The German Longhaired Pointer ? A Hunting Dog At Its Best And A Lifetime Loving Companion
The German Longhaired Pointer is a relatively rare dog breed and a pointing type of gundog, originating in Germany and bred for hunting small and big game alike. Like any other type of pointer, this breed has the ability to point to its owner the whereabouts of the quarry and remain still after locating it. This breed is a gundog par excellence ? an instinctive hunter, a reputable water worker, a steady and calm tracker and an excellent retriever, but it is not quite as popular as the German Shorthaired Pointer or the German Rough-Haired Pointer, although it is the oldest breed of pointers of German descent.
In terms of general appearance, the German Longhaired Pointer has a well-proportioned, strong and muscular body, moderate bone structure, but with plenty of substance, webbed feet like all pointers, slightly rising stop and an elegant and noble allure. The average height at the withers is 23 inches (for females) to 28 inches (for males) and the average weight is 67 pounds. The length of the coat is very important for the breed standard and it has to be neither excessively long, nor too short. A medium length is preferred, with slightly longer feathering. The breed standard requires a shiny, dense and smooth coat, yet also allows it to be somewhat wavy, but never curly. The breed also has a dense undercoat. The color ranges from various shades of brown as well as of roan (dark/light), brown and white or white and brown with either brown patches with saddle or white chest patches.
This breed is even-tempered, well-balanced, gentle, very affectionate and friendly, and it makes an excellent family pet. It loves children, around whom it gets very frisky and playful. It thrives on close interaction with its family members, to whom it makes a loyal and trustworthy companion. It gets so attached and devoted to its people, that it is known to suffer separation anxiety if left alone and unattended for too long. It is not an attention grabber like most toy breeds, but, deep down in its little heart, it begs of its owner to at least acknowledge its presence. If the owner ignores it for too long, it still does not hold a grudge, and, the minute it receives a little TLC, it is back to its joyful and happy self. This is how good-natured and people-oriented this breed is.
It also enjoys socializing with other dogs, but not so much cats. Furthermore, it needs plenty of daily exercise, such as a long walk or run to keep it healthy and fit. Also, if properly and regularly exercised, it can adapt to any living conditions, but ideally a rural area house is preferred. Also, this breed loves water, no wonder it is a water worker, so allow it to swim if you have a pond nearby your house.
Due to its high intelligence, docility and devotion to its master, this breed is very easy to train, preferably by the owner himself. Originally slower and heavier than other pointers, this breed has been far improved, and the desired result of German breeders is the current breed. Its uniqueness comes from the spectacular duality of this dog ? a fierce and reliable, top performance gundog out in the fields, and a loving and faithful companion in the family house.
Moreover, it requires only moderate grooming, every two weeks, and almost no trips to the vet, thanks to its sturdiness. Due to the fact that this breed is quite rare, there is no excessive breeding by puppy mills and its bloodline descent is left almost intact, which entails the lack of any inherited disorders. Therefore, in addition to all the other positive traits, a sound healthy dog is the icing on the cake.
If you adopt a versatile and athletic breed such as the German Longhaired Pointer, you will get an amazingly rare working dog and a loyal, gentle and loving family dog at the same time.
The German Rough-haired Pointing Dog - The Ultimate Hunting Dog and Devoted Family Companion
The German rough-haired pointing dog is a griffon-type pointer breed originating in Germany, where it is considered the most prominent gundog breed. It was developed by crossbreeding solely German hunting breeds (the Griffon, the German Short-haired Pointer, and the Pudelpointer) back in the 19th century and continuously improved throughout the 20th century.
The most striking physical feature of this breed is the wiry coat. This medium-sized and robust dog is a versatile hunting breed with an amazing range of skills such as pointing small game and fowl above the ground, tracking wounded game, flushing and retrieving from the field as well as from the water.
The German rough-haired pointing dog has a sturdy, well-balanced and muscular body, broad skull with long muzzle, wide chest, large pads, webbed feet like all pointers and usually docked tail. This breed has a double coat and the most distinctive characteristic in terms of general appearance is the wiry outer coat which is bristly, straight, stiff, rough to the touch and 2 inches long. The beard is moderately developed and it has distinctive facial whiskers and bushy eyebrows which make it have a sad-looking face. Its water-repellant and weather-resistant coat comes in colors such as brown, brown roan and light roan, with or without brown or white chest patches. In terms of size, the average height is 20-26 inches and the average weight is 60- 70 pounds.
This popular working gundog breed also makes a great family companion and watchdog of your property. The wirehaired pointer is a very intelligent, even-tempered, active, alert and outgoing breed, highly devoted and faithful to its family members. It needs to interact with its family at all times and, therefore, it should not be left unattended for too long or put in a kennel. Being an energetic working dog, it depends on plenty of exercise to keep it busy, because it tends to get bored and restless with nothing to do.
This breed is excellent with children of all ages and gets a kick from playing with them; it is typically friendly with most people, although quite distant with strangers. Thanks to its hard and wiry coat, this breed is suitable to all weather conditions, but, since it requires consistent and regular activities, it is not fair to keep it in an apartment. It is best to offer it a fenced yard where it can run freely and release all that energy inside and, since it loves to swim, a rural area house will best suit its needs.
This breed is very easy to train, because it is intelligent, eager to learn and loves to please its owner, like all pointers. Obedience training is quickly achieved and does not require special efforts from the owner. The wirehaired pointer is very good with other dogs, but not so much with cats or other small animals, which might be confused with game. This breed is genetically predisposed to hip dysplasia, heart disease and Von Willebrands disease. In terms of grooming, this breed is low maintenance and it only requires its coat to be brushed every two weeks. It sheds moderately.
By adopting a German Rough-haired Pointing Dog, you can have a forever dedicated and loving companion and family pet, with outstanding hunting, pointing, tracking, flushing and retrieving skills.
