Pointer

Description:
This dog is first and foremost a very alert and resistant hunter. Its powerful body is compact and elegant looking. The head of a pointer has a noble and proud look to it. The skull has a medium width, and is approximately as long as the muzzle, with a slight wrinkle in between the eyes; the cheeks should look cleanly chiseled. The muzzle is long and the lips should not hang. The ears should hang naturally and reach right under the inferior jaw with or without a little of a fold. The eyes should look round; the neck is long and slightly arched; the shoulders area long, thin and inclined. The elbows should be low; the chest should look longer than it is in width. The back of this dog is solid and slightly ascends from the hindquarters to the wichers. The stomach should be retracted but not exaggeratedly. The tail has a moderate length and is thicker at the base and narrows gradually at the end and is carried at the level of the dog's back, and should not curve upwards. When the dog is in action, its tail should move from side to side. The front legs should look powerful to give it enough thrust when it runs. The height of a male pointer is around sixty-three to sixty nine centimeters and around sixty-one to sixty six centimeters in the case of the females. The weight of a male is around twenty-seven to thirty seven kilograms and a female should weigh around five kilograms less.

Ideal owner:
For all of those hunting enthusiasts this dog is a favorite. The pointer is not as popular as a companion dog, however don't get it wrong, it is perfectly able to live a house life. This dog has a lot of talent on the field and usually hunting enthusiasts use them for this job. Pointers are really great with children and are even tolerant with babies. Exercise and a gated garden are vital for this active work dog.

Growth:
The Pointer usually has medium size to large litters. The weight of a newborn puppy varies from 280 to 500 grams. Usually the pure breeds are a little smaller and are made this way than those that are used as show dogs. However a pointer should grows in a regular way and should weigh around two kilograms when it is around three weeks of age. It might be necessary to feed a puppy a supplementary diet if it is not growing appropriately or too slowly. The color of the coat varies a lot at birth; those that are born with lime colored coats are usually born completely white, while there are others that are born with big spots that can change as they grow. Speckles are not evident until the puppy is around three weeks old. If you are looking into getting one of these dogs make sure to go after the one that looks extroverted, vibrant, obedient and has a good body build. If you are interested in getting one that will serve as a good show dog make sure to get one that has dark eyes, smooth colored ears that do not look like a hound's, and that has a good body structure of course.

General health:
The pointer has proven to be a very easy dog to take care of and a big advantage is that it does not have very many hereditary problems. The most important thing to take care of with this breed is that it gets trained and adequately socialized. This dog has a lot of energy and likes to work hard, as it was originally created to work long days on the field. The care it requires is minimal, however it can have some skin problems, which is why it is important to brush its coat regularly. Hip dysphasia is the breeders biggest concern and a rare disease called neurotropic osteopathy that has been documented in this breed; the symptoms of auto lesions usually show up between three and nine months of age and is caused by a degeneration of the spinal cord. Entropion, progressive retina atrophy, and umbilical hernias are not frequent but do occur.