The Brittany
For information on this breed contact the American Brittany Club, Inc. at www.akc.org/brit
The following information comes the AKC website.
The Brittany is a medium-sized, leggy, dual-purpose dog, equally suited for sport and companionship. According to AKC® Registration Statistics, it has surged in popularity in the last 50 years due to its talents as both a hunting and show dog. Originally called the Brittany Spaniel, it is now referred to simply as the Brittany, as its hunting style more closely resembles that of pointing breeds. Its dense, flat or wavy coat can be orange and white or liver and white in either clear or roan patterns.
A Look Back
The Brittany was named for the French province where it originated, but records of its development are largely lost. There is a great deal of resemblance between the Brittany and Welsh Springer Spaniel, which leads many people to believe that the two breeds share the same ancestors. It is possible that native Brittany spaniels mated with English pointing dogs around 1900, intensifying their hunting prowess in the process.
Right Breed for You?
The Pointer
For more information on this breed contact the American Pointer Club, Inc. at www.americanpointerclub.org
The following information comes from the American Kennel Club.
A hard-driving hunting dog possessing stamina, courage, and the desire to go, the Pointer is bred primarily for sport afield and definitely looks the part. He gives the impression of power and grace, with a noble carriage, an intelligent expression and a muscular body. His short coat can be liver, lemon, black, and orange; either in combination with white or solid-colored.
A Look Back
Pointers first appeared in England around 1650 and were the first breed used to stand game. Before wing-shooting with guns became popular, Pointers were often used to locate and point hares in conjunction with Greyhound coursing. The Pointer's lineage is foggy, but there is no question that it includes Foxhound, Greyhound, and Bloodhound crossed with some sort of "setting spaniel," which played an important part in the creation of all modern bird dogs.
Right Breed for You?
The German Shorthaired Pointer
For more information on this breed contact the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America at www.gspca.org or locally contact the Desert German Shorthaired Pointer Club at www.desertgspc.org
The following information is provided from the American Kennel Club site:
A versatile hunter and all-purpose gun dog, the German Shorthaired Pointer possesses keen scenting power and high intelligence. The breed is proficient with many different types of game and sport, including trailing, retrieving, and pointing pheasant, quail, grouse, waterfowl, raccoons, possum, and even deer. A medium-sized breed, he has an aristocratic bearing and can be solid liver or liver and white in color.
A Look Back
The origin of the German Shorthaired Pointer is not clear, but the source of the breed seems to have been the German Bird Dog, related to the old Spanish Pointer, and various crossings with local German scent hounds and track and trail dogs. When the Germans introduced the English Pointers to lend elegance to the German Shorthaired Pointer prototype, the result was a utility dog that combined sporting virtue with clean lines, good looks and sound temperament.
Right Breed for You?
The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
For more inormation about this breed contact the American Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Association at www.awpga.com
The following informatiion comes from the American Kennel Club.
Medium sized and bred to cover all terrain encountered by the walking hunter, the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon has been called the "4-wheel drive of hunting dogs" as he will enter briars or underbrush without hesitation. Griffs excel equally as pointers in the field and as retrievers in the water. Their coarse double coat protects them in rough cover and gives them an unkempt appearance. It can be a variety of colors, most often steel gray with brown markings.
A Look Back
Griffon-like dogs have existed throughout history, but exact origins are uncertain. The modern history of the breed, however, has been well documented. Dutchman Eduard Korthals was an avid hunter and desired a dog that could hunt over a variety of terrain, so he developed a breeding program to create a versatile new sporting breed. In less than two decades, Korthals had fixed the new breed he called the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, wrote the standard and formed a Griffon club.
Right Breed for You?
The German Wirehaired Pointer
For more information on this breed contact the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America, Inc. at www.gwpca.com
The following information is from the American Kennel Club.
When the Germans wanted a dog that could do it all, they created the German Wirehaired Pointer, a versatile, multi-purpose hunting dog. Strong and medium-sized, with a typical Pointer personality, the breed’s most distinctive feature is its functional wiry coat. Weather resistant and water-repellant, the outer coat is straight, harsh, wiry and flat lying, which helps to protect the dog against rough cover while hunting. The coat must be liver and white in color.
A Look Back
Most of the early wirehaired Pointers represented a combination of Griffon, Stichelhaar (both mixtures of Pointer, Foxhound, Pudelpointer, and Polish water dog), Pudelpointer (a cross of Poodle and Pointer) and German Shorthair. The Germans continued to breed the distinctive traits of Pointer, Foxhound, and Poodle until they had created what is today the German Wirehair, a constitutionally tough, courageous breed who points and retrieves equally well on land and in water.
Right Breed for You?