14h • Breed of the Week
German Shorthaired Pointers
German Shorthaired Pointer
As far back as the 13th Century Europe there have been dogs that have been known to point. They had many names to describe this behavior: Gesner, 17th Century, called them vorstehund which is a literal translation for “dog that stands before”, they were called quail dogs by the German and French and the Italians referred to them as net-dogs. At this time hunting dogs varied in shape, size, coat type and were used in all types of hunting.
In the late 17th Century de Selincourt started to call them “gundogs” to separate the pointers (or Braques) from the spaniels. It is noted that pointers would hunt with a high nose and spaniels would hunt with a low nose.
Germany at the time was not one large area like it is today but instead it was 360 states that were ruled by Kings and Princes’. During peace times the various states would go hunting together and bring their pointers to these hunts. It is noted that the pointer (Braques) during this time are described in a way that seems to line up with how German Shorthaired Pointers look today: white with brown marking, white with speckled or brown spotted.
After 1848, pointers began to be available to non-aristocrats which in turn meant that the breed spread and that the breeders agreed that they wanted a dog that would be excellent in any type of work: field, forest or water. They were unsure how to create such a dog but they knew what they wanted out of the dog.
The early pointer stock had the original German pointer, Hannover Hound and pointers from Italy, France and the mediterranean region of Spain. Then in 1879 a standard was set which eliminated a large number of the pointers in the breeding stock due them not looking like the original German pointers. One source goes as far to say that a group of breeders were so set on having their dogs look different that the other available pointers, particularly English Pointers, that if the English Pointers had long rounded ears, the German pointers had to have short pointier ears. If English Pointers had a long muzzle then the German pointers had to have shorter muzzles and so on. This source then states that the Germans ended up with a dog that was heavy bodied and had short legs and would just hobbled around in a field.
These breeders were really wanting this dog to look like the “Old Germanic” dogs and if they were to accomplish that then attributes and ability would just follow. They wanted their “father’s grandfather’s dog”, which did not exist in the way they were thinking. There was no set standard at that time of an all round German hunting dog. As stated before they came in various sizes, shapes and coat types and it wasn’t until the 17th Century that pointers (Braques) were separated as a separate dog for their particular skill set.
Thankfully there were breeders out there that understood that the “form follows function”, which was their motto, and did not focus on appearance as that would take care of itself if they focused on performance. The first German pointers were crossed with English Pointers and Setters for their speed, range and nose. It is said that other breeds used to make the German Shorthaired Pointer we know today were: Spanish Pointer, Bloodhounds, Foxhound and possibly the Vizsla.
In 1879, a standard for the German Shorthaired Pointer was agreed upon and in 1880 a breed club was born. In 1897 the club began holding hunting tests and establish the first stud book for the breed. Growth continued for the breed throughout the early 1900s and by 1930 had been establish in the United States. The individual who is usually credited with this accomplishment is Dr. Charles K Thornton of Montana, but it is known that there were already German Shorthaired Pointers here already that more than likely emigrated with their families from Germany.
Much like the Vizsla, World War II also had a negative impact on the number of German Shorthaired Pointers and by 1945 many breeders had been killed or displaced. This highly impacted their establish bloodlines by either destroying them or reducing the numbers greatly. It wasn’t until 1949 that breeders were able to pursue their efforts and breed and hunt again.
2
2 comments
German Shorthaired Pointers
powered by
skool.com/beyond-the-leash-9053
Go beyond obedience! Build engagement, reliability, and a deeper bond through canine psychology and proven force free methods.
Suggested communities
Powered by