THE HALLMARKS OF THE GERMAN SHORTHAIRED POINTER
FROM A BREEDER’S PERSPECTIVE: 2a) What should judges be rewarding in the show ring? • A MEDIUM-sized, balanced dog that moves smoothly with balanced reach and drive. Although not a “head breed,” the proportion and strength of the head is very important for function. Tight, compact, round feet. • Judges should be focusing on sound structure and a bal- anced, typey silhouette—first and foremost, the whole picture; proved by a ground-covering fluid trot. • Sound, solid movement, solid temperament, and correct structure that includes proper angles and strong, solid toplines. Proper front and rear angles. Regal in appearance. • Judges should be rewarding dogs that are sturdily built to do a full day’s hunting; those with the balance and symmetry to move effortlessly. This comes from an evenly-matched sloping front and well-turned rear, with a strong back to support both. Also, rib spring and rib depth are needed for endurance. 2b) What are the judges missing when judging this breed? • Besides the need for correct angulation, forechest, depth of chest, and movement, judges are missing that the best dog might be the one that DOES NOT look like all the others in color, size, and/or shape. Inferior dogs might be in the majority at a show, but rewarding them in favor of “consis- tency in judging” is not in the best interest of the breed. • There are nuances of each of the breeds that are specific to each. They are not interchangeable, with just a different coat color. Also, they are missing the round eyes, poor condition- ing, slab-sidedness and [incorrect] type. Type in a GSP is
dramatically different from an (English) Pointer, Vizsla or Weimaraner. • MEDIUM SIZE, proper balanced movement, correct head type with strong UNDERJAW, compact tight feet. Too many mediocre, generic dogs instead of aristocratic. • An aristocratic, balanced-moving dog with a beautiful head (including a correct underjaw) and tight, compact, round/ spoon feet. • Too many judges are rewarding extreme side gait; over- reaching fronts due to over-angulated rears. Dogs that are long and low. They misunderstand “with a short back, standing over plenty of ground.” Please reward bitches that are the correct size of 21 to 23 inches. • Proper shoulder layback with good length of upper arm, which allows for reach. A flashy mover may not be as correct as an easy-going, efficient mover that would function well in the field. A dog with a longer back may be flashy in side gait, but is not clean on the down and back. • Many judges IMO are willing to put up dogs above standard height, which is to be severely faulted. We are also witness- ing ponderous dogs being awarded that could never hold up long-term in the field. Many also judge more on the stack than on movement. While hunting, GSPs are expected to hold a point for long periods of time; however, the majority of their time in the field is [spent] moving. An oversized, unbalanced dog has a much harder time of being able to hunt all day long, let alone for most of its life. • Dogs/bitches a lot longer than tall. When this was added to the standard in 1992, dogs/bitches were measured, and
284 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, SPRING EDITION
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