Learn all about these amazing dogs, the German Shorthaired Pointer, it is a beautiful dog, with surprising characteristics, which you will find throughout the article and will not fail to make a great impression on you.
German shorthair pointer
This breed, as its name indicates, was developed in Germany, where it is translated as follows "Deutscher Kurzhaariger Vorstehhund", its origins date back a little over two hundred years, by 1800, they were destined hunting, it is even considered that of all the breeds dedicated to this work, this is the most outstanding and agile.
His physical abilities, in addition to natural qualities, allow him to stand out among so many; its elegance to find and hunt birds is unmatched; he is also brave, since he faces animals of such size as the wild boar; but not only this, but that it can follow blood trails without any problem as impeccably as the bloodhound.
History
This german shorthaired pointer dog It is the product of a need, since a versatile dog was sought in the XNUMXth century, so that it could be used in different ways of hunting, but not one for each form or specialty, it should have a great sense of smell, physical resistance, unwavering pursuit, must be brave, intelligent and aggressive without a doubt.
They were initiated through German work, by people specialized in dog breeding, looking for established kinetic characteristics; choosing dogs of a certain type, so that at one time the desired standard was finally reached, but this is not the one that is preserved until today, since it has been the product of some slight modifications.
General Appearance
Despite the fact that in its origins a dog that was aggressive, agile and fast was sought, the truth is that today it is defined as a dog that is full of harmony, of nobility; but that he has unbreakable physical strength; which is extremely fast and resistant, so he needs constant physical activity.
When you run into one of them, you can see at a glance that it is a dog that is always upright, its tail also has a certain touch of elegance, as for its head is lean; it is seen that it is a strong dog, it has flowing lines; while its coat looks spectacular, shiny and stiff at the same time, it moves with harmony and extensive movements.
important proportions
Let us remember that there are organizations that are in charge of establishing the standards with which a dog can be classified within one or another breed, if the dog is said to be of a specific breed, but it does not comply with the characteristics established at the international level, then it will be discarded immediately, it happens especially in competitions.
In the case of the German Shorthaired Pointer, it is established that the length of the trunk must be wider, at least by a millimeter, than that of the withers; if this does not happen you want to form then it is not classified as belonging to that race.
So if you want to acquire one of these or have one at home, you must verify that these proportions are the ones indicated and that you truly have a member of this breed.
Head
But not only should you verify the above proportions, but you should also be aware of his head, which also has certain distinctive characteristics from other dogs; Mainly, it should be noted that it has a medium weight, since it is neither light nor extremely heavy.
Its head is corresponding to its body, so it does not look small or large, if not precise; this is skinny is marked perfectly. So if you want to verify that it is a dog of this breed, you can consult a specialist in the area, either a veterinarian or an expert breeder, to verify any details.
cranial region
It is considered that its skull must be wide enough or, in other words, wide, but without exaggerating it, in proportion to the rest of its body; also this one of being a little convex; in the frontal area there should be a groove that does not have great depth.
In addition to that it should have the occipital process slightly marked and its superficial arches that can be seen simply developed; and as for its naso-frontal depression, it must have a slight development. Of course, all this must be verified in your pet by a specialist, otherwise you can make many mistakes.
face region
Its nose protrudes a little, but the nostrils are well open, mobile and wide, mostly brown, but there are some black ones, especially when the dog is black; It is emphasized that only the flesh-colored nose will be admitted when the dog is white or at least slightly light.
Its snout is deep, very strong, long and wide, so that these characteristics allow it to hunt easily and agilely; looking at the nose bridge from one side, you can see that it is somewhat convex, which is more noticeable in males; if he has it concave it will be a serious fault in any contest.
As for her lips, they have a well-marked coloration, they are not droopy and they have adhesion. On the other hand, his teeth and jaw possess undoubted strength, they are complete and perfect, in total he has forty-two teeth in perfect condition. His cheeks have good muscles.
The eyes are neither deep nor do they look bulging as in the Chihuahua, which are usually brown; His ears are smooth, medium, and hang down and stick to the sides of his skull, their tips are round and not triangular as in other dogs like the American Akita; His neck is wider when it reaches his shoulder area.
Size
When wishing to acquire a dog, whether by adoption or purchase, it is always important to pay attention to all its characteristics, but especially its size, determine if it is suitable for the space in which the new pet must develop, if the space is reduced because the best thing will be a small dog while if there is more space there will be no problem.
However, there are large dogs that can adapt without any problem, to small spaces, it will also depend on their education and how many times a day you take them out for a walk and perform physical activities, such as playing, jogging, hiking and more.
In the case of the German Shorthaired Pointer, it must have a withers height of between sixty-two and sixty-six centimeters in the case of males, while in females it will be a little lower, from fifty-eight to sixty. and three centimeters.
Behavior
But not only the size is important, but also how its behavior is by nature is of great importance and relevance when adopting a dog, knowing if it is easy to train, if it is usually aggressive or harmonious, if it is suitable or not for households where there are children, if you need daily physical activity and other items.
It should be noted that this breed has a lot of energy, so the need for physical activity is high; on the other hand, it is characterized by having great balance, it is not shy, it does not get nervous, or aggressive, it is a dog that can be trusted, many even state that it is submissive.
The Body
The upper line of the German Shorthaired Pointer must be straight, but it must also go slightly down; on your back there should be strong muscles; the rump area should be both long and wide and sloping towards the area where the tail is located; the back should be short, straight, slightly arched, in addition to having a certain solidity.
In contrast, the bottom line should be lean, rising slightly, but its curve is considered somewhat graceful. The back ribs must be in descent, they must be very marked, that is, they are not flat, but not like a barrel.
For its part, the thorax must have a certain depth, but little breadth; the sternum should reach to the back area, its breastbone should have a certain mark. Something that should always be kept at the same height is the elbow with the sternum.
Lastly, there is his tail. Which is wider in the area where your back ends and is finer in the part where it ends; specialists establish that this should be cut in half, as long as the dog is going to be used for hunting.
Extremities
In order to finish identifying this dog, it is important to be clear about the characteristics of both its front and rear extremities, for this reason it is explained in detail below to avoid any type of confusion in this regard:
Former members
The front legs, if you see them from the front, are parallel; his shoulders have oblique scapulae; his muscles are very vigorous. His arm has great length, with good muscles, but little thickness. Your elbows can be noticed close to the body, without looking towards the outside or the inside.
On the other hand, there is the metacarpus, which has a very small angle between what is the forearm and this area, it can never be vertical. Its hind feet can have a circular shape, there are even those who compare it with the shape of a cockroach, its fingers are shaped like arches and they are well glued.
The nails of these have great strength as well as the pads, they are located in a parallel way; As for his forearm, it is straight with a lot of muscle, the bones are quite strong, but not very thick.
Hind limbs
Like the previous ones, these can be seen with the naked eye that they are parallel, that they have correct angles and that their bones are very strong: on the other hand, their thighs are also very muscular, wide and long, in addition to the fact that the angle It is the one indicated between the hip and the thigh.
The German Shorthaired Pointer's legs are long and well muscled, its knees are powerful, its metatarsus is vertical and powerful; on the other hand, his feet are the same as those explained in the previous segment.
Movement
Throughout the article it has already been mentioned that it is a dog with great agility, which is why it is used to hunt birds and other types of animals, a task for which it must have very precise and of course fast movements.
His movements usually have great amplitude and are usually with a strong impulse, he makes exact and precise strides before anything; but he never outgrows his elegant and upright bearing, keeping his front and hind limbs completely parallel.
Manto
Its skin is well attached, it does not have any folds as it happens with the American Bulldog, his hair is not long like the Golden Retriever, rather it is a bit rough; These dogs can be black, brown with or without white spots, which benefits them when they go hunting; the most common is that the color is lighter on the inside of the hind legs.
legal faults
If a German Shorthaired Pointer dog does not meet those characteristics mentioned throughout the article, it is considered that it has incurred in fault and has deviated from the standard established by the international organizations in charge of said work. Some faults are:
- short snout
- does not have complete teeth
- very light eye color
- Skin with folds and sagging
- heavy and long ears
- Lots of depth in the chest
- Your elbows or feet are off and parallel and at different angles than usual.
