German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP): The Perfect Gundog

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.

Today, hunters still use the GSP as a hunting companion because of its unfading great skills. In hunting, you can expect the GSP to be highly reliable, hardy, quick-witted, fearless and infinitely tireless. Signs of an ill-trained GSP are timidity, fear, over subservience, wariness, un-trainability and most importantly, aggression.

The GSP may be everything you could ask for in a gundog but when it comes to being a family-oriented creature, this breed tops the list too. When not hunting, the GSP is a very loving, protective, loyal and amiable dog. It especially loves to play with children and loves to interact with humans and other canine contemporaries.

The body of the GSP is lean and streamlined and thus it is powerful and agile. Its hindquarters are utterly fitted to allow the GSP to turn around rapidly and speedily. The ears are fairly long and floppy while the muzzle is broad, long and so powerful that it can carry heavy games.

It is a must for the GSP to be docked (unless it is banned in the country) and thus its tail is only long enough to give a wag or a subtle wave. The coat is double layered and is short and flat. The inner coat is dense while the outer coat is stiff which serves as a repellant against water.

Generally, the GSP is found in colors of dark brown, chocolate or chestnut (liver), black and white. Some dogs may come out in solid colors and some may come out with sprinkles or patches of other shades all over their bodies. This color formation of the GSP allows it to camouflage with the woods and bushes especially during winter season.

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