Pointing dogs, sometimes called bird dogs, are a
type of
gundog typically used in finding
game
A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art ...
. Gundogs are traditionally divided into three classes:
retrievers,
flushing dogs, and pointing breeds. The name ''pointer'' comes from the dog's instinct to ''point'', by stopping and aiming its muzzle towards game. This demonstrates to the hunter the location of their quarry and allows them to move into gun range. Pointers were
selectively bred from dogs who had abundant pointing and backing instinct. They typically start to acquire their hunting instincts at about 2 months of age.
History
Pointing dogs may have descended from dogs from
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, specifically of the
Old Spanish Pointer (Furgus, 2002). Pointing dogs were originally used by hunters who netted the game. The dog would freeze or set (as in
Setter) and allow the hunter to throw the net over the game before it flushed. Flushing dogs, on the other hand, were often used by
falconers to flush game for the raptors. Most continental European pointing breeds are classified as ''versatile gun dog'' breeds or sometimes ''HPR breeds'' (for hunt, point, and retrieve). The distinction is made because versatile breeds were developed to find and point game as all pointing breeds, but were also bred to perform other hunting tasks as well. This distinction likely arose because while the British developed breeds which specialized in tasks such as pointing, flushing, and retrieving from land or water, in Continental Europe, the same dog was trained to be able to perform each of these tasks (albeit less effectively). The
North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association defines versatility as "the dog that is bred and trained to dependably hunt and point game, to retrieve on both land and water, and to track wounded game on both land and water." As an example,
German Shorthaired Pointers are often used to retrieve birds, i.e.
duck hunting, whereas calling upon a Pointer to do the same would be less common. Unlike the pure pointing and setting breeds, many versatile dogs were bred for working in dense cover, and traditionally have
docked tails.
The Westminster Kennel Club was organized in the early 1870s, and the club's early English import, "Sensation", is still used as the club logo.
The American Kennel Club was founded in 1884, and Pointers were among the first breeds registered with both the AKC and the Westminster Kennel Club
Over the years, the AKC has recognized many of the pointer breeds like the German Shorthaired Pointer in 1930 and the German Wirehaired Pointer in 1959
The AKC also developed training and testing programs for pointer breeds; these programs offer opportunities for both the dogs and the handlers to exhibit their skills. These tests for Pointers began in 1986, and the AKC Gun Dog Championships started up in 1993 - these Championships include Pointers along with other retrieving and non-retrieving dog breeds.
Appearance
Pointing dogs come in all varieties of coats, from short-haired dogs, to wire-haired dogs, to silky-coated Setters. Most breeds tend to have some sort of spots on their body, whether the spots are small and round, or a large oval shape.
Breeds
Pointers (and setters) include the following breeds:
*
English Setter
*
Gordon Setter
*
Irish Red and White Setter
*
Irish Setter
*
Pointer
The following breeds are also considered versatile hunting dogs:
*
Ariège Pointer
*
Bracco Italiano
*
Braque d'Auvergne
The Braque d'Auvergne is a breed of dog originating in the mountain area of Cantal, in the historic Auvergne province in the mid-south of France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Ov ...
*
Braque du Bourbonnais
*
Braque Dupuy (
extinct
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
)
*
Braque Français (two sizes: larger type Gascogne and Braque Français and smaller type Pyrénées)
*
Braque Saint-Germain
*
Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
*
Burgos Pointer
*
Český Fousek
*
French Spaniel
*
German Longhaired Pointer
*
German Roughhaired Pointer
*
German Shorthaired Pointer
*
German Wirehaired Pointer
*
Large Münsterländer
*
Labrador Retriever
*
Old Danish Pointer
*
Pachón Navarro
*
Perdigueiro Galego
*
Portuguese Pointer
*
Pudelpointer
*
Slovak Rough-haired Pointer
*
Small Münsterländer
*
Spinone Italiano
*
Stabyhoun
*
Vizsla
*
Weimaraner
*
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
*
Wirehaired Vizsla
See also
*
*
List of dog breeds
*
Old Spanish Pointer, an extinct dog believed to be the first pointing breed
Citations
General bibliography
* Fergus, Charles. ''Gun Dog Breeds: A Guide to Spaniels, Retrievers, and Pointing Dogs'', The Lyons Press, 2002. .
{{Authority control
*
Hunting dogs