Here are some fun and fascinating facts about the English Pointers that will surely surprise a lot of people!
These canines after coming into existence were mainly used for hunting purposes. They were given the task of tracking down the various games to be hunted and they had a very unusual method of telling their hunter owners the location of their preys once they had discovered it. These pooches were known to stand absolutely still and they would just point towards the actual position of the games which were to be hunted by their owners. And these canines were trained in such a way that they would just stand still until their owners had fired the shot. After that, these dogs were instructed to cautiously retrieve the game. And, because these canines used to point towards the location of the animals, they were given the name Pointers.
Bird dogs are the type of canines that were primarily used for hunting birds in the past (some are even used to this day as well). And because the English Pointers were so good at tracking down the location of birds and then carefully pointing towards it, they were given the title of “Cadillac of Bird Dogs” which means there were one of the, if not the, best Bird Dogs present at that time.
The English Pointers have a short, dense and evenly spread coat. It is not known to shed all that much and it requires a minimal amount of grooming so as to remain clean and away from any matting or tangling issues. But as it is fairly short, it doesn’t provide a lot of protection to the English Pointers especially against the cold weather conditions and because of this, their tolerance to cold and low temperatures is below average at best.
The English Pointers were amazing at detecting the actual location of various animals and birds so that their owners could easily kill them. And many believe that their nose also played a significant role in finding the position of their preys. The nose of an English Pointers is great at catching a different variety of scents and once they lock down a scent, they are able to just track that to its origin and that is how these pooches hunted in the olden times.
It is highly speculated that the English Pointers were created when the British Soldiers returned to their homes from Spain after the War in 1713 and they brought some of the Spanish Pointers along with them. Some time later, when the Italian Pointers also came to the United Kingdom, there were bred with the Spanish Pointers, and this led to the creation of the English Pointers. It is also believed that to further improve these English Pointers, other breeds like the English Setters, the Greyhounds, the Bloodhounds were all thrown into the mix.
The first documented appearance of an English Pointer in the United States of America was in 1876, 11 years after the Civil War. But within a few years, this breed became highly popular all over the U.S as people started appreciating their abilities and skills as a hunter.
In 1878, the English Pointers were registered in America and they became one of the first breeds to be ever registered in the U.S. Some other breeds that were recognized along with the Pointers in 1878 were Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Cocker Spaniel, English Setter, Gordon Setter, Irish Setter et cetera. Once the AKC was founded in 1884, the English Pointers got recognized by them as well.
These pooches are known to possess an even temperament and they are highly affectionate and kind in nature. They are amazing with small children as well. These canines love to spend the majority of their time playing loads of games with children of all ages. They always remain highly gentle and warm with all the kids they encounter and thus are considered to be a wonderful playmate and a great companion for a small child.
The English Pointers require a pretty high amount of exercise and work on a daily basis so as to remain happy and in the right shape. And if these pooches are not getting enough work and physical movement, then gradually they can become highly sad, bored and frustrated and because of that, various destructive traits might get developed in these canines like incessant barking, restless behavior et cetera. And thus, if their exercise needs are not properly fulfilled, then it is not only good for their physical health but it is highly harmful to their mental health and well-being as well.
The lemon and white English Pointer named “Sensation” that was imported in the year 1876 in the US from England is popularly known as the Dog that is featured on the Emblem of Westminster Kennel Club which was founded in the year 1877.