German Shorthaired Pointer - TOP 10 Intereseting Facts

1) Origin

The German Shorthaired Pointer history dates back to the 1600s when the Hanoverian hound was crossed with Spanish Pointer. The goal of this crossing was to develop a dog that will be great at both – pointing birds and trailing mammals. This was how the first German Shorthaired Pointer was developed. Later, they were also crossed with the English pointer and probably also with the Vizsla, Weimaraner and Dalmatian.

2) Versatility

German Shorthaired Pointers are not only amazing hunters, there is a lot more they can offer. In their past, they were pulling sleds, guarding homes and sometimes they even sniff the bombs.

3) Land or water?

German Shorthaired Pointers are amazing hunters on both – land and water. On land, their heavy nails help them get traction on even rough terrain. And they are great water retrievers as well. They have water resistant coat and their spoon-shaped webbed paws act as paddles.

4) Long puppyhood

GSPs are pretty slow to mature and they are still acting as puppies even when they are two years old. Actually, most of the German shorthaired pointers become mentally adult after their second birthdays. It is important to be prepared for it, because they will be very strong and muscular fully grown dogs with mind of a puppy for atleast one year.

5) Good with kids

German shorthaired pointers are great family dogs and they are good companions for kids. Most of the time, they are taking good care about the child and very often, they are pretty protective over them. They are also pretty patient, which is important, since smaller kids dont know how to act properly around dogs. But it is important to not leave the kid with the dog unsupervised.

6) Coat and Nose

Another interesting fact about German Shorthaired pointer is, that their coat color is matching their nose color. The most comon colors are liver white and black, or combination of those. If you will have black GSP, they will have black nose and if you will have liver GSP its nose will be also in liver color.

7) Name

German Shorthaired Pointer has very descriptive name. They are from Germany they have short coat and the word pointer? That comes from their stance. They are naturally using their body to point when they are looking for game. Their head is low, they have steady gaze and most of the time, one of their front paws is in the air.

8) Exercise

German Shorthaired Pointers needs a lot of exercise and if you are not using them for hunting, you will need to find other way how to exhaust their overflowing energy. You can go jogging with them, swimming or just go for a very long walk. Or you can try some dog sport with them! Actually, GSPs are awesome at agility. They have the speed, balance and eagerness to learn, which makes them the ideal breed for agility.

9) Living with

GSPs are known as big escape artists, especially when they see some birds. That is why it is important to have high fence which is buried several inches bellow the ground. It is also important to be prepared for some barking, because German shorthaired pointer likes it! Other than that, GSP is friendly and fun to be around companion.

10) Watchdog

Because they like to bark, they make good watchdogs. They will let you know almost everytime when something suspicious is going on around the house. And even though, they are aloof towards strangers, they are not making the best protectors. They were not bred to be agressive towards people. So Watchdogs yes! Protectors? Hmm probably not!