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German Shorthaired Pointer

The breeds · gun dog · versatile

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 119

German Shorthaired Pointer.

Versatile hunter, an all-purpose gun dog capable of high performance in field and water: points, retrieves on land and water, tracks.

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.

13.4YRMedian lifespan13.3 to 13.6, measured on real dogs.
24 / 22INHeightdogs 24, bitches 22. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
45–70LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 62.5 lb (55 to 70); breed bitches 52.5 lb (45 to 60).
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day. 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 24 in (23 to 25) · bitches 22 in (21 to 23)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2023

FCI 119: bitches 58 to 63 cm (22.8 to 24.8 in).

Weight

dogs 62.5 lb (55 to 70) · bitches 52.5 lb (45 to 60)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2023

Center is the midpoint of the standard's range.

Coat

Short and thick, tough to the hand; somewhat longer under the tail and back edges of the haunches; softer, thinner and shorter on ears and head; long body hair severely penalized

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2023

FCI 119: short and dense, rough and hard to the touch.

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

4 of 5 · 4 of 5: short, dense, hard coat

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2023

Derived from the standard's coat description (short dense = 4). The GSP Foundation lists heat injury in working dogs among its breed health resources; a short coat does not exempt a hard-running dog.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

13.4 years (13.3 to 13.6)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Row printed as 'German Shorthaired Pointer'. Teng et al. 2022 (VetCompass life tables) covers 18 breeds and does not include the GSP, so no life_expectancy_yr partner is shown.

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

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped (more than 2 hours = 150). GSPCA says 'daily exercise', ideally at least a half hour AM and PM of running or play in a secure area.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

5 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

2 of 5 · Once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC grooming band 'Once a week' = 2 on the 1 to 5 scale. GSPCA: maintenance minimal compared to many breeds, but the breed sheds noticeably.

Grooming

Once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

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

Role

Versatile hunter, an all-purpose gun dog capable of high performance in field and water: points, retrieves on land and water, tracks

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2023

AKC standard General Appearance. FCI 119 utilization: 'Versatile hunting dog'. NAVHDA defines the versatile dog as one bred to hunt and point game, retrieve on land and water, and track wounded game.

Primary game

Upland birds (pheasant, grouse)

EditorialGewirtz EW. German Shorthaired Pointer History: Hunting Across Varied Terrain. AKC Expert Advice, 2024

AKC history article lists pheasant, grouse, rabbit, fox, deer, wolves and wild boar as the breed's original quarry. Single editorial source for the 'primary' ranking; the registry standards name no species.

Also used on

Retrieving on land and water (GSPCA water tests use duck at the advanced levels); fur (rabbit, fox); tracking wounded game

EditorialGewirtz EW. German Shorthaired Pointer History: Hunting Across Varied Terrain. AKC Expert Advice, 2024

AKC history article ('retrieving it on land or water or tracking wounded game'; quarry list includes rabbit, fox, deer); the article does not use the word waterfowl. GSPCA water tests use chukar, quail, pigeon and usually duck at the advanced levels. Single editorial source plus club test program.

Range

Medium: a versatile dog that hunts for the gun and is judged on cooperation and search within the handler's reach

Breed clubNorth American Versatile Hunting Dog Association

No published range figure; characterization rests on the NAVHDA search and cooperation standards. Fewer than three sources behind this value.

Field trial standard

NAVHDA: Natural Ability (to 16 months: nose, search, pointing, desire, cooperation, tracking, water entry, gun shyness), Gun Dog Test (formerly Utility Preparatory) and Utility (field search, pointing, steadiness, retrieve of shot bird and dragged game, duck search and water retrieves, obedience); dogs are judged against a standard by three judges and prized I, II or III, not placed against each other

Breed clubNorth American Versatile Hunting Dog Association

GSPCA also runs AKC pointing-breed field trials and hunt tests and its own water tests (NRD/RD/RDX).

Water work

Water work is part of the breed's definition: GSPCA water tests (Novice Retrieving Dog, Retrieving Dog, Retrieving Dog Excellent) require a swimming retrieve of a dispatched bird to hand, judged pass/fail; NAVHDA Utility includes a duck search

Breed clubGerman Shorthaired Pointer Club of America

Cold water

3 of 5 · 3 of 5: short dense coat with little undercoat; bred for water work but not a late-season water specialist

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2023

Derived from coat plus the breed's water work (AKC standard: 'high performance in field and water'; GSPCA water tests). Fewer than three sources behind this single derived value.

How common the problems are

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

Hip dysplasia

3.7% · 3.7% dysplastic of 23,655 OFA hip evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026); 95.9% normal (28.9% excellent, 60.7% good, 6.3% fair); 2.5% mild, 1.0% moderate, 0.2% severe; OFA rank 196

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's public statistics; evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock and owners may withhold poor results (Hou et al. 2013 document this reporting bias; their Table S1 counts 11,818 public GSP hip records 1974 to 2009 and the paper names the GSP among breeds with steady genetic improvement in hips). Registry figure, not a population prevalence.

Elbow dysplasia

1.4% · 1.4% abnormal of 7,824 OFA elbow evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026; 1.2% grade I, 0.2% grade II, 0.0% grade III); 98.5% normal; OFA rank 134

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Same registry skew as hips. Hou et al. 2013 Table S1: 1,192 public GSP elbow records 1974 to 2009.

Most common disorders

UK owner survey (n = 362 living GSPs; 33.7% with at least one reported condition): lipoma 10.8%, skin cyst 5.8%, arthritis 2.8%, skin lump 1.7%, spondylosis 1.4% (significantly above the all-breed 0.26%), epilepsy 1.4%

StudiedWiles BM, 2017

Wiles et al. 2017 Additional file 4 and Discussion. Owner-reported, non-random sample. The GSP Foundation separately lists hemangiosarcoma, hip and elbow dysplasia, cone degeneration, cardiac disease, degenerative myelopathy, epilepsy, paroxysmal dyskinesia and NCL as breed health concerns; OFA thyroid: 8.0% equivocal plus 2.3% autoimmune or idiopathic of 947 evaluations; OFA eyes: 3.6% abnormal of 5,913.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 5; Mental Stimulation Needs 5; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 4; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 4; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

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.

No KENAI kennel lists the German Shorthaired Pointer 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.

Side by side

Or let the selector rank the German Shorthaired Pointer against your own answers.

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. 11 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
GSP, Shorthair

Every breed, read the same way.

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