German Shorthaired Pointer

The history of the German Shorthaired Pointer and, as a hunting dog , is little known and very confusing. It is thought that he carries Spanish Pointer and English Pointer blood , as well as other breeds of hunting dogs, but his pedigree is not known with certainty. The only thing that is clear about this breed is collected in the book of the origins of the German shorthaired pointer or “Zuchtbuch Deutsch-Kurzhaar”, a document where Prince Albrecht of Solms-Braunfels established the characteristics of the breed, the rules of the judgment of morphology and, finally, the basic rules of working tests for hunting dogs.

The breed was very popular and still is among hunters in its country of origin, Germany. In other places in the world it is not so common to find German shorthaired pointers, but they are very well known among fans of small game hunting.

According to the FCI standard, the characteristics of the German Shorthaired Pointer are as follows:

• Height : 62 to 66 centimeters for males and 58 to 66 centimeters for females.
• Weight : The ideal weight is not indicated in this breed standard, but German Shorthaired Pointers usually weigh around 25 to 30 kg.
• Build : The German Shorthaired Pointer is a tall, muscular and strong dog, but it is not heavy or coarse. On the contrary, it is a beautiful and well-proportioned animal.
• Back : It is strong and well muscled, while the loin is short, muscular and can be straight or slightly arched.
• Chest : It is deep and the lower line rises slightly to the height of the belly.
• Head : It is elongated and noble in appearance. The skull is wide and slightly domed, while the stop (naso-frontal depression) is moderately developed. The snout is long, wide and deep.
• Eyes : They are brown and dark, medium in size.
• Ears : they hang on the sides of the cheeks, with rounded tips, and are slightly bent forward.
• Tail : It is set high and should reach the hock when hanging. The dog carries it horizontally or slightly in a saber shape during the action. Unfortunately, both the breed standard accepted by the International Cynological Federation (FCI) and the breed standards of other organizations indicate that the tail should be docked approximately in half in those countries where such activity is permitted.
• Coat : covers the entire body of the dog and is short-haired, tight, rough and hard to the touch.

German Shorthaired Pointer Colors

It can be colored:

• Solid Brown
• Brown with small white spots
• brown roan
• White with brown head
• Black
• black roan

Now that you know the characteristics of the German Shorthaired Pointer, let’s see what character it has and what its care is.

The hunting nature of this pointer defines its temperament. The German Shorthaired Pointer is an active, lively, curious and intelligent dog that enjoys outdoor activities in the company of its loved ones. If you have a suitable place and enough time to keep these dogs, they can become excellent pets for dynamic people and families who enjoy outdoor activities. These pointers do not usually make good pets for sedentary people or families or those who live in apartments or small houses.

When socialized from an early age , the German Shorthaired Pointer presents itself as a friendly dog, both with strange people, as well as with dogs and other animals. In these conditions he is usually very friendly and playful with children. On the other hand, if you are going to live with small pets, it is important to put a lot of emphasis on their socialization from a puppy , since their hunting instincts can emerge as an adult.

Their great dynamism and strong hunting instincts often cause behavioral problems when these dogs are forced to live in apartments or in densely populated areas where they cannot release their energies. In these cases, dogs tend to be destructive and confrontational . Additionally, German Shorthaired Pointers tend to be noisy animals, barking frequently.

You can find out more information about The Destructive Dog, its causes and solutions in this other AnimalWised article that we recommend.

Among the care of the German Shorthaired Pointer, we can define that it needs the following requirements.

• Food : Being a large dog, and with a past as a hunter, the German Shorthaired Pointer needs a considerable amount of food. On a daily basis, we will give him between 450 and 520 grams of dry food. This does not mean that we should overdo the portions. Rather, we will have to consult with our veterinarian about his exact needs in order to offer him the best possible diet. Remember, they should always be portions high in protein and low in fat .
• Exercise : German Shorthaired Pointers need to be accompanied much of the day and need a lot of physical and mental exercise . For this reason, they do not adapt very well to apartment life or densely populated cities. The ideal for these pointers is to live in a house with a large garden or in a rural area where they can run more freely. They still need daily walks to socialize and exercise.
• Grooming : Although the German Shorthaired Pointer sheds hair regularly, caring for its coat is simple and does not require much effort or time. Regular brushing every two or three days is enough to keep the coat in good condition. If the dog is dedicated to hunting, it may be necessary to brush it more frequently to remove stuck-on dirt. Additionally, you only have to bathe the dog when he is dirty and it is not necessary to do it very frequently. We leave you these two articles on Recommendations for brushing my dog’s hair or How to bathe my dog ​​at home?

It is easy to train these dogs for hunting, since their instincts direct them towards that activity. However, the dog training necessary for a pet dog can encounter some difficulties because German Shorthaired Pointers are quite easily distracted . Still, they can learn many things and become excellent pets if educated through positive training. However, traditional training does not work as well with this breed.

If you want to know what Positive Reinforcement in dogs consists of , here we leave you this article so you can consult it.

The German Shorthaired Pointer is one of the healthiest dog breeds, but it is still prone to diseases common to other large breeds. Diseases of the German Shorthaired Pointer include:

• Hip dysplasia
• Entropion
• gastric torsion
• progressive retinal atrophy

It should be noted that it is also susceptible to lymphatic obstruction and ear infections .

After having reviewed all the characteristics of the German Shorthaired Pointer, you are probably thinking about getting one. First of all, from ExpertoAnimal we want to remind you that the important thing is not the dog’s physical appearance, but the fact of being able to offer it a good life . If you can’t find a purebred, you can always look for other dogs that have similar characteristics to the German Shorthaired Pointer.

On the other hand, we also want to emphasize that whenever we can we should adopt dogs and not buy them. As we have mentioned, German shorthaired pointers are well known among dog lovers but it is not easy to find them. Therefore, it is advisable to go to an animal shelter or a breed club to see if they have a dog like the one we are looking for. Otherwise, we can also approach an animal shelter to see if there is any luck there.