Q20: What's the difference between a "DK" and a "GSP", anyway? Aren't they the same breed?

A: Yes and no, LOL! There's no real "short" answer to this question, but here's the scoop:

The Deutsch Kurzhaar and German Shorthaired Pointer were originally the same breed. The breed was developed in the last century in Germany to be 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 most Americans now call the German Shorthaired Pointer, or GSP, and the rest of us call DK's, or Deutsch Kurzhaars .

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.

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