Family-friendly: | 5/5 |
Exercise needs: | 5/5 |
Easy to train: | 5/5 |
Tolerates being alone: | 1/5 |
Likes other pets: | 4/5 |
Energy level: | 5/5 |
Grooming needs: | 3/5 |
Shedding: | 2/5 |
- Dog suitable for owners with some experience
- Extra training required
- Generally healthy breed
- Enjoys active walks
- Enjoys more than two hours of walking a day
- Large dog
- Some drool
- Requires grooming once a week
- Quiet dog
- Welcomes everyone happily
- Generally friendly with other dogs
- Gets along with other pets with training
- Great family dog
- Needs a large garden
- Can live in semi-rural areas
- Can be left occasionally with training
The short-haired German Pointer can suffer from:
- Hip dysplasia
- Gastric dilatation volvulus.
- Von Willebrand's disease which is where a dog produces insufficient or faulty clotting factors which can result in uncontrolled bleeding.
- Dilated cardiomyopathy¹ which is a condition where the heart muscle becomes progressively weak and cannot beat properly.
- Entropion² which is a painful eye condition where the eyelids roll inwards.
- Cruciate disease³ which is where the ligaments in the knee become diseased and damaged which can lead to pain and limping.
Priority Kennel Club health schemes and testing:
- Hip dysplasia screening scheme
¹S. Simson et al, 'Genetics of Human and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy', 2015, International Journal of Genomics.
²F. C. Stades, 'Diseases and surgery of the canine eyelid', 2008, Essential of Veterinary Ophthalmology.
³A. Necas et al, 'Predisposition of dog breeds to rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament', 2000, Acta Veterinaria Brno.
Personality
The German Shorthaired Pointer is a gentle, loving, people-oriented dog who makes a good companion for an active family or individual who can give them the exercise, training and attention they need. They are highly attached to their owners and do not like to be left alone. They may not be reliable with small fluffy animals or unfamiliar cats although can learn to get on with their own.
Did You Know?
- The German Shorthaired Pointer was originally known as the Deutscher Kurzhariger Vorstehhund.
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