The breeds · side by side
for a first pointing dog
Brittany or German Shorthaired Pointer.
The two pointing breeds most first-time handlers end up choosing between. Size, how forgiving the dog is of a new handler, range, and whether water work is part of the plan.
Every value below shows its source and how sure we are. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog. Nothing here is a prediction about one dog.
What the question turns on
Height at the shoulder
19 in (17.5 to 20.5)
dogs 24 in (23 to 25) · bitches 22 in (21 to 23)
Range
Close to medium: 'without the great range' of a pointer; 'with his shorter range, is becoming more popular as hunting becomes limited to smaller fields with more fences.' AKC Gun Dog stakes require 'a range suitable for a handler on foot'; All-Age stakes ask the dog to 'range well out'.
Medium: a versatile dog that hunts for the gun and is judged on cooperation and search within the handler's reach
Exercise need
More than 2 hours per day
More than 2 hours per day
Water work
'He retrieves both on land and in water.' AKC pointing-breed field trials have no water series; NAVHDA tests (the breed is recognized) include 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
The rest, read the same way
Weight
35 lb (30 to 40)
dogs 62.5 lb (55 to 70) · bitches 52.5 lb (45 to 60)
Coat
Dense, flat or wavy, never curly; neither wiry nor silky. Some feathering on front and hind legs, too little preferable to too much; long or profuse feathering severely penalized. No undercoat described.
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
Shedding
Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Heat tolerance
4 of 5 · Derived from the standard's coat: dense, flat or wavy, lightly feathered, no undercoat described — a light single coat of medium length, scored between 'short single' and 'medium double'.
4 of 5 · 4 of 5: short, dense, hard coat
Median lifespan
11.1 years (10.9 to 11.3)
13.4 years (13.3 to 13.6)
Exercise need
More than 2 hours per day (RKC). The parent club: 'a high energy dog who is bred to hunt. He does need lots of exercise or opportunities to hunt to keep him happy.'
More than 2 hours per day
Energy
5 of 5
5 of 5
Grooming load
3 of 5 · More than once a week
2 of 5 · Once a week
Grooming
More than once a week
Once a week
Role
Pointing dog: 'He works in the same manner as a pointer, but without the great range. He points and holds his game. He retrieves both on land and in water.' Also a NAVHDA-recognized versatile breed.
Versatile hunter, an all-purpose gun dog capable of high performance in field and water: points, retrieves on land and water, tracks
Primary game
Upland birds: 'used primarily on upland game in the United States.' The ABC runs regional classics on quail, pheasant, prairie chicken, chukar, and grouse/woodcock.
Upland birds (pheasant, grouse)
Also used on
'Used on both fur and feather in France.'
Retrieving on land and water (GSPCA water tests use duck at the advanced levels); fur (rabbit, fox); tracking wounded game
Field trial standard
AKC pointing-breed field trials, run in braces. Gun Dog: hunt for the handler on foot, point staunchly, steady to wing and shot, honor the bracemate's point; a dog that does not point cannot be placed. All-Age: same bird work at greater range and independence. A Brittany FC must include a 3-point-or-better major in an Open stake held by a Brittany club. Dual Champion = CH + FC; over 500 Brittany Duals by 2006, the most of any AKC sporting breed.
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
Cold water
2 of 5 · Derived: the club says the breed 'retrieves both on land and in water' and 'has enough coat to protect him from the briars but not enough to catch burrs', with no undercoat in the standard — a water-capable dog, not a late-season water dog.
3 of 5 · 3 of 5: short dense coat with little undercoat; bred for water work but not a late-season water specialist
Hip dysplasia
13.8% · 23,813 hip evaluations, all data through the Oct 5 2026 read: 85.1% normal (10.9% excellent, 59.5% good, 14.6% fair), 13.8% dysplastic (8.2% mild, 5.0% moderate, 0.6% severe).
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
Elbow dysplasia
2.2% · 3,328 elbow evaluations, all data through the Oct 5 2026 read: 97.5% normal, 2.2% abnormal (1.8% grade I, 0.3% grade II, 0.1% grade III).
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
Most common disorders
Not recorded for this breed yet.
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%
What to ask a breeder for
Clearances
- Hip evaluation and ophthalmologist evaluation (AKC national breed club recommendations) · US
- One of: cardiac evaluation, elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation, or thyroid evaluation from an approved laboratory (submitted to OFA) · US
- Eye exam by a boarded ACVO ophthalmologist, each year from 2 to 8 years of age · US
- Hip evaluation · US
- Hip scoring · UK
- Hip certification (OFA, GDC or PennHIP) on at least both sire and dam, preferably three generations · US
- Cone degeneration (CD) DNA test · US
- Eye examination by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist · US
- Cardiac exam · US
- Elbow evaluation · US
- Hip evaluation · US
- Eye testing · UK
- Elbow scoring · UK
- Hip scoring · UK
- Thyroid evaluation and von Willebrand's disease screening (GSPCA: 'some will also have' these done; not a CHIC requirement) · US
The health clearances each breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
The selector
Which one, for your life?
A few minutes of honest answers: the birds, the ground, the water, the house, the week. The selector ranks both of these against what you said, explains every rank, and shows exactly where the one you came in wanting lands.
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