Pointer: History

Pointer Profile

history

Pointer was a term used to describe any breed of hunting dog that pointed at the game it was hunting. They are believed to have originated in Spain, although, like most breeds, their history is somewhat murky. Pointing-type dogs are said to have been known in England as early as 1650, but it's also thought that English officers brought Spanish Pointers back from the Netherlands--which was then under Spanish control--in 1713 after participating in the War of the Spanish Succession. The Spanish Pointers were larger, heavier, slower dogs than the Pointer we know today, but their strong point--so to speak--was their pointing instinct, and they were used to strengthen that feature in the British dogs. The modern Pointer's appearance was developed in England, probably through crosses with the Foxhound, Greyhound, Bloodhound, and later, various setters.

Hunters hoped to breed in the scenting ability and constitution of the Bloodhound, the speed, elegance, and grace of the Greyhound, and the scenting ability, easy maintenance, well-developed rib cage and endurance of the Foxhound. Later, they crossed Pointers with various types of setters to improve the temperament, which at the time was described as ferocious. Clearly they were successful! In the end, they created an ideal hunting dog who became a favorite of many of the aristocrats in England. Two of the most famous British Pointers were Pluto and Juno, owned by a Colonel Thornton, who were said to have held a point on a covey of partridges for a little more than an hour. They bring to mind the old joke of a hunter who lost his Pointer on the moors. He found the dog a year later--as a skeleton pointing the skeleton of a bird.

It's highly likely that the Pointer made his way to America with early colonists, but his presence isn't really documented until the Civil War era. Sensation, a handsome lemon and white Pointer imported in 1876 from England, is the emblem of the Westminster Kennel Club, which was founded in 1877. If you've ever been fortunate enough to attend the Westminster Kennel Club show, you've seen Sensation's silhouette on the cover of the catalog.

The AKC recognized the Pointer in 1879 and the American Pointer Club was founded in 1938. Today, the Pointer is a handsome but uncommon dog, ranking 103rd among the breeds registered by the American Kennel Club.

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topics	replies	views	last post
Pointers anyone??? I am mom to an almost 2 year old English Pointer/German Shorthaired Pointer mix. Just wanted to know if anyone else had a pointer and LOVED him/her as much as I love Duke!	0	170	Nov 3, 2008 6:51am by Z view

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