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Shorthairs Afield
The German Shorthaired Pointer, as the name suggests, was developed in Germany -
a country of widely varying terrain, and with a long tradition of
putting game on the table. The breed's exact year of origin is a bit vague, but by all
accounts it is a relatively recent blend of hunting dogs, and was most likely
established sometime between the mid-1600s and the early 1800s.
Shorthairs are known to be one of the most versatile hunting breeds, and can be
trained to point, retrieve, trail, and even take down game. When speaking of the
German Shorthair, one author writes:
"... British dogs are artists full of initiative, French dogs are
shrewd hunters, and German dogs are the elite troops!"
-- Jean-Michel Lepeudry, in his
"Hunting Dogs from Around the World"
Though the qualities that make the GSP a versatile hunter are instinctive,
creating a field companion that will truly perform for his human hunting partners
takes careful training. The photographs below, taken during training sessions,
help illustrate some key exercises that are used to polish field-worthy GSPs.
Training time in the field also helps to enrich the relationship between dog and
master, and while usually challenging, such work is invariably joyous and rewarding
for man and beast (if not always for the birds!).
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Click images for a better view. |
Bill working with Ash on point.
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Brenda helping Briar understand
the meaning of the word "whoa." |
Rich and Briar finding a bird.
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Matt with Saga on point.
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Pictured here is a group of folks
teaching their dogs to "honor a point."
Often, dogs are hunted in pairs
(termed a "brace"), so in order
to utilize each dog's found bird
the second dog must "back" the
first dog's point (i.e. the second dog must
come to a point upon seeing that the first has
found, and is pointing, a bird). Not only
is it a courtesy to the other hunters
(both man and dog), but while shooting
over dogs it is prudent to make sure
both dogs in the field are holding still (on point!).
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Training session at McKee-Beshers.
From left to right John, Matt, Mary,
Leesy, Angela, Steve, and Bill.
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Sadie on point. Notice that her
head and tail are held high in the
desirable style, making her
more visible to the hunters,
bracemate and even a judge.
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Meet some of the dogs.
From left to right: Sadie, Saga, Ash,
and in front is Rusty the Vizsla
who lives on the lovely farm pictured here
in many of these photos.
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A "bird launcher" is an electronic training aid
that allows the trainer to contain a bird
in a known location while teaching
the dog to remain on point. Here
John is giving his assistant the signal
to remotely launch the bird while Brenda
lets Briar know to stay on point.
Click to enlarge - follow the line from Briar's
view directly to the bird launcher (bottom center).
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Again, working with Briar
and using the bird launcher.
Click on the picture to see
the pigeon, in the upper right corner,
that has just been launched.
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Bird's eye view of Saga on point.
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Here the dogs are "honoring the point"
while the bird is being shot.
Teaching your dog to "back" also
ensures that your dog won't
steal or disrupt the other dog's
work in progress.
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Steve, John, Matt and Mary.
In the background to the right
is Angela, Bill and friend.
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Saga on point.
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The pictures above only illustrate a fraction of what goes into
training a great pointing dog. Stay tuned for more pictures and captions.
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