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A journey into breeding and training truly versatile German Shorthaired Pointers – proving form, function, and heart can align.
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The German Shorthaired Pointer has grown in popularity in recent years. There are many reasons for this as they are generally considered great active family dogs. With appropriate exercise, most well-bred GSPs have good “off switches” in the home. They love to be close to their family and love to go for adventures such as hiking, swimming, biking, and of course, hunting. Many love to be lap dogs and some can be known as “Velcro dogs.” They are also easy to care for. Their short coat requires minimal grooming, and their grooming supplies are as simple as a nail trimmer and a bottle of shampoo. They are intelligent; they can be trained for a variety of tasks, including Obedience and Rally, Search and Rescue, Scent Work/Drug Detection, Service Dog use, hunting, and a variety of fun sports including Dock Diving, Skijorring, Weight Pull, Fast CAT, Fit Dog, Fetch tests, and more. This makes them a great entry breed into AKC (American Kennel Club) sports because they can pretty much do it all.
Most importantly, the German Shorthaired Pointer is known as a versatile hunting dog. In times past they were known as “the poor man’s hunting dog,” not because they were a low-value dog but because they were one breed that could do it all. You didn’t need a kennel full of dogs to hunt various game if you owned a GSP. They are hunters of fur and feather. They can hunt upland birds as well as retrieve waterfowl. They can track a blood trail and chase down a rabbit. As the breed grows in popularity, the versatility of the breed becomes ever more important. These dogs are no longer kept in hunting kennels. They sit on our couches and sleep on our beds. They come with us camping, on errands, and with us to work. They can be weekend warrior hunters, but ultimately, they are excellent family pets, being great with kids and adults alike.
As in any Sporting breed, there can be a large divide between those dogs bred for show and those bred for field. There are some breeders who breed specifically for one area of competition, whether that be Conformation, Field Trials, Hunt Tests, or other Performance venues. In order for the breed to remain such a well-balanced and versatile breed, I think it is important not to focus on one particular area but to breed for that continued versatility. Afterall, form follows function. A poorly built dog will not hold up in the field. Breeding a well-built hunting dog that can’t hunt is not doing the breed any service. A show breeder may keep one or two puppies to show, but what happens to the rest of the large litter? Most end up in family hunting homes, so retaining their natural hunting ability is important. Breeding is truly an art, blending the various colors of health, temperament, conformation, hunting ability, and pedigree. Sometimes you get lucky, and you can cross two good breed examples to produce something truly excellent. Other times you may feel somewhat disappointed in the offspring not quite living up to your hopes and dreams of what you thought would be a great cross of genotype and phenotype, and that’s okay! Learn from these situations and breed for something better in the next litter.
I was fortunate in that our first GSP came to us, somewhat by accident, from a breeder who bred for that balance of health, temperament, conformation, and hunting ability. Tori came from Aus Dem Norden GSPs in North Dakota. She proved herself in the field quickly, bringing home the birds season after season for my husband who was an avid deer hunter, now learning the ropes of bird hunting. I grew up with Lhasa Apsos. My mother showed the dogs when I was young, but she had to put breeding and showing on the back burner just as I came of age to do Junior Showmanship. My exposure to the dog show world was minimal until I was in college and my mom acquired her next show dog.
Tori was my first show dog, finishing easily with me as a novice handler, and my mother assisting when I had to work. I dabbled in Obedience and Rally and earned her BN (Beginner Novice) and RE (Rally Excellent) titles with good scores. She earned her Junior Hunter (JH) title with my husband, Chris, without any formal training. She was an excellent example of the versatility of the breed. When we decided to dabble in the breeding world, she passed all of her breed-specific health tests with flying colors, and we worked with her breeder to find a suitable stud dog that complemented her conformationally and had a pedigree to match.
We subsequently chose to loosely linebreed back on the Aus Dem Norden lines. The cross worked well, producing several Champions, including my first special and heart dog—JJ took me to the next level. He had that “look at me” attitude, adequate conformation, and the charisma to make it as a Top 20 dog three separate years, all owner-handled. He won multiple Bests in Specialty Show, Owner-Handled Bests in Show, and now, multiple Bests Veteran in Show. He turned out to be an excellent hunter.
During COVID when there were no shows to go to, we had the opportunity to work with a friend on field training. We trained towards his Master Hunter, a title I never imagined I’d achieve. At that time, he was middle-aged and well set in his habits acquired through several seasons of wild bird hunting. The ability was there, but the obedience was lacking. It took many hours in the field, a lot of money spent on birds, quite a few Hunt Tests over several seasons, and a lot of lessons learned, but we eventually earned our sixth and final pass to complete the title on my birthday, a day I will always remember. This, combined with his Obedience and Rally titles, earned him the Versatility Certificate of Excellence, the highest level of honor the GSPCA (German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America) awards for versatility titles.
Tori ended up producing three beautiful litters. Many other puppies out of Tori went on to earn Grand Championships, Advanced Obedience and Rally titles, Master Hunter titles, and Versatility certificates. Tori was eventually awarded a Registry of Merit XX by the GSPCA, the highest level of recognition a producer can receive. This is largely due to the excellent competitive homes our puppies were placed into that titled and proved the versatility of her offspring. We are eternally grateful to those families, many of whom we now call great friends, and their efforts. Tori turns 14 this fall and is still in excellent physical condition. She earned her first Grand Champion points in nearly 10 years by going Select in Specialty Show from the 10+ Veteran class! She is not only an excellent example of a producer of versatility, but also of form to function leading to longevity.
The next generations are where we saw more diversity in our breeding program. These breedings were mostly outcrosses and we saw a variety of conformation, hunt-ability, and temperament changes, both positive and negative. We learned how much a stud dog can affect (or not affect) the offspring in certain areas, particularly temperament and natural hunting ability.
In 2022, we outcrossed a sister of JJ’s to a Springrun dog named Louie with no hunt titles himself, but he had good hunters in his pedigree along with National Specialty winners and many well-bred, versatile dogs. This cross improved conformation in the areas we were hoping to improve, but it also brought in some excellent natural hunting ability that was apparent even as little puppies. The pups not only had a great nose and beautiful natural point, like their maternal line, they also had a natural honor and retrieve, a great affinity for water, and overall, a more biddable and trainable dog than I had experienced in my previous litters. It is from this litter we selected our current star, Belle.
Using the experience I had gained with my previous GSPs, I was able to bring out the best in Belle. She was such a natural in the field. It was much easier to follow the training path towards her Master Hunter title because of her strong natural abilities and biddability. The sharp nose, staunch flashy point, natural honor, and natural retrieve allowed me to complete her Master Hunter title at just over two years of age. I accomplished this training while also campaigning her in the show ring. We were able to achieve the ranking of No. 4 in the country in both the Breed and All-Breed stats in 2023 and 2024. She was No. 2 Owner-Handled GSP in 2023 and No. 1 in 2024. She has won several Bests in Specialty Show, including a regional specialty show, multiple Group wins, and numerous NOHS (National Owner-Handled Series) Bests in Show.
The highlight of her competitive career so far was Memorial Day weekend 2024, and what a memorable weekend it was. I was so eager to keep her ranked, as well as complete her MH (Master Hunter) title, that I entered a local dog show and a Hunt Test on the same weekend. I was running from ring to hunt field, and back to the ring again. Belle won back-to-back Group Firsts and earned her final Master Hunter pass that weekend, making her one of the first Top 5 GSPs to hold an MH title! Belle has continued to help me achieve goals and reach dreams, and I couldn’t be more proud. We are so excited to continue to present her to the fancy, work toward more titles on the front and back of her name, hunt her in the fields and woods for pheasant and grouse, and move forward with the next generation. Belle whelped a beautiful litter of nine this spring and bounced back well enough to win a specialty just seven weeks post-whelp! She’s working her way back up in the rankings after taking four months off and we are so excited to present her pick puppies when they come of age.
The stories of Tori, JJ, and Belle are meant to demonstrate the growth of a small, new breeding program focused on versatility. We are just one of many programs dedicated to the truly versatile GSP. We’ve been offered wonderful opportunities, from starting with a well-bred, versatile dog to good mentorship, coaching, and the good graces of the judges. I am not a hunter, but I think it is imperative to continue to breed for that truly versatile hunting dog. No single area is significantly more important than another.
My husband and I have made a good team to prove our dogs in multiple venues. I primarily do the puppy raising, training, and showing, proving the dogs in multiple venues, and placing the puppies in good homes. I am a veterinarian and have checked every box in the health testing department. He is the hunter, the gunsman, and the one who does the real work with the dogs in the field. I love hearing stories at the end of his hunting days about how the dogs did. Stories of finding coveys of birds, good and bad shots, long distance blind retrieves, natural honors, and filling the limits.
Last winter, Tori, at 13 years of age, traveled with Chris down to Kansas and hunted late-season birds, with more skill and durability than dogs a fraction of her age. To be able to hunt with a skilled, sound dog over 13 seasons is truly remarkable. It all comes back to form leading to function. Correct structure leads to soundness. Natural ability leads to a good bird dog. Stable temperament leads to good family dogs, performance dogs, and show dogs. Every once in a while, with your dedication to studying the breed, the sports, the pedigrees, and making careful selections to keep the program moving forward, you get lucky and produce something exceptional. For me, Belle is that dog.
There are always areas to improve, new goals to make and meet, and we will keep moving forward in the years and generations to come. If you are reading this, I hope you find encouragement to reach for the stars, set goals, and find help and mentorship in the areas you wish to grow, and I believe you can accomplish your dreams. We never expected to be putting Best in Specialty Show titles, Master Hunter titles, and numerous Obedience titles on our dogs when we started out with our first GSP just over 13 years ago, but little successes lead to bigger hopes and dreams, and higher goals to strive for. And we are proud of where our dogs have taken us and where our program is going. May we all strive to be better artists in the art of breeding these truly versatile hunting dogs.
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