DOGS AUSTRALIA GROUP 3 · UTILITY GUNDOGS · DEUTSCH KURZHAAR
German Shorthaired Pointer
A bird dog, bred to point and flush game. You cannot breed or train away a GSP’s hunting instinct; nor would you want to. At home they are warm, loving, nurturing big sooks. In your back yard or in open country they are the energiser bunny.
- Height
- 53–64cm
- Weight
- 20–32kg
- Lifespan
- 12–14 years
- Origin
- Germany
- Energy
- Very high
- Group
- 3 — Gundogs
001 · TEMPERAMENT
True people-pleasers, with no concept of personal space.
GSPs are affectionate and loving and do not understand the meaning of personal space. Do not get a GSP if you don’t want your face licked, or to wake up with the dog in your bed at the first chance it gets. They were bred to spend a great deal of time with their owners.
Some people believe they suffer from separation anxiety. The reality is they simply want to be with you, and they will tell everyone, potentially the whole neighbourhood, if you are not there. They need to be entertained, engaged, and trained to spend time alone. They thrive in two-dog homes, especially if the house is empty during the day.
They whine and cry and know exactly how to pull on your heart strings. Then you open the back door and the energiser bunny reappears.
GSPs are among the smartest dogs you will ever meet, and with the nose of a hound they can get into plenty of trouble when you are not looking. They have a stubborn streak. But with regular mental stimulation and exercise they are the perfect dog for any active home.
The instinct is the breed. Everything difficult about a GSP and everything good about one come from the same place. A dog bred to range out, find game on its own initiative and hold a point is not a dog that will be satisfied by a walk around the block. That is not a fault to be managed; its who they are.
002 · IN THE HOUSEHOLD
Children, other animals, temperament
Young children
A favourite, with a caveat about size
German Shorthaired Pointers are a favourite for kids who can keep up with their rambunctiousness. They are a medium to large breed and they are strong.
It is important to remember that for a small child, an adult GSP is as tall as they are and twice their weight. Properly trained, these dogs can be gentle and patient with very young children.
Other dogs and cats
Often a good pairing
A GSP puppy can make a great pair for an existing dog or cat. Supervised introductions and training are highly recommended.
Chooks and small animals
We say no
GSPs were bred to have a high prey drive. Socialising one to get along with chooks, rabbits and other small animals can be dangerous for the other animal.
It is possible, and some people do it. We do not think it is fair on the other animal or on the GSP. No matter how friendly the unlikely pair become, there will always be a risk.
Aggression
Not a breed trait
GSPs are generally not aggressive. However, like any dog, if they are not trained correctly or treated properly they have the potential to be.
They are not aggressive towards children who rough and tumble with them, and when playing they will give as good as they get. As puppies they have very sharp teeth, and like any infant it takes time to teach them right from wrong.
003 · HEALTH
A pretty healthy dog for their size.
With an average lifespan of up to fourteen years, the GSP is a robust breed. These are the conditions worth knowing about.
Bloat / gastric torsion
Not common · Not genetic · Urgent
A risk in any barrel-chested, energetic dog. Not common, but it happens. Take care with eating around exercise and swimming.
Bloat is a veterinary emergency. A dog that is retching without bringing anything up, with a distended abdomen and obvious distress, needs a vet immediately! not in the morning.
Von Willebrand’s disease
Genetic · Rare in Australian lines · Testable
An inherited clotting disorder. Rare in Australian GSP lines, and it can be DNA tested for. Ask any breeder whether both parents have been tested, and ask to see the result rather than be told.
Progressive retinal atrophy
Genetic · Rare in pure-bred dogs · Testable
Degeneration of the retina leading to vision loss. Rare in pure-bred GSPs, and DNA testable. Same advice: ask for the result, not the reassurance.
Hips and elbows
Screened, not DNA tested
Hip and elbow dysplasia is screened by X-ray and scored, not by DNA test. All our dogs are hip and elbow screened and DNA tested.
A breeder who cannot produce scores for both parents is asking you to take their word for it. Do not.
General information only. This is not veterinary advice. If you have concerns about a specific dog, speak to your vet. If you have questions about the testing behind our dogs, ring us and we will send you the results.
004 · GROOMING
Don’t let “shorthaired” fool you. They shed.
Thanks to the light and dark coat, GSP fur is going to be visible pretty much everywhere. But with a regular grooming practice you can easily keep it under control.
The best way to care for the double coat is to brush it every couple of days. A rubber grooming glove works well for picking up loose fur.
Do not wash your GSP
We recommend against it. Take them for a swim or hose them down instead. They can develop irritable skin conditions that are largely the result of chemicals. A healthy GSP does not smell. If yours does, that is information about its health, not a reason for shampoo.
The basics
Teeth cleaning, nail trimming, and checking the ears — especially after water play.
Take care trimming nails. It is hard to see the quick on black nails, and the breed has naturally long ones.
005 · THE POINT
You will see it even if you never train for it.
Even if your German Shorthaired Pointer is never formally trained for hunting, you might see them point from time to time. It is an inherited trait that appears whenever they sense a bird or other small animal nearby.
You will know your GSP is pointing if they suddenly freeze, pull one front paw close into the chest, put the tail straight back, and point the snout in the direction of the prey.
Training leads to a more formal stance and the ability to hold the point until the handler releases them. But the average family GSP might just point whenever instinct takes over.
006 · BREED HISTORY
Three hundred years of trying to build one dog that does everything.
The GSP may be a bird dog at heart, but don’t be mistaken. This dog was bred to be an all-round versatile hunting companion, and their modern-day range is the result of generations of careful breeding.
The first time German Shorthaired Pointers show up in the records in Germany is around the second half of the nineteenth century — but the bird dogs who preceded them have a much longer history.
As early as the 1600s, dog fanciers throughout Europe set about breeding a canine companion for gun hunting. However, just as the technology of the hunting rifle had a long way to go, these early working dogs were far from perfect. One hunter might have a dog for pointing, another for flushing, and a third for retrieving. Attempts to consolidate the work were not often successful.
By the 1700s, breeders in Germany had made major headway. Through generations of trial and error they finally hit on a dog that could track, point, flush and retrieve. With the help of Spanish Pointers, Bloodhounds and a variety of other breeds, they developed the German Bird Dog — generally considered the direct predecessor to the German Shorthaired Pointer.
The German Bird Dog still wasn’t entirely satisfactory. For one thing they were a bit slow, and fanciers turned up their noses at the Bloodhound characteristics present in the breed. A few generations later, the introduction of English Pointers finally produced what they had been looking for: the first litter of German Shorthaired Pointers.
Not only could these dogs perform all of the tasks a gun hunter needed, they also had the bravery and agility to corner larger game such as deer and wild boar. Later they would become skilled at taking on American game.
In 1872 the first GSP was registered with the German Kennel Club. The breed was an instant success, winning competitions across Europe. To this day they remain one of the most popular breeds for hunters and families alike.
After the Second World War, GSPs made their way to the United States. Australia’s bloodlines, like our population, are a mix of American, British and more recently eastern European.
007 · WHERE NEXT
Read the honest version before you enquire.
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Start here
Before you buy
The two lists. What this breed will do to your house, your routine and your weekends.
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Governing bodies
The breed standard
The GSP sits in Group 3 — Gundogs. The official standard is published by Dogs Australia (ANKC Ltd), and gundog and retrieving trials are run through Dogs NSW and its interstate equivalents.
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The other breed
Brittany
The other breed we work with. Smaller, and a different dog to live with.
003001.1 — GSP Information Pack — Noble Kennels · Revised 09.09.2024