The breeds · gun dog · versatile

UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 117

Deutsch Langhaar.

Versatile working gundog that 'needs to have the required abilities for all work in field, water and forest and for working well before and after the shot' (FCI 117 utilization clause); required by the club to point strongly, show passion in the water, hunt loud on furred game, be tough on predators, track wounded game reliably and retrieve all game.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

25 / 24INHeightdogs 25.4, bitches 24.2. An ideal from the standard, not a range.

66–66LBWeight, all linesbreed 66 lb.

2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day (RKC band for the German Longhaired Pointer, the UK name for FCI 117). The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 25.4 in (23.6 to 27.6) · bitches 24.2 in (22.8 to 26)

Breed clubFCI-Standard No. 117, 2014

Center is the midpoint of the FCI ideal band (61.5 cm). DL-GNA states it as 23.5 to 25 inches.

Weight

66 lb

Breed clubFCI-Standard No. 117, 2014

FCI 117 'Weight: Average: 30 kgs'. DL-GNA: 'The average weight of the breed is 65lbs.' No range is published, so low and high are left blank.

Coat

'The greatest importance is attached to correct coat': neither excessively long nor too short; 3 to 5 cm on back and sides, close fitting, sleek, firm, smooth or slightly wavy, dense with good undercoat; may be longer on the underside of the neck, chest and belly; ears wavy and feathered; feathering on the back of the forelegs and breeches on the hindlegs, significantly shorter below the hock; too much feathering not desired. Colours (FCI 117): self-coloured brown; brown with white or speckled markings; dark roan; pale roan; mottled; brown and white; fawn markings may occasionally occur as a throw-back to the hounds

Breed clubFCI-Standard No. 117, 2014

DL-GNA: 'The coat is of medium length and tight-fitting.' DL-GNA lists the seven colours under their German names: Braun, Braun/Weisser Brustfleck, Braun-Weiss, Braunschimmel (brown roan), Dunkelschimmel (dark roan), Hellschimmel (light roan), Forellenschimmel (flecked roan). A beard, bushy eyebrows or a curly coat are listed faults. RKC coat length: medium.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · 3 of 5: medium-length (3 to 5 cm) close-fitting coat with good undercoat and feathering

DerivedFCI-Standard No. 117, 2014

Derived from the FCI coat description (medium double = 3).

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day (RKC band for the German Longhaired Pointer, the UK name for FCI 117)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

SHARED FCI-117 FIGURE. The UK Kennel Club's German Longhaired Pointer is the FCI standard 117 breed, which FCI titles 'Deutsch Langhaar'; DLV-registered dogs are not separately identifiable in the UK registry. Best available band for the FCI-117 population, not a DLV-specific one. RKC calls it 'the least numerous of the German pointing breeds' in the UK. This is a UK figure for the shared FCI 117 standard population registered as 'German Longhaired Pointer', not a figure for the German-registry dogs.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Shared FCI-117 band (RKC lists the breed as German Longhaired Pointer). This is a UK figure for the shared FCI 117 standard population registered as 'German Longhaired Pointer', not a figure for the German-registry dogs.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC band for the German Longhaired Pointer, the UK name for FCI 117)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Shared FCI-117 band; 'More than once a week' = 3 on the 1 to 5 scale. This is a UK figure for the shared FCI 117 standard population registered as 'German Longhaired Pointer', not a figure for the German-registry dogs.

Grooming

More than once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Shared FCI-117 band. This is a UK figure for the shared FCI 117 standard population registered as 'German Longhaired Pointer', not a figure for the German-registry dogs.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Breed clubFCI-Standard No. 117, 2014

The quoted sentence is FCI 117's utilization clause; the task list is DL-GNA's (dl_about_breed). The DLV mission as quoted by the club: a dog 'suitable for work in the field, water, and forest, with special emphasis on the work after the shot for the recovery of dead or wounded game'. FCI 117 classes the breed as Spaniel type (Section 1.2), not Braque type, and describes its bloodlines as bird-, hawk- and water dog plus Bracken (scenthound).

Primary game

Upland birds and waterfowl, with furred game (rabbit, fox, raccoon) and wounded-game tracking as required breeding subjects rather than sidelines; a 'forester's dog' in the club's history

Breed clubDeutsch Langhaar-Gruppe Nordamerika (DL-GNA)

Read from the JGHV test content the club requires (VJP tracking, HZP live duck search and feathered and furred retrieves) and the laut requirement witnessed on rabbit, fox or raccoon. The DLV system does not name a single primary species; 'primary' here is KENAI's reading of what the breeding gate weights.

Also used on

Furred predators (raccoon, fox, badger, coyote: the hardness evaluation must be on a furred predator in a natural hunting situation); tracking and recovery of wounded big game (VGP forest work)

Breed clubDeutsch Langhaar-Gruppe Nordamerika (DL-GNA)

dl_certify and dl_tests.

Range

Medium: bred as 'cooperative, trainable dogs for the on-foot hunter' and judged on cooperation and search, not distance

Breed clubDeutsch Langhaar-Gruppe Nordamerika (DL-GNA)

No published range figure; characterization rests on the DL-GNA mission statement and the JGHV cooperation subject. Fewer than three sources behind this value.

Field trial standard

JGHV tests, each dog judged against a standard: VJP (spring, young dogs: tracking, use of nose, search, pointing, cooperation, plus eyes, teeth, body and gunfire stability; at least 'sufficient', 3 points, in every subject to count for breeding), HZP (fall: the VJP subjects plus desire to work, live duck search, blind water retrieve, feathered retrieve, furred game drag, manner of retrieve, obedience; at least 3 points in every subject and not gun-shy), VGP (two-day utility test of the finished gun dog in forest, water, field and obedience). Breeding certification requires a passed VJP and HZP (or VGP) in the dog's breed year, laut on furred game witnessed by two JGHV judges, a breed show rating of at least 'Good' in type, conformation and coat, full dentition with a scissor or level bite, DLV hip certification, a hardness evaluation (HN) and sound temperament

Breed clubDeutsch Langhaar-Gruppe Nordamerika (DL-GNA)

dl_certify and dl_tests. The breed year runs 1 October to 30 September; a dog must run its breed tests the year after its birth year. This is what makes the Langhaar its own row: the test system is a breeding gate, not an optional title. JGHV tests are also the VDD and DKV system; the DL-GNA additionally requires laut and the HN.

Water work

Mandatory: the HZP water work (gunfire stability on water, marked and blind duck retrieves, live duck search) must be passed with at least 'sufficient' in each subject before a dog can be certified for breeding; the club requires the breed to 'show passion in the water'

Breed clubDeutsch Langhaar-Gruppe Nordamerika (DL-GNA)

dl_certify, dl_tests and dl_about_breed.

Cold water

4 of 5 · 4 of 5: dense medium coat with good undercoat and a well coated belly; the standard asks for 'all work in field, water and forest', the breed is required to 'show passion in the water', and no dog is certified for breeding without passing the HZP water work (live duck search, blind water retrieve)

DerivedFCI-Standard No. 117, 2014

Derived from coat (fci_117) plus the DL-GNA breeding requirements (dl_certify) and breed description (dl_about_breed).

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Most common disorders

Hereditary concerns the DLV and DL-GNA breed against: hip dysplasia (only A, B or C hips may be certified, C only with special approval), juvenile cataracts (a DLV study is under way; all breeding dogs under six need an eye exam on file from the last 24 months and at least one of the pair must be cataract-free), epilepsy, osteochondrosis (OCD), elbow dysplasia, testicular defects, eyelid defects (ectropion, entropion), missing teeth and bite faults, and temperament faults (nervous, fearful, aggressive, gun-shy)

Breed clubDeutsch Langhaar-Gruppe Nordamerika (DL-GNA)

No prevalence figures are published on the pages opened; this is the club's certification and exclusion list, not a disorder ranking. The juvenile cataract item is flagged 'NEW' on the DL-GNA page. No VetCompass or UK survey table exists under the Langhaar name. Fewer than three independent sources behind this value.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

DE / DL-GNABreed show rating of at least 'Good' in type, conformation and coat; full dentition (3 molars + 3 premolars each side upper, 3 molars + 4 premolars each side lower) with a scissor or level biteDLV breed show per FCI 117 · Deutsch Langhaar-Gruppe Nordamerika (DL-GNA), Requirements for Breeding Certification (performance tests VJP and HZP or VGP, laut, teeth and bite, breed show, hip dysplasia evaluation by the DLV, juvenile cataract screening, hardness evaluation, temperament)
DE / DL-GNAPassed VJP and HZP (or VGP) with at least 'sufficient' in every subject and not gun-shy; laut on furred game witnessed by two JGHV judges; hardness evaluation (HN) on a furred predator; no nervous, fearful or aggressive temperamentJGHV / DLV · Deutsch Langhaar-Gruppe Nordamerika (DL-GNA), Requirements for Breeding Certification (performance tests VJP and HZP or VGP, laut, teeth and bite, breed show, hip dysplasia evaluation by the DLV, juvenile cataract screening, hardness evaluation, temperament)
DE / DL-GNAElbow and shoulder (OCD) X-rays strongly recommended, evaluated with the hips; not required at this timeDLV · Deutsch Langhaar-Gruppe Nordamerika (DL-GNA), Requirements for Breeding Certification (performance tests VJP and HZP or VGP, laut, teeth and bite, breed show, hip dysplasia evaluation by the DLV, juvenile cataract screening, hardness evaluation, temperament)
DE / DL-GNAJuvenile cataract screening: eye exam on file from the last 24 months for every breeding dog under six, at least one of the pair cataract-free (DLV study)DLV / DL-GNA Eye Exam Coordinator · Deutsch Langhaar-Gruppe Nordamerika (DL-GNA), Requirements for Breeding Certification (performance tests VJP and HZP or VGP, laut, teeth and bite, breed show, hip dysplasia evaluation by the DLV, juvenile cataract screening, hardness evaluation, temperament)
DE / DL-GNAHip dysplasia evaluation after 12 months of age, read by the DLV's veterinarian in Germany (OFA and PennHIP do not count); only A, B or C hips can be certified for breeding, C-rated breedings need special approvalDLV / FCI HD scheme per the DLV breeding regulations as applied by DL-GNA · Deutsch Langhaar-Gruppe Nordamerika (DL-GNA), Requirements for Breeding Certification (performance tests VJP and HZP or VGP, laut, teeth and bite, breed show, hip dysplasia evaluation by the DLV, juvenile cataract screening, hardness evaluation, temperament)

UKEye testing (UK registry, under the breed name German Longhaired Pointer) (UK scheme for the shared FCI 117 standard population, not a registry requirement for these dogs)BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: German Longhaired Pointer (the UK registry's name for the FCI-117 breed; exercise band, grooming band, coat length, Breed Health schemes)
UKHip scoring (UK registry, under the breed name German Longhaired Pointer) (UK scheme for the shared FCI 117 standard population, not a registry requirement for these dogs)BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: German Longhaired Pointer (the UK registry's name for the FCI-117 breed; exercise band, grooming band, coat length, Breed Health schemes)

No KENAI kennel lists the Deutsch Langhaar yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 4 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called: DL, Langhaar

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