Thanks to the efforts of German breeders to develop a faster and more reliable pointer, we have the marvelous German Shorthaired Pointer or GSP as a hunting companion today. The GSP was incorporated from other pointer breeds such as the old Spanish Pointer, Hounds of St. Hubert, Foxhound, the English Pointer and some other unidentified hounds. The result of this development is a much faster and more excellent hunting dog.
The GSP can be considered as an all-around hunting dog. Whatever tasks a hunting dog should do such as being a pointer, a retriever, upland bird dog or a water dog, the GSP can surely do. The GSP is a great hunting companion because it possesses characteristics of being intelligent, bold, biddable, and alert but those GSPs that lack these traits are surely improperly trained.
This excellent workdog ranked 17th in Stanley Cohens The Intelligence of Dogs. Its hunting instinct is so strongly innate that owning a GSP means training it to distinguish between the right prey and other animals. A GSP that is not trained on this has the tendency to bring dead cats, pigeons or rats as a trophy from its hunting escapades alone.
A lot of people around the world today still opt to use the GSP for a hunting companion because of the breed's unfading skills in gunning and hunting. During these activities, you can expect the GSP to be reliable, hardy, quick-witted, fearless and completely tireless. A well-trained GSP should never indicate dispositions of timidity, fear, over subservience, wariness, un-trainability and most importantly, aggression.
Aside from being a commendable gundog, the GSP is also outstanding as a family pet. Around the family, this dog is loyal, devoted, obedient, sociable and protective. It loves to play with children and likes to be surrounded by humans and other kinds of dogs.
This excellent gundog looks swift and powerful with its lean and streamlined body. It has powerful hindquarters that allow it to move and turn quickly. Its ears are slightly long and floppy while its snout is long, broad and powerful and allows it to carry heavy game.
Most GSPs' tails are docked and the length is enough only to wag and move but in some countries docking is illegal. The GSP has a double layer of short and flat coat. The undercoat is lush while the top coat is stiff serving as a natural repellant against water and cold weathers.
This breed is often found in colors of dark brown, chocolate or chestnut (liver), black and white. Some may have solid-colored coats but some have sprinkles or patches of other colors all over their bodies. The patched or sprinkled pattern on the GSP's coat allows it to camouflage amongst trees and bushes during winter season.
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