Here are some fun and fascinating facts about the German Shorthaired Pointers that will surely surprise a lot of people!
The German Shorthaired Pointers as the name suggests hail from Germany. These canines were known for using their bodies to point towards the direction of the games which were on the radar of their hunter owners. And, because of this pointing behavior and to honor their place of origin, these canines were named as German Shorthaired Pointers.
German Shorthaired Pointers have slowly climbed the ladder of popularity and as of today, these canines are ranked at #10 position in the AKC’s list of most popular dog breeds from all around the world. That list contains almost 200 distinct canine breeds and the GSPs have left behind breeds like Boxers, Huskies, Dachshunds, Great Danes et cetera in terms of popularity.
The German Shorthaired Pointers, to the surprise of no one, possess a short and flat exterior coat and a dense undercoat which is somewhat water-resistant in nature. Their coat is fairly soft on the ears and head region, but the coat on the rest of the body is a bit tough and harsh to the touch. Their coat also allows them to stay fairly warm and comfortable under the cold weather conditions.
The German Shorthaired Pointers’ nose is usually of the same color as their coats. These canines are mostly available in some combination of Liver, Black and White colors with black and liver being the dominant colors. And, to find the color of the nose of a GSP, just look at its coat, if it’s a black-coated GSP then he would have a black nose and if it’s a liver colored canine, then the color of its nose is most probably going to be liver also.
The German Shorthaired Pointers probably came into existence in the mid to late 19th century and the German Bird Dogs are believed to be the founding fathers of this breed. There are a lot of other canine breeds that went into the creation and later perfection of the GSPs like the English pointers, the Weimaraners, the Spanish pointers, native Scenthounds, the Vizslas and the Dalmatians.
The German hunters were thrilled with the creation of the German Shorthaired Pointers as these canines had amazing hunting and tracking skills. These pooches became the primary hunting companions of most of the German Hunters in the 19th century and they helped their owners to track down various kinds of games such as boars, bears, rabbits, squirrels et cetera.
In the year 1930, the American Kennel Club finally recognized the German Shorthaired Pointers as a distinct breed. And, since then it is gradually becoming more and more popular all around the world.
These pooches require a lot of exercises and work on a daily basis to stay healthy and happy. They were bred for work purposes; hence they have a natural inclination towards work and spending their energy on some kind of task or activity. They love to go on long walks or running sessions with their owners and they also enjoy playing loads of games with them. These pooches don’t like to remain inactive as they can easily become highly bored and frustrated and thus it is very important for their owners to properly fulfill all of their exercise needs on a regular basis.
Not only they have great tracking and hunting skills, but the German Shorthaired Pointers are also used for several different kinds of tasks such as guarding their homes and property, hauling carts and sleds and detecting explosives as well. Both the U.S Air Force and TSA (Transportation Security Administration) use these GSPs for sniffing out explosives and other hazardous items. And, because of all these varieties of tasks for which the GSPs are used for, they are considered to be one of the most versatile canines present today.
In 2016, C.J. the German Shorthaired Pointer won the “Best in Show” at the annual Westminster Dog Show that has been held since 1877 in New York City. Apart from this, there a total of 8 PACH-titled (Preferred Agility Champion) GSPs, which is the highest title that any canine could get in the agility event organized by the AKC. So, it is pretty safe to say that the German Shorthaired Pointers do know how to shine and come out on top in a skill-based canine competition.