German Shorthair Pointers

About The German Shorthair Pointer

The AKC Standard

German Shorthaired Pointer

Early Shorthairs were short and heavy bodied, long-eared and extremely slow-working, showing the strongest influence from the hounds. The oft-repeated story of the Shorthair springing from "Bloodhounds" is merely a lapse in translation. Schweisshund translates to "bloodhound," meaning a dog used to follow a blood trail, not the breed "Bloodhound." These dogs were long since separated from the Bloodhound ( St. Hubert) that we know today. English Pointer blood was later added to existing Shorthairs to increase speed and style, but great care was taken to keep the desired talents in water work, retrieving and tracking, and in toughness.

When the breed was imported into the USA in the early 1900s, it was enthusiastically received by American hunters. In fact, since his official recognition by the AKC in the 1940s, the breed has fared well in AKC registrations. He is one of the favorites of the average weekend hunter because of his natural abilities, ease of training and adaptability to family life. The Shorthair is described as "all business no frills." In addition, the breed has been successful in the AKC field trials, as well as in American show and obedience rings. The German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America, to its credit, has strongly supported all aspects of breed ability; hence, the Shorthair shows no sign of splitting into two distinct types as have some of the other gun dogs. The breed boasts the most dual champions of any breed in the USA.

His short coat requires little care, even after a day in the field. He is affectionate and good with children, fitting into the venue of pet as long as his basic nature is understood. A dog of immense energy and a desire to hunt, he does not recognize natural boundaries and may become destructive if bored by confinement and a lack of exercise. Behaviorists recommend an outdoor kennel when the owner is not at home.

Handling Tips for a Successful Senior Hunter and Master Hunter

While judging, participating in and being chairman/secretary of AKC hunting tests...

Author: Cindy Stahle

While judging, participating in and being chairman/secretary of AKC hunting tests, I have observed some handler blunders and attitude fluctuations. These can be minimized by following the following tips.

When running dogs in the AKC Hunting Test program, you as a handler must remember that this is NOT a competition between dogs, but a competition against a standard. Wherein, everyone can pass or everyone can fail. The scores that you receive are just a basis for the judge to calculate whether you have passed or not. These scores should, in no way, be a reflection to how well your dog did compared to someone else. These scores will vary greatly from one judge to the next, as different people perceive things in a different light.

With that said, onto the tips:

1. You should never walk in front of your bracemate’s dog. If you need to position yourself on the other side of the dogs, walk behind the other dog, or make sure that you are far enough in front of it to ensure that you will not cause the other dog to move or relocate.	.........	2. If you notice that your bracemate’s dog is responding to your whistle or commands, be courteous to the other handler and keep commands to a minimum.
3. Don’t race around the course. This is very important. Stay with your bracemate. If you forge ahead, and the other dog goes with you, you are going to have problems. If your dog goes on point, and the other dog backs, you are going to have to wait until the other handler catches up. Here you run the risk of your dog getting to antsy, or the other dog deciding to break off from the back and steal point. What happens when you get to the bird field before the other handler, and his dog is with you? You are going to have to wait, and most likely it will be while your dog is pointing or backing		4. Be friendly and courteous to your bracemate and judges. These are the people that can make the brace a good one or a bad one. Talking with your bracemate is a good way to relax and have fun.
5. When your brace is over, and if you have a question for the judge, kindly wait for their lunch break or a bathroom break. This helps the test to move along smoothly. When you take time between braces to talk to the judges, this makes the next brace wait on the line.		6. If you have a disagreement with your scores, wait until the judges take a break, and then talk to them. Refer to tip #5. Don’t get angry or disillusioned before you talk to the judges. There is usually a good explanation that will explain why the judges scored the way they did. Remember, they can see more than you can when they are up on the horse. By venting your opinions and frustrations to your friends and onlookers that did not see the brace, you will come off looking like a “know it all” or a “Sore loser”, neither of which you want to do. It is the judges call and the judges interpretation of the rules. Tomorrow is another day.

 

Any comments to this article can be addressed directly to me at honeyrun@blazenet.net. I encourage rebuttal on this article, my opinions and views are not shared by everyone, and I would like to know what you think. Cindy Stahle Honey Run Shorthairs Dover, PA