50 Fun Facts About German Shorthaired Pointer

What is the German name for the German Shorthaired Pointer?

Kurzhaar means short-hair; the Langhaar and Drahthaar are its long-haired and wire-haired cousins.

The German Shorthaired Pointer is described as a continental pointing dog of which type?

The FCI puts it in Group 7, Section 1.1, Continental Pointing Dogs of Braque type.

The GSP is bred as an all-purpose gun dog able to hunt and retrieve where?

It also follows blood trails to wounded game and, traditionally, defended against poachers.

All of Europe's pointing breeds are said to derive from which now-extinct breed?

It spread through France and the Low Countries to the princely houses of the German-speaking world.

Before firearms, how were the ancestors of the German Shorthaired Pointer used in bird hunting?

The dog would freeze on the birds so the hunter could throw a net over them.

In the early 19th century, Germany's mixed population of bird dogs had no breed name. What were they called?

The words simply mean 'bird dogs' and 'hunting dogs'.

Large numbers of dogs of which Iberian type were brought to Germany in the 19th century, shaping the GSP?

Carl von Heppe had described taller, stronger English bird dogs in Germany as early as 1751.

The first German short-haired and long-haired pointer breed standards were introduced at an 1879 show in which city?

The decision to write German breed standards had been taken at the 1878 show in Frankfurt.

In which year was the first stud-book for the Kurzhaar published?

The Zuchtbuch has been published ever since and remains the foundation document of the breed.

Which nobleman compiled the standard and trial rules for the German Shorthaired Pointer?

The FCI standard credits him with the framework of breeding and trial rules the breed still passes through.

According to the FCI standard, the invention of what in 1750 made a pointing dog 'even more required'?

Game birds could now be shot in flight in full view of the dog, starting the shift from pure pointer to versatile gundog.

The FCI definitively accepted the German Shorthaired Pointer in which year?

The American Kennel Club had recognised it in 1930.

The American Kennel Club recognised the German Shorthaired Pointer in which year?

The German Wirehaired Pointer had to wait until 1959.

In 2016 a three-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer achieved what?

The dog, known as CJ, was handled by Valerie Nunes-Atkinson, who later joined the show's broadcast team.

Where did the German Shorthaired Pointer sit on a 2013 list of the most-registered breeds worldwide?

In Germany itself, new registrations averaged about 1,300 a year between 2007 and 2021.

How tall does a male German Shorthaired Pointer stand at the withers under the FCI standard?

Bitches stand 58 to 63 cm; a deviation of more than 2 cm counts as a severe fault.

The AKC gives what weight range for a male German Shorthaired Pointer?

Females run 45 to 60 pounds, and the AKC height for males is 23 to 25 inches.

The AKC says GSP owners call their dogs what?

The AKC sums the breed up as 'an enthusiastic gundog of all trades'.

How does the AKC describe the German Shorthaired Pointer's life expectancy?

A 2024 UK study was kinder, finding a median of 13.4 years.

A 2024 UK study found what median longevity for the German Shorthaired Pointer?

That is slightly above the 12.5-year average for all dogs.

The GSP coat comes in brown or black in which three patterns?

Roan may be dark, with coloured hairs predominating, or light, with more white than colour.

How does the standard describe the texture of the GSP's dense, short coat?

It is somewhat thinner and shorter on the head and ears.

What colour eyes does the FCI standard call ideal for the German Shorthaired Pointer?

Yellowish, light eyes are listed as a fault.

The FCI standard lists yellowish GSP eyes as a fault, likening them to those of what?

Eyes that are too light are penalised, along with ears set too narrow or twisted.

The GSP standard says the length of the body should be what, relative to height at the withers?

The Great Dane, by contrast, is required to be square.

How many teeth does the FCI standard require of a German Shorthaired Pointer?

The bite must be a full scissor bite; missing more than two of certain premolars and molars is disqualifying.

For hunting purposes, the FCI standard says the GSP tail is docked to about what?

Where docking is banned the natural tail should reach the hocks and be carried straight or slightly sabre-fashion.

The FCI standard describes the ideal GSP temperament as what?

Aggressive or overly shy dogs are disqualified, and 'weak character' is a disqualifying fault.

Which nasal profile does the FCI standard consider a serious fault in the German Shorthaired Pointer?

A nobly curved ram's nose is preferred, especially in males; a totally straight bridge is acceptable but less attractive.

What colour must a GSP's nose be, unless the coat's basic colour is white?

A flesh-coloured or spotted nose is a severe fault unless the coat is white-based.

The FCI standard describes the GSP's forefeet as what shape?

Tight, arched toes and tough pads suit a dog that works all terrains.

Which gait does the FCI standard say is not desirable in a German Shorthaired Pointer?

The standard wants long, extended strides with forceful drive from the hindquarters.

The FCI standard for the GSP notes that yellow tan markings are what?

Blaze, fleck and speckled flews are permissible too.

The FCI standard values the darker roan GSP because its even mixture of colour and white gives what?

The inner hind legs and tail tip are often lighter.

Registration of a German Shorthaired Pointer in its homeland depends on passing what?

The breed was created to be versatile in all weathers and terrains, and the rules still enforce it.

Besides pointing and retrieving, the GSP was bred to follow what to find wounded game?

It was also expected to defend against poachers and predators.

German Shorthaired Pointers are used in law enforcement for what kind of work?

The breed also excels in agility, dock diving and obedience.

The GSP has a genetic predisposition to which lysosomal storage disease?

Other listed disorders include hemivertebrae, lupoid dermatosis, Von Willebrand's disease and XX sex reversal.

The nature of the GSP as an HPR breed means it is bred to do which three things?

Continental breeds are versatile generalists, unlike the specialist pointers, setters and retrievers of the British Isles.

Why do many versatile continental breeds like the GSP traditionally have docked tails?

The pure pointing and setting breeds, working open ground, kept full tails.

From 1879, which breed was considered merely a blue variant of the German Shorthaired Pointer?

The Weimaraner was recognised as a distinct breed in 1891.

The Vizsla nearly went extinct in the 1800s, overrun by English Pointers and which other breed?

The Vizsla itself is credited with helping shape the GSP and its grey cousin.

What was Robert B. Parker's German Shorthaired Pointer, namesake of his film company, called?

His detective Spenser owns a series of GSPs with the same name.

In Robert B. Parker's novels, why are all of Spenser's German Shorthaired Pointers called Pearl?

The dogs are part of his makeshift family alongside Hawk, Susan Silverman and Paul Giacomin.

The extinct Iberian ancestor of every pointing breed was probably introduced to England when?

It may have come with a Portuguese merchant or with officers returning from the war of 1701 to 1714.

The Westminster show, won by a GSP in 2016, was founded in 1877 as a show for what?

Its logo is a Pointer named Sensation, imported from England in 1876.

The 1879 German Long-haired Pointer standard excluded black-and-white dogs as proof of crossing with which breed?

Black-and-white was removed from the Langhaar standard for good around 1908.

The FCI standard describes the German Shorthaired Pointer's overall appearance as what?

Its conformation must ensure 'strength, endurance and speed', with a proud attitude and firm shiny coat.

Roughly how many German Shorthaired Pointers were newly registered in Germany each year from 2007 to 2021?

The annual figure ranged from a low of 1,102 to a high of 1,842 over those fifteen years.

In which city was the 1878 dog show at which it was agreed to write standards for German breeds?

The standards themselves, for both the Kurzhaar and the Langhaar, were introduced at Hannover the next year.