The popular American author Robert B. Parker, known for his detective fiction, created a very popular mystery series that chronicles the activities of a Boston detective known only by the name Spenser. This series became a very popular TV show in the 1980s starring Robert Urich. The character Spenser owned a series of three German Shorthaired Pointers, all three solid liver; all three were also named Pearl. The author, Robert Parkers, has appeared in many photographs with his own solid-liver German Shorthaired Pointer.
The American writer and environmental activist Rick Bass wrote a book with the title Colter: The True Story of the Best Dog I Ever Had. In it, he recalls his time spent hunting and living with his German Shorthaired Pointer in Montana.
Mel Wallis, a sportswriter, wrote a memoir titled Run, Rainey, Run which recounts his memorable relationship with a very intelligent and skilled German Shorthaired Pointer.
German breeders in the 1800s specifically set out to cross a variety of gun dogs to create an all-purpose breed that could itself alone tackle the jobs previously assigned to separate breeds. The German Shorthaired Pointer is now considered to be the most versatile of all gun dog breeds.
The German Shorthaired Pointer has webbed feet, which aid both in the water and on muddy terrain. It also has a water repellant coat, which is a big advantage in the water and out of the water, when it needs to dry off quickly.
There was a problem when it came to naming the breed, as it had initially started out as the German Shorthaired Pointer, but many realized that Pointer was an inadequate indication of the type of dog it was. The Germans resolved the problem by simply calling the breed the German Shorthair, but American enthusiasts believed this could create confusion, as any German dog with short hair could be referred to as a German Shorthair. The first breed club applied to the AKC for registration as the German Shorthaired Pointer and Retriever Club of America, but the AKC refused to accept the name, claiming that a dog cannot be both a Pointer and a Retriever; one had to be chosen. The club reapplied simply as the German Shorthaired Pointer Club and this is how the breed came to be known in America.
Today, the German Shorthaired Pointer is more popular in the United States than in Germany, its country of origin. In Germany, the German Wirehaired Dog is more popular; despite its similar name, this pointer is a distinctly different breed than the Shorthaired Pointer, having been bred through the use of different ancestors and bloodlines.
Tail docking in this breed is done differently than in other breeds; more of the tail is left, so that the dog can use his tail to communicate. In some countries, docking is prohibited altogether and so the entire tail is left.
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