German Shorthaired Pointers are highly intelligent and very active, therefore, they need an owner who can provide them with lots of challenges, to stimulate them both physically and mentally. For families who are not keen on hunting (as this was their primary reason for being bred), this breed will love to accompany their ‘hoomans’ or walks, hikes, jogs, bike-rides – you name it they’ll be there! In the evening, they’ll happily curl up on the sofa next to you for some downtime. Because they love to be around their owners so much, these dogs can often suffer from separation anxiety if left alone for too long, so you need to make sure that at least one member of the ‘hooman’ pack is around for most of the day. Otherwise, you may come back to a destroyed house, which no-one wants!

These dogs were created in the mid 19th century and were bred to be multipurpose hunting dogs.  It’s thought they came about by crossing Spanish Hunters and Bloodhounds – thus creating a hound-like dog with a keen nose! They specifically bred the dogs that had the best personalities, to create a well-rounded breed, as well as having the ability to work well in water as well as on land. The German Shorthaired Pointer was first known to have crossed the sea to the States in 1925 and was recognised by the American Kennel Club within just five years! WW2 did affect the breeding of these dogs for German breeders. Many were sent away for safe-keeping, but those who wanted to continue on breeding had no access to Germanys best breeding stock. They were therefore faced with rebuilding the breed from a limited gene pool. However, breeding of these dogs in the USA progressed rapidly as it still does to this day!