German Shorthaired Pointer
| German Shorthaired Pointer | |||||||||||||
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 Dog on point | |||||||||||||
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| Origin | Germany | ||||||||||||
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| Dog (domestic dog) | |||||||||||||
The German Shorthaired Pointer or Deutsch Kurzhaar is a German breed of pointing dog of medium size. It originated in the nineteenth century in what is now Germany.[1] It is an all-purpose gun dog suitable for hunting and retrieving on both land and water.[2] It may also be kept as a companion dog.
History
[edit]
German hunters spent generations crossing different breeds until the GSP came during the 1800s. They were successful to the point that the GSP is among the top-winning breeds in competitive hunting events.[3] According to the American Kennel Club,[4] it is likely that the GSP is descended from a breed known as the German Bird Dog, which itself is related to the Old Spanish Pointer, introduced to Germany in the 17th century.[citation needed] The breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1930.[4]
In 1878, at the annual dog show of the Verein zur Veredelung der Hunderassen in Frankfurt am Main, it was agreed that breed standards for German dogs would be established at the show to be held in Hannover in 1879; standards for both the Deutsch Kurzhaar and the Deutsch Langhaar were introduced in that year.[5]: 606 The first stud-book for the Kurzhaar was published in 1897.[6]: 84 [7]
The Kurzhaar was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1954.[8] In 2013 it was in twenty-second place on a list of the most-registered dog breeds world-wide.[9] In the fifteen years from 2007 to 2021, the annual number of new registrations in Germany averaged about 1300, with a low of 1102 and a high of 1842.[10]
In 2016, CJ, a three-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, won the Best in Show award at the 140th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.[11]
Characteristics
[edit]
The German Shorthaired Pointer is of medium size: dogs stand some 62–66 cm at the withers, bitches some 3 or 4 cm less.[12] The coat is dense, short and rough-textured. It may be of three colour types: the solid brown, either with or without small flecks of white on the chest and legs; the white, with brown head and brown flecks or patches on the body; and the roan, either brown or black. Each of the roan colours is divided into the dark, in which coloured hairs predominate, and the light, in which there are more white than coloured hairs.[12]
The head is of moderate size, with a convex profile and a long, broad, and strong muzzle suitable for carrying game; the eyes are brown, the ears are rounded and set on high, and hang close to the head.[12] Where not prohibited, the tail of a working dog may be docked to about half its length; it is carried roughly horizontally when the dog is moving and hangs down when it is at rest.[12]
It is a tough, healthy dog. It has some genetic predisposition to neurological diseases including coccygeal muscle injury, GM2 gangliosidosis, hemivertebrae, pyogranulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis and sensory neuropathy.[13]: 4 Other disorders associated with the breed include cataract, cranial cruciate ligament rupture, eversion of the cartilage of the nictitating membrane, hereditary lupoid dermatosis, progressive retinal atrophy, nasal carcinoma, oropharyngeal neoplasia, Von Willebrand's disease and XX sex reversal.[14]: 116–118 [15]
A 2024 UK study found a median longevity of 13.4 years for the breed, slightly above the average of 12.5 for all dogs.[16]
Use
[edit]Like the other German pointers (the German Wirehaired Pointer and the less well-known German Longhaired Pointer), the GSP can perform virtually all gun dog roles. It is a pointer and retriever, an upland bird dog, and water dog. The GSP can be used for hunting larger and more dangerous game. It is an excellent swimmer but also works well in rough terrain. It is tenacious, tireless, hardy, and reliable.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ Maxwell, C. Bede 1987. "The New German Shorthaired Pointer" Howell Book House Inc. ISBN 0-87605-157-3; p.13
- ^ "GSP breed standard". American Kennel Club. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ "German Shorthaired Pointer Dog Breed Information". Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Get to Know the German Shorthaired Pointer". American Kennel Club. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- ^ Hans Räber (1995). Enzyklopädie der Rassenhunde: Ursprung, Geschichte, Zuchtziele, Eignung und Verwendung (volume 2, in German). Stuttgart: Franckh-Kosmos. ISBN 9783440067529.
- ^ Gabriele Lehari (2013 [2009]). 400 Hunderassen von A - Z (third edition, in German). Stuttgart (Hohenheim): Eugen Ulmer KG. ISBN 9783800178827.
- ^ Deutsch Kurzhaar (in German). Dortmund: Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen. Archived 8 December 2023.
- ^ FCI breeds nomenclature: Deutsch Kurzhaar (119). Thuin, Belgium: Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed June 2024.
- ^ [Svenska Kennelklubben] (2013). Registration figures worldwide – from top thirty to endangered breeds. FCI Newsletter 15. Thuin, Belgium: Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Archived 16 December 2022.
- ^ Welpenstatistik (in German). Dortmund: Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen. Archived 21 February 2024.
- ^ "2016 Winners", westminsterkennelclub.org, Westminster Kennel Club, archived from the original on 26 February 2020, retrieved 26 February 2020
- ^ a b c d FCI-Standard N° 119: Deutsch Kurzhaar (German Shorthaired Pointing Dog). Thuin, Belgium: Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed June 2024.
- ^ Ronaldo C. Da Costa, Curtis W. Dewey (2015). Practical Guide to Canine and Feline Neurology, third edition, ebook. Ames, Iowa: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781119062042.
- ^ Alex Gough, Alison Thomas (2004). Breed Predispositions to Disease in Dogs and Cats. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 9781405107488.
- ^ Ping Wang, Barbara Zangerl, Petra Werner, Elizabeth A. Mauldin, Margret L. Casal (April 2011). Familial cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) in the German shorthaired pointer maps to CFA18, a canine orthologue to human CLE. Immunogenetics. 63 (4): 197–207. doi:10.1007/s00251-010-0499-z
- ^ Kirsten M. McMillan, Jon Bielby, Carys L. Williams, Melissa M. Upjohn, Rachel A. Casey, Robert M. Christley (2024). Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports. 14 (1): 531. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w. ISSN 2045-2322.
Further reading
[edit]
- Rollston, Christopher A. "A Brief History of the German Shorthair (Deutsch Kurzhaar)." Shorthair Journal Volume 7 Issue 6 (2006):8-10.