Pointing dog facts for kids

A Vizsla pointing, showing its natural instinct to find game.

Pointing dogs, also known as bird dogs, are a special type of gun dog. They are super helpful to hunters because they find hidden game, usually birds. Gun dogs are generally split into three groups: retrievers (who fetch the game), flushing dogs (who scare game out of hiding), and pointing breeds. The name 'pointer' comes from their amazing skill: when they find game, they stop and 'point' their nose towards it. This shows the hunter exactly where the birds are, so the hunter can get ready. People carefully bred these dogs over many years to make sure they had this strong pointing instinct. Young pointing dogs often start showing these hunting skills when they are only about two months old!

History of Pointing Dogs

A Pointer dog showing its pointing stance when game is found.

Pointing dogs might have come from dogs in Spain, like the Old Spanish Pointer. Long ago, hunters used these dogs to help them catch game with nets. The dog would freeze or 'set' (like a Setter) and let the hunter throw a net over the game before it flew away.

Later, some pointing dogs became known as versatile gun dogs. This means they were trained to do more than just point. While British hunters often used different dogs for pointing, flushing, and retrieving, in Europe, one dog was trained to do all these jobs. The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association says a versatile dog can "dependably hunt and point game, to retrieve on both land and water, and to track wounded game." For example, a German Shorthaired Pointer is often used to retrieve birds, even from water, which is less common for a pure Pointer. Many versatile dogs were also bred to work in thick bushes and often have docked tails.

The Westminster Kennel Club, a famous dog club, started in the early 1870s. Their early English import dog, "Sensation," is still used as the club's logo today!

What Pointing Dogs Look Like

Pointing dogs come in many different looks! Some have short hair, some have wiry hair, and others, like Setters, have long, silky coats. Many breeds also have spots on their bodies, which can be small and round or larger and oval-shaped.

Types of Pointing Dog Breeds

A Pudelpointer in a classic pointing stance.

Here are some of the popular pointing dog breeds:

• English Setter
• Gordon Setter
• Irish Red and White Setter
• Irish Setter
• Pointer

And these breeds are known as versatile hunting dogs, meaning they can do many different hunting tasks:

See also

• Dogs portal
• List of dog breeds
• Old Spanish Pointer, an extinct dog believed to be the first pointing breed