Pudelpointer

Although its name is rarely anglicized, if it were to be translated, this dog would he called the Poodle Pointer. It was developed to hunt game in a variety of environments, including grassland, marshland and woods.

The Pudelpointer dog was created in the late 19th century by Baron von Zedlitz, who succeeded in combining the hunting qualities of the Pointer and the Poodle in a single breed. It has the gun-dog restraint of the Pointer, with the lively intelligence and protective coat of the Poodle.

It is usually stated that this was a simple cross between the Poodle and the English Pointer, but more careful studies have indicated that, in reality, it was the Barbet — the ancestor of the Poodle — that was involved, and that this was first crossed with several indigenous types of German pointer. It was the offspring from these matings that were then crossed with English Pointers, to produce what was hoped would prove to be the ideal all-round gun dog. The original gene pool of the Pudelpointer consisted of 90 German Pointers and seven Barbets.

This multi-purpose German hunting dog was able to point partridge in open country, but was also prepared to work in marshy country and even thick cover in woodland. It was also able to retrieve after the kill, making it a jack-of-all-trades when compared with the refined specialization of the English Pointer, which performed only its one designated task. A few have been exported to the United States and Canada, and it was officially recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club in the 1960s, but it has rarely been shown there.

The Pudelpointer is a strong, sturdily built, rough-haired breed, with a docked tail and a brown-coloured coat. Despite its great stamina and the ability to work in almost any climate over almost any kind of terrain, it has, for some unknown reason, never been popular, either in Germany or abroad.

At its withers, the height is approximately 24-25 1/2 inches/60-65 cm. The body should be rectangular, well muscled and with strong bone. The tail is docked, slightly shorter than half its length. The coat of the Pudelpointer should be medium long, wiry and with longer hair forming a beard, mustache and whiskers. The color should be liver brown.