subject to successful completion of a working trial. In addition to hunting and field trials, German Shorthaired Pointer performs well in many dog sports such as

agility Agility or nimbleness is an ability to change the body's position quickly and requires the integration of isolated movement skills using a combination of balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, strength, and endurance. More specifically, it ...

, dock diving, and

obedience Obedience, in human behavior, is a form of "social influence in which a person yields to explicit instructions or orders from an authority figure". Obedience is generally distinguished from compliance, which some authors define as behavior infl ...

. German Shorthaired Pointers are also used in law enforcement for nosework, such as the detection of illicit substances.

History

Characteristics

Uses

References

Further reading