The Pointer should be athletic and graceful. The immediate impression should be of a compact, hard-driving hunting dog, alert and "ready to go." The primary distinguishing features of this breed are the head, feet, and tail. Hound or terrier characteristics are undesirable for show purposes.
Coat and colour
The standard colourings of the Pointer are liver, lemon, orange or black. These can be solid colours, or a combination of white with speckles (properly referred to as "ticking") and/or larger colored patches. Here are Pointer colors as described in the AKC breed standard: "Liver, lemon, black, orange; either in combination with white or solid-colored. A good Pointer cannot be a bad color. In the darker colors, the nose should be black or brown; in the lighter shades it may be lighter or flesh-colored."
Size
Most country's breed standards prefer symmetry and balance to perfect size, and most will allow an amount of variation if the dogs' size does not encumber the dog in the field. The approximate measurements are as follows:
Pointers excel at finding upland birds in heavy cover.
Pointers are fairly genetically sound as a breed. Some problems that can occur in the breed include hip dysplasia, cherry eye, epilepsy, and allergies.
Skill
The Pointer should be athletic and graceful. The immediate impression should be of a compact, hard-driving hunting dog, alert and "ready to go." The primary distinguishing features of this breed are the head, feet, and tail. Hound or terrier characteristics are undesirable for show purposes.
Coat and colour
The standard colourings of the Pointer are liver, lemon, orange or black. These can be solid colours, or a combination of white with speckles (properly referred to as "ticking") and/or larger colored patches. Here are Pointer colors as described in the AKC breed standard: "Liver, lemon, black, orange; either in combination with white or solid-colored. A good Pointer cannot be a bad color. In the darker colors, the nose should be black or brown; in the lighter shades it may be lighter or flesh-colored."
Size
Most country's breed standards prefer symmetry and balance to perfect size, and most will allow an amount of variation if the dogs' size does not encumber the dog in the field. The approximate measurements are as follows:
Pointers excel at finding upland birds in heavy cover.
Pointers are fairly genetically sound as a breed. Some problems that can occur in the breed include hip dysplasia, cherry eye, epilepsy, and allergies. These problems are rare however and most dogs live very happy healthy lives.
Skills
The pointer is employed to find upland game. In performing his task as a hunters' aid, there are some skills that may be expected when hunting with pointers.
Point The dog should find and point out the location of birds.
Honor Honoring is defined as when a dog stops immediately or within a few steps, usually in a pointing stance, upon observing a bracemate on point. Also commonly referred to as "backing."
Retrieve Pointers are not expected to be natural retrievers, but are often trained and expected to find dead or wounded game.
