The German Longhaired Pointer (GLP) is a

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

. Developed in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, it is used as a multipurpose

gundog Gun dogs, or bird dogs, are types of hunting dogs developed to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game, usually quail, dove, or duck. Gun dogs are divided into three primary types: retrievers, flushing dogs, and pointing breeds. Types ...

. It is closely related to its cousins, the

German Shorthaired Pointer The German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) is a medium to large sized breed of pointing dog developed in the 19th century in Germany for hunting. A versatile hunting breed, being an all-purpose gun dog suitable for both land and water, they are streaml ...

(GSP), the

German Wirehaired Pointer The German Wirehaired Pointer is a medium to large-sized griffon type breed of dog developed in the 19th century in Germany for versatile hunting. It became a leading gun dog in Germany in the later part of the 20th century. It is the result of t ...

(GWP) and the Large Münsterländer, which was previously part of the breed.

Description

Appearance

The GLP should be muscular, elegant, and athletic. It should not be bulky or cumbersome, and it should be able to move with great speed and freedom. It has moderate bone, but has substance, and must never look frail or weak. Like all German pointers, they have webbed feet. Puppies in their early years must be monitored for aggression.

Coat and color

The coat is medium length, about long on the body, with the feathering somewhat longer. The coat is slightly wavy, but must not be curly. It is not silky or soft, but rather firm and shiny. It always has a double coat, with the undercoat being quite dense, but not so profuse as to make the guard hairs stand out from the body. The color is solid brown with white permitted on the chest, paws, and down the top of the muzzle, or dark brown roan, with large patches of solid brown, especially on the head, ears, back, and base of the tail.

Size

The GLP is between at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle ar ...

for males, and for females. It weighs approximately .

Gait

The strides should be long and free, with strong drive from the hindquarters, and good reach from the front.

Temperament

GLPs are a kind, gentle, friendly, and intelligent breed. They are very affectionate, and may experience

separation anxiety Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is an anxiety disorder in which an individual experiences excessive anxiety regarding separation from home and/or from people to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment (e.g., a parent, caregiver ...

. They only make good pets when properly exercised, as they need a "job" to do, and do not adapt well to a sedentary life. The GLP is an excellent family pet, as it enjoys playing with children. It is very sociable with dogs.

Care

The GLP is very trainable, and loves to work. Because of this, it needs large amounts of exercise daily, needing more than most pet owners can give. It is not well suited for urban life, as it thrives on having plentiful room to run and swim. Its ideal setting would be in a rural area, with an active owner who hunts with the dog on a regular basis. GLPs need a moderate amount of grooming about once or twice a week. They are highly intelligent, very trainable, and athletic, traits which make them suitable for many

dog sport The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

s, especially

field trial A field trial is a competitive event for gundogs. Field trials are conducted for pointing dogs and setters, retrievers and spaniels, with each assessing the different types various working traits. In the United States, field trials are also co ...

s, obedience, and

agility Agility or nimbleness is an ability to change the body's list of human positions, position quickly and requires the integration of isolated movement skills using a combination of balance (ability), balance, coordination (physiology), coordination ...

Health

Because they are quite rare in most parts of the world, GLPs are unprofitable to irresponsible breeders such as

puppy mill A puppy mill, also known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility characterized by quick breeding and poor conditions. Although no standardized legal definition for "puppy mill" exists, a definition was established in ''Avenson v. ...

s and

backyard breeder A backyard breeder is an amateur animal breeder whose breeding is considered substandard, with little or misguided effort towards ethical, selective breeding. Unlike puppy mills and other animal mill operations, backyard breeders breed on a small ...

s, and do not have any

genetic disorder A genetic disorder is a health problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. It can be caused by a mutation in a single gene (monogenic) or multiple genes (polygenic) or by a chromosomal abnormality. Although polygenic disorders ...

s prevalent in the breed. Their ears are mildly prone to infection, a problem which is easily avoided by cleaning the dog's ears on a regular basis, as well as after swimming.

History

The GLP was developed in

for use as a pointer. It was originally a rather slow dog, and was crossed with

setter The setter is a type of gundog used most often for hunting game such as quail, pheasant, and grouse. In the UK, the four setter breeds, together with the pointers, usually form a subgroup within the gundog group as they share a common fun ...

s and English Pointers in the 19th century to improve speed. It was very stubborn and temperamental, and has since been bred for a steady, friendly temperament. It was first shown in 1878 in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, at which time the first breed standard was written. Breeders then began to focus their efforts on producing dogs that performed equally well in the field and the show ring, an endeavour continued by breeders today. Function became preferred over form. As Karl Brandt, an early expert and theorist on this breed and its precursors, wrote in the ''llustrierten Jagdzeitung'' (1883) that: "At field competitions (trials), which should be part of breeding programs, the dogs will hopefully prove that they have not lost their natural hunting ability during the years when only looks dictated breeding" (''i.e,'' pre 1878.) five genealogical sires, constituting separate but parallel lines, are within the Longhair breed. Like most of the longhaired pointing breeds, the breed is descended from the point spaniel. One of the oldest of the "versatile breeds", it is but one of a few that disallow black as a color. The Large Munsterlander was developed from the GLP after it was decided that GLPs must only be brown-and-white (there were thoughts that coloration also involved some undesirable characteristics); the black-and-white strain became the ancestors of the Large Munsterlander. This breed now is a multipurpose field dog that combines: pointer, retriever (including water work), setter and tracker (of wounded game). Breeding lines have been recorded in the Foundation Stock Service since May 2010; and effective July 1, 2011 the breed is approved to compete in AKC Performance Events.

References

External links

German Longhaired Pointer
at

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German Longhaired Pointer Club
* * {{German dogs Dog breeds originating in Germany FCI breeds Gundogs Pointers Rare dog breeds