Pointing Dog - Wikipedia

Hunting dog "Pointer (dog)" redirects here. For the breed of dog also called the "Pointer", see Pointer (dog breed). "Bird dog" redirects here. For the aircraft used in firefighting, see Aerial firefighting § Leadplanes. For the Everly Brothers song, see Bird Dog (song). For the aircraft, see Cessna O-1 Bird Dog.

Pointing dogs, sometimes called bird dogs, are a type of gundog typically used in finding game.[1][2] Gundogs are traditionally divided into three classes: retrievers, flushing dogs, and pointing breeds.[3] 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.[4][5]

History

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Pointing dogs may have descended from dogs from Spain, 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.[5]

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.[6]

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 [7]. 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 [8]. 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.[7]

Appearance

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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

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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
• Braque du Bourbonnais
• Braque Dupuy (extinct)
• Braque Français (two sizes: larger type Gascogne and Braque Français and smaller type Pyrénées)
• Braque Saint-Germain
• Brittany
• 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

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• Dogs portal
• List of dog breeds
• Old Spanish Pointer, an extinct dog believed to be the first pointing breed

Citations

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1. ^ "Continental pointing dog breeds investigated". 30 March 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
2. ^ "How to Pick a Pointing Breed - Gun Dog Magazine". 26 May 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
3. ^ Parra, D.; Méndez, S.; Cañón, J.; Dunner, S. (2008). "Genetic differentiation in pointing dog breeds inferred from microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA sequence" (PDF). Animal Genetics. 39 (1): 1–7. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2052.2007.01658.x. PMID 18254732. S2CID 16719543. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-20.
4. ^ Mazover A. P. (1985). Hunting dogs. Agropromizdat. p. 239.
5. ^ a b "Gun Dog - The Evolution and Definition of Modern Dog Breeds". Project Upland. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
6. ^ "Hunt History". www.westminsterkennelclub.org. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
7. ^ "History of AKC Pointing Breed Hunting Tests". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 2025-04-28.

General bibliography

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• Fergus, Charles. Gun Dog Breeds: A Guide to Spaniels, Retrievers, and Pointing Dogs, The Lyons Press, 2002. ISBN 1-58574-618-5.

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Pointersand setters	Ariège Pointer Blue Picardy Spaniel Bracco Italiano Braque d'Auvergne Braque du Bourbonnais Braque Français Braque Saint-Germain Brittany Burgos Pointer Ca Mè Mallorquí Cesky Fousek Drentse Patrijshond English Setter French Spaniel German Longhaired Pointer German Roughhaired Pointer German Shorthaired Pointer German Wirehaired Pointer Gordon Setter Irish Red and White Setter Irish Setter Large Münsterländer Old Danish Pointer Pachón Navarro Picardy Spaniel Perdigueiro Galego Pointer Portuguese Pointer Pudelpointer Saint-Usuge Spaniel Slovakian Roughhaired Pointer Small Münsterländer Spinone Italiano Stabyhoun Vizsla Weimaraner Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Wirehaired Vizsla
Retrievers	Chesapeake Bay Retriever Curly-coated Retriever Flat-coated Retriever Golden Retriever Labrador Retriever Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
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Water dogs	American Water Spaniel Barbet Irish Water Spaniel Lagotto Romagnolo Poodle Portuguese Water Dog Spanish Water Dog Wetterhoun
Extinct breeds	Braque Dupuy English Water Spaniel Norfolk Spaniel Old Spanish Pointer Tweed Water Spaniel

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