According to various experts in the domain, the Belgian Shorthaired Pointer has been developed from the German Poodle and other mixed breeds. It is considered that, at the moment, the breed is extinct and one of the reasons for this is because it wasnt officially registered by any association.
The Breed's Character
Since this is basically a mixed breed, the purity of its strength and character got lost and, since it hasnt been registered, finding information about it is even more difficult. Even though there might be a few of these dogs left in the world, people do not know anything about their talents, unique characteristics, likes and dislikes, as well as other features.
This pointer is known for being a high-spirited dog, but at the same time very lovable. The history of the Belgian Shorthaired Pointer is related mostly to the French Baroque period.
Appearance
The height of this dog varies between about 23 1/2 and 28 inches, while the weight is of approximately 52 to 61 lbs. The coat of this breed is short and dense, its color being usually white with large brown patches. Due to its heavy coat, the dog may sometimes look gray. The neck has a medium length. The dog has scissor bite teeth.
What is known about the Belgian Shorthaired Pointer is that it has a rather broad head with a less defined stop. Its eyes can have various colors, such as: yellow, dark, chestnut or amber. The ears are moderately long and are set to the eye level, while being slightly pleated. As far as the muzzle is concerned, this has a medium size and it is well proportioned compared to the dogs head.
The nose of the dog is black; the chest is broad and it reaches the elbows. The body of the Belgian Shorthaired Pointer is back straight, rather long and broad, while the legs are long and built mostly for power rather than for speed. As for the feet, these are round and short; an aspect worth mentioning is the tail, which is, in most cases, docked. The movement of this breed is very agile and swift, with flowing gait.
Health & Hygiene
Since the Belgian Pointer (also known as the Braque Belge) has never been officially registered, not much is known about possible health problems. Little is due to be found out considering the fact that the breed is almost extinct; we will probably never find out more characteristics about this particular dog.
It was categorized as a sporting or point setter, but it is no longer perceived as a pure breed because, over the time, it got cross-bred for several times. Even if there are a few of them left, most likely they dont look alike and have different characteristics, which dont accurately define the breed, so the Belgian Shorthaired Pointer breed will probably not be officially registered in the future - it's quite a shame, isn't it?
