Dog Food Secrets

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 practically perform all the roles of an excellent gundog. It can perform tasks of a pointer, a retriever, upland bird dog and water dog. As a good hunting companion, the GSP should manifest keen intelligence, boldness, obedience and quickness and a lack of these characteristic implicates improper training from the owner.

As additional proof of the GSP’s excellence in the hunting scene, Stanley Cohen’s The Intelligence of Dog ranked the GSP as 17th on the list. The GSP has a strong sense of hunting that is why it is a must for the owner to train this dog in identifying the right prey from the small animals that should be left alone. It is not so surprising to find a GSP that is not well-trained to come home with a dead rat, bird or cat as a trophy of its personal hunting escapades.

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.

However, not only is the GSP excellent in hunting but in being a family companion as well. This dog is very family-oriented, protective, friendly and very loving. It loves to be with children and likes the attention of humans and other canine friends.

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.

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.

The common colors of this breed are dark brown, chocolate or chestnut (liver), black and white. Some GSPs may come in these colors solidly but generally, GSPs come in these colors but with speckles or patches of other colors such as white or liver all over their bodies. Interestingly, this color formation of the GSP allows it to camouflage against trees and bushes during winter season.