Pointer (English Pointer)

Pointer is a hunting breed originally from England. Hence it is commonly referred to as the English pointer. It is a gun dog. It is actually one of the various breeds of pointers. A pointer is a breed that is used while hunting to locate game. The dog will stop and point its muzzle at the game making it easy for shooter to aim. They are also adept at flushing and retrieving game.

The pointer breed is one of grace and elegance. It is athletic in appearance as it is in its nature. It is compact and strong and will give you the feeling of a hard and powerful hunting dog. The head the feet and the tail are its distinguishing features. The dog is a no frills one and is easy to maintain. One of the reasons for this is that it has a no fur coat, it does not need regular brushing and it does not shed.

The coat has various colours and some of the most common and standard colours are lime, liver, orange and black. The colour of the nose also varies with the coat. If the coat is light then the nose will be flesh coloured and if the coat is dark then the nose it black or brown.

They have a size of about 60 to 70 cms and weigh around 25 to 34 kilograms. They have a very balanced and proportionate body. These features make them very good looking dogs and have been used as show dogs too. They are very good pets. They have a set of characters which make them very desirable.

They are very evenly tempered and do not get aggressive. They are very comfortable in a group such as a family and love living indoors. The pointer is not a territorial dog and will coexist with other dogs and animals without any problem. They have a large and deep bark and their size can intimidate some. Hence they are very good guard dogs. They are also very good with children though smaller children may get hurt due to the dogs clumsy nature.

The pointer needs a lot of exercise. Even though they are bred as hunting dogs; just running and activities are enough to keep them fit. They love running and hence would appreciate wide open spaces. They have a penchant to become couch potatoes and they will lounge around in their owner’s chair all day if they are kept indoors. They need a secure fence so that they do not loiter around. These dogs are used to hunting quite far away from their master’s.

They have a set of features that make them excellent hunting dogs. They are very good pointers which means that they will search for the game and stop in their tracks and point in the direction of the game. These dogs are not good at retrieving but they have been trained to do the basic retrieving of killed and wounded game.