History of origin
Hunting – gambling male entertainment – required skill, courage and dexterity from its participants, as well as faithful comrades-in-arms, the main of which was always a dog.
But for the ideal hunting breed to appear, it took several centuries and bloody wars. Hunting with a bird of prey, which has been carried away by the rich and noble since the beginning of the Middle Ages, has formed in Europe a type of pointing dogs, without which this fun would be impossible. Such dogs were bred in Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Flanders. And although in each country the pointing dogs differed in appearance, they were all called the same – marriage.
During the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), which engulfed almost all of continental Europe, Spanish marriages, called Pachons, an ancient Iberian breed, came to Germany. In Germany, they began to be mixed with the local Hanoverian hound, thus a new kind of cops arose – the German marriage. The next pan-European war “delivered” to Germany new Spanish cops named Perdigero Burgas – they were brought with them by returning home mercenaries who fought against Napoleon. German marriages began to be crossed with Perdigero, so the Old German Württemberg Hound appeared. They were calm, obedient dogs with good upper and lower flair, the ability to bring the hunter all the game he got, but they lacked lightness and speed of movement. Then the German breeders began to pour the blood of pointers into the old German Württemberg Hound – light, agile English Hounds with excellent long-range instincts.
Thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts, at the end of the 1872th century, a universal hunting dog appeared in Germany – the German pointer (the pointer is translated as “short-haired”). She could work perfectly with the rack, had an excellent instinct, brought prey and got wounded animals, but she still knew how to follow commands and obey not only the owner, but also any hunter to whom she was assigned as an assistant, in general, an ideal gun dog. In 1925, a studbook for kurtshaar appeared in Germany, and even the name of the first dog that was recorded in it was preserved – it was a male named Hector. The international standards of the German shorthaired pointer were approved in XNUMX, and until now this breed of dog impresses with its versatility and intelligence – there is no such type of hunting where the German shorthaired pointer would not provide a person with the necessary assistance.
Breed description
The German Shorthaired Pointer is a graceful dog with a strong, dry constitution and well-developed elongated muscles. The head is proportional to the body, wedge-shaped, the superciliary ridges are distinctly expressed, the transition from the forehead to the muzzle is smooth. The lips are adjacent to the jaws, the upper lip slightly covers the lower one, forming a small fold in the corners of the mouth. The nose is the same color as the main color, the nostrils are well developed. The eyes are medium, obliquely set, hazel and dark brown. Hanging ears, wide at the base to the ends are rounded and tapered, close to the cheeks. The teeth are strong with a scissor bite. The neck is of medium length, muscular. Chest moderately broad, ribs well sprung. The withers are well expressed. The back is straight, muscular, smoothly passes into the lower back. The belly is moderately tucked up. The forelimbs are muscular, bony, the shoulder blades are set obliquely. The hind limbs are dry and muscular, somewhat set back with pronounced articulation angles. Paws are oval with tight-fitting toes. The tail is thick and docked at the base. The coat is short, hard, shiny, dense. Colors – coffee with speck, coffee and piebald, coffee with gray, solid coffee.
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Character
“The German Pointer is a very smart, obedient, energetic and hardworking breed of dog,” says Alexander Grinchenko, owner of the cattery FROM GRIN VALLEY. – Absolutely not aggressive – angry dogs are considered a breeding marriage, however, like cowardly ones. These are friendly, human-oriented animals, with a cheerful disposition and self-esteem. They treat all family members well, play with children with pleasure, and do not show aggression towards strangers. But the main thing is that it is a working dog, its desire is hunting, its character traits were formed to help a person in hunting, and only in the field or forest, in tracking down game, chasing and prey, the kurtshaars are truly happy.
To take such a dog as an ordinary companion or, as we say, “on the sofa”, means to create problems for yourself and the dog. The Shorthaired Pointer is, of course, a very obedient breed, he will accept the rules of behavior, but instinct will still call him to hunt – dogs will begin to see prey in cats, birds, in everything that moves, they can dig up flowers, spoil furniture, so they will try to satisfy its purpose. There are many breeds of companion dogs in the world, so I do not advise those who are not going to hunt to get hunting dogs as pets. This is, first of all, inhumane in relation to dogs, especially to such an excellent hunter as the German shorthaired pointer.
Care and maintenance
“Kurzhaar lives better on the ground — in an aviary or in a personal plot, where there is a warm booth and the opportunity to run freely around the territory,” says Alexander Grinchenko. – This is a dog that needs to splash out its energy, give free rein to its active nature. Of course, kurtshaars adapt to life in an apartment, but then the owners need to arrange long and active walks for their dog. It is desirable that in the morning and in the evening the dog spends at least an hour and a half outside, and that this is not just a measured walk, but an opportunity to run, scold without a leash, really stretch the muscles.
The German Pointer does not require much effort to keep. It is enough to comb out the dog’s short coat once every two weeks with a rubber massage glove. During the shedding period, which occurs twice a year, the coat can be groomed more often, helping the dog get rid of dead hairs. And remember that living in an apartment, kurtshar tend to lose more wool and not only during molting. After each walk, the paws and body of the dog should be wiped with a damp cloth or napkin. You don’t need to bathe the kurtshars very often – they practically don’t smell like a dog, but only as their coat gets dirty, and using professional zoo shampoos.
“The owners themselves decide what kind of food to choose for the dog, the main thing is that the kurtshaars receive a full-fledged diet every day, the basis of which is protein food,” says Alexander Grinchenko. — We raise the dogs of our kennel using premium and super premium class industrial feed. They are already balanced, they are more convenient to use. Of course, you need to watch how dogs react to a particular food. Some kurtshaars do not tolerate foods with a high fat content – here the owner must already choose the option that suits his dog.
Education and training
German shorthaired pointers are one of the smartest dogs, and besides, they have a very accommodating character, so there are practically no problems in their socialization and upbringing. If you are going to have a kurtshaar as a companion dog, then after 6 months you can start teaching him the simplest commands, gradually adding new ones. Kurzhaars perfectly understand the speech and emotions of a person, and if the reward in the form of a treat is used in the learning process, then the work will go even faster. Another thing is the training of a hunting dog. This requires a lot of work and often the help of professionals.
“From the age of 9 months, when the puppy’s cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system have formed, his nervous system has settled down and he already knows the basic commands of “room training”, they start coaching classes with him,” explains Alexander Grinchenko. “Experienced hunters who have already had dogs in training can handle the game on their own. But most often the dog is given to professionals. As a rule, breeders of hunting dogs also provide training services. The dog is trained for 1 – 1,5 months, and then demonstrates the acquired knowledge at the test stations. Her attitude to the shot is also checked here. If the kurtshaar copes completely, he receives a diploma, and the owner – a trained dog. First, kurtshaars are trained on field game, then on swamp, upland … And during the life of each hunt, the dog only improves its skills, becomes bolder and more experienced.
Health and disease
“Hunting breeds are distinguished by a good state of health, and the German shorthaired pointer is no exception,” says Alexander Grinchenko. – This breed has no genetic diseases, good immunity is inherent in it, and if the owner properly maintains his dog, then health problems should not arise. Although every rule has an exception.
The ears, eyes, teeth of the German shorthaired pointer are not weak points, but the owner must definitely examine them to make sure that everything is in order with the dog. If dirt has accumulated in the ears or purulent discharge has appeared in the eyes, they must be treated with a gauze napkin dipped in boiled water.
“Since kurtshaars spend a lot of time in nature, special attention should be paid to the anti-tick treatment of their wool,” says Alexander Grinchenko. – And do not forget to feel and carefully examine your dog after each walk. You also need to monitor the general condition of the dog’s skin and its coat – German shorthaired pointers can suffer from food allergies. In this case, the food must be replaced with one that suits the dog better or choose a hypoallergenic option.
Popular questions and answers
We talked about the content of kurtshaars with veterinarian, zoo engineer Anastasia Kalinina.