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The
Deutsch Kurzhaar (a/k/a
"DK", "German Shorthaired Pointer",
"GSP", "German Shorthair", ) developed in the last century in Germany as a versatile hunting dog and family companion. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, the use of firearms, rather than nets, along with the need for one dog to "do it all" for middle-class European hunters, influenced the selection of dogs into the breed that Americans now call the German Shorthaired Pointer, or GSP.
It is clear that such breeds as the German Schweisshund, Spanish Pointer, foxhound, and English Pointer were
utilized to develop the DK, but the degree to which each played a role is less clear. The breed as we know it today
essentially came about in the latter part of the 19th century.
The first known German Shorthairs were imported into the U.S. in the 1920’’s by a Dr. Thornton in Montana. The
first litter of GSP's documented as born in the USA was born on July 4, 1925, and whelped by Dr. Thornton. The
breeding that produced this litter was actually accomplished in Austria. Dr. Thornton imported many more GSP's
from Europe, particularly Germany, in the years to follow. The GSP parent club was
formed in 1938, under the auspices of the American Kennel Club.
The parent club originally applied for the official breed name to be the German Shorthaired Pointer-Retriever, but the AKC refused, on grounds that a dog could not be both a pointer and a retriever. The name German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) was given to the breed, and is still used here today. In Germany, the breed name has been shortened to Deutsch Kurzhaar (German Shorthair), or sometimes just Kurzhaar (Shorthair) to avoid just this confusion. The GSP was somewhat slow to catch on in the US, but today enjoys great popularity as a breed, and is one of the largest registered members of the sporting group with the American Kennel Club.
As sometimes happens when a breed becomes popular with, and demanded by, the general public, certain unscrupulous people who do not necessarily have the best interest of the breed at heart become financially motivated to breed dogs that are less than desirable specimens or representatives of the breed. Over the years in the US, this has become a problem with the GSP. Some people today who breed GSP's are not hunters, and are not focusing on breeding better hunting dogs, as a result. There exists a serious split between "types" of GSP's in the US--"show" dogs, "field trial" dogs, "just pets/companion animals", etc. Few domestic breeders still focus on reproducing the versatile qualities that make the breed so unique.
As a result of this situation, in May of 1993, eighteen dedicated enthusiasts from all areas of the United States and
Canada welcomed Herr Claus Kiefer, President of the Deutsch Kurzhaar Verband (DKV), the German breed club, to
Michigan to meet and form the North American Deutsch Kurzhaar Club (NADKC ). Affiliated with the DKV
and the JGHV, the NADKC, whose purpose is to promote and improve the Deutsch Kurzhaar (German Shorthair) in accordance with the principles originated by the DKV, provides cooperative, trainable Deutsch Kurzhaars for the foot-hunter, developed through breeding programs as set forth by the DKV. In order to qualify for the privilege to be bred, dogs must be evaluated in temperament, conformation and be successful in hunting tests.
The club has since grown and now has almost 200 members all over the US and Canada. Club members sponsor and participate in events which are designed to evaluate all hunting qualities, temperament and conformation of the Deutsch Kurzhaar and other versatile hunting dogs; familiarize hunters with the history, use and characteristics of the Deutsch Kurzhaar; and support the efforts of other versatile hunting dog breeding and testing organizations.
Reflecting this kind of dedication, the DK breed in the US remains today as a versatile hunting dog--one dog for many purposes--and as a household companion. They make terrific family dogs with a high activity level and affectionate demeanor. They love nothing more than to please and be close to their owners. The breed typically enjoys children and are highly intelligent. They generally get along well with other dogs, but most are cat-sharp. GSP's need to use their natural hunting instincts in some form of structured activity if hunting is not a past time enjoyed or practiced by their owners.
If hunting
is your bag however, you will have the delight of owning one of the finest hunting partners you have ever had. . . The breed was originally developed to, and is still quite capable of, pointing and retrieving upland game birds and waterfowl, on land as well as in the water, hunting rabbits, hares, and other small furred game, dispatching predators such as fox or coyotes in the field, and blood tracking wounded large game such as deer, elk, or moose, as well. Additionally, in some areas, DK's and/or GSP's are still utilized to hunt boar, javelina, wild pigs, lions, and bears.
Want to know more
about the NADKC or DK's?
Please view
our newest page:
"About
the Deutsch Kurzhaar and the NADKC"
To help determine if the GSP is the right breed for you, you might consider trying this neat
Breed Selector Questionnaire
or this
Breed Compatibility Test.
Please also consider reading the following
article:
IS A GERMAN SHORTHAIRED POINTER RIGHT FOR YOU ?
If you think that the DK is the
right breed for you, but you're not
sure if a Covey Run DK is the right
dog, ask yourself if you can commit
to the following criteria:
These are the things we ask our Covey Run
DK puppy buyers to commit to:
1. Love your dog and treat him/her as a member of your family
2. Join the NADKC and/or JGV-USA and follow all its testing,
breeding, and membership regulations
3. Intend to train the dog yourself for obedience and hunting
(with the help and advice of others)
4. Raise the dog in your home. (There is no comparison
between a kennel dog and a dog that is raised as part of a family)
5. Be a responsible owner--have a proper kennel to be used for
when the dog is unattended, a crate to be used when
the dog is being transported, and provide quality food, shelter,
& medical care for your dog
6. Be willing to expose the pup to live game, to properly train
him/her, to hunt with him/her, and to take the pup to, and handle him/her
7. Be a licensed, active hunter who practices good game conservation
and follows all local and state hunting laws, rules, and regulations
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