The German Shorthaired Pointer belongs to group 7: Pointing Dogs, more precisely to the first section corresponding to continental pointing dogs. The dogs in this group are dogs specialized in a very specific hunting discipline with a very specific working technique. This consists of tracking the game, restricting the distance that separates them from it as much as possible and warning their master just before the leap and capture of the prey so that he can come and shoot the stuck animal. These are dogs that are very focused on smell. But this sense of smell can also play tricks on them: they tend to get lost easily because of it. They are also dogs that have a voice to warn their master when they are almost face to face with game.

The German Shorthaired Pointer, like all pointing dogs, is said to come from the line of the Oysel dog, also called “Rêts dog”, which was formerly used for bird net hunting but also for flight hunting. They arrived at the German princely courts, first passing through France, Spain and Flanders. During its travels, the German Shorthaired Pointer received foreign blood through crosses with Spanish Shorthaired Pointers, Pointers and Italian Shorthaired Pointers. The model we know today has existed since 1880. The French Club was created in 1958. It remains the best-known Braque in Germany and the most used pointing dog in the world.

The German Shorthaired Pointer is a large breed: the male can measure between 62 and 66 cm and the female 58 to 63 cm. Its weight varies between 25 and 32 kg. It is a distinguished dog with a noble, harmonious appearance and a proud bearing. Its gaits are clear and wide-ranging. This dog has a slightly elongated body, a muscular neck and a marked withers. Its chest is higher than it is broad, its ribs well arched, its back firm and muscular, its loins short, broad and muscular just in front of a broad, powerful rump, sufficiently long and sloping somewhat. Its limbs are muscular with strong bones. Its feet are rounded, its toes are tight and its pads are firm. The tail of the German Shorthaired Pointer is set high, strong at its base and then gradually thinning. Its tail is shortened by half for hunting. Hanging at rest, it is kept horizontal when the dog is in action. The head of the German Shorthaired Pointer is dry, well chiseled with a fairly broad and slightly domed skull. Its muzzle is long, wide, thick and powerful. Its nose is brown or flesh (in dogs with white coats). Her lips are perfectly fitted and pigmented and hide a powerful jawline. Its eyes are medium sized and dark brown in color. Its ears are set high, moderately long, rounded at the end and falling, without turning, flat along its head. The coats incorporating the standard of this breed are as follows: a brown coat without a mark, a brown coat with small white markings or speckles on the chest and limbs, a so-called dark brown roan coat with a brown head, brown patches or speckles (discreet coat preferred for hunting), a light brown roan variant with a brown head and patches or brown speckles and without patches, but also a white coat with brown markings at the top and brown patches or speckles or even a black coat with the same nuances as the brown or roan coat. Tan marks are tolerated and a list or white pincushion with speckled lips too. The hair is short, dry and hard to the touch.

The German Shorthaired Pointer is a robust dog that lives on average 12 years. Even old, he is still able to do intense physical activities. The ears still need to be monitored. It is also predisposed to certain diseases such as dilatation or turning of the stomach, certain often genetic dermatological conditions (junctional epidermolysis bullosa and genodermatosis) or even eye problems (corneal dystrophy, entropion).

Beneath its liveliness, the German Shorthaired Pointer is a friendly and very sociable dog. He likes to play and go for walks. It is a fast and reliable pointing dog. He can be a very good companion dog because he loves his family and children. Vigorous, enduring, strong and fast, the German Shorthaired Pointer is an all-terrain and all-weather galloper, in short a pointing dog par excellence. The Shorthaired Pointer is also a good guardian without being aggressive. But if you are a hunter, there is no doubt that you will give him the best gift because he needs to exercise. Balanced and obedient, he can however be a little stubborn and to teach him things, you will have to be more stubborn than him. His education must be rigorous. It is a dog that can adapt to the city but we must not forget that it still needs space and, above all, exercise. Long daily outings will delight him. In terms of maintenance, regular brushing is recommended.