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German breeders thought of creating a much faster and much more versatile gundog and so the German Shorthaired Pointer was born. This dog was bred from the lines of the old Spanish Pointer, Hounds of St. Hubert, Foxhound, the English Pointer and some other hound breeds. As a result of this development, the GSP came out faster and excellent in hunting.

The GSP can practically perform all the roles of an excellent gundog. It can perform tasks of a pointer, a retriever, upland bird dog and water dog. As a good hunting companion, the GSP should manifest keen intelligence, boldness, obedience and quickness and a lack of these characteristic implicates improper training from the owner.

As additional proof of the GSP’s excellence in the hunting scene, Stanley Cohen’s The Intelligence of Dog ranked the GSP as 17th on the list. The GSP has a strong sense of hunting that is why it is a must for the owner to train this dog in identifying the right prey from the small animals that should be left alone. It is not so surprising to find a GSP that is not well-trained to come home with a dead rat, bird or cat as a trophy of its personal hunting escapades.

A lot of people around the world today still opt to use the GSP for a hunting companion because of the breed’s unfading skills in gunning and hunting. During these activities, you can expect the GSP to be reliable, hardy, quick-witted, fearless and completely tireless. A well-trained GSP should never indicate dispositions of timidity, fear, over subservience, wariness, un-trainability and most importantly, aggression.

Aside from being a commendable gundog, the GSP is also outstanding as a family pet. Around the family, this dog is loyal, devoted, obedient, sociable and protective. It loves to play with children and likes to be surrounded by humans and other kinds of dogs.

The body of the GSP is lean and streamlined and thus it is powerful and agile. Its hindquarters are utterly fitted to allow the GSP to turn around rapidly and speedily. The ears are fairly long and floppy while the muzzle is broad, long and so powerful that it can carry heavy games.

It is a must for the GSP to be docked (unless it is banned in the country) and thus its tail is only long enough to give a wag or a subtle wave. The coat is double layered and is short and flat. The inner coat is dense while the outer coat is stiff which serves as a repellant against water.

The common colors of this breed are dark brown, chocolate or chestnut (liver), black and white. Some GSPs may come in these colors solidly but generally, GSPs come in these colors but with speckles or patches of other colors such as white or liver all over their bodies. Interestingly, this color formation of the GSP allows it to camouflage against trees and bushes during winter season.