The World of Dog Breeds: Pointers are a Great Family Dog

I do love dogs, and, have pretty much had a dog my whole adult life.

The first dog my wife and I had; was an Old English Sheep Dog. We named him Sherlock after the great detective. It was very odd; he died the very week our first child was born. We had him ten years. After that, we had a couple of other dogs that were multiple breed mixes followed, ultimately, by another type of Sheep Dog; the Border collie.

Today, the dog who shares his life with us is an English Pointer, which is the breed name simply for, "Pointer". Pointers are a wonderful breed, but, our dog does think that he is a human.

Pointers are very friendly, energetic, affectionate and intelligent. Also, they are great with children. However, keeping in mind their considerable hunting talents, it isn't a good idea to have a Pointer if you have small, passive animals. (www.anytimepets.com)

While Pointers prefer acreage and hunting, they are quite happy with a lot of regular exercise and no hunting. (Wilkipedia Pointer)

The history of the Pointer, as with many breeds, is difficult to pin down. However, it would appear that the Pointer came to be "...when pointing breeds, including the Spanish Pointer, were brought from the European mainland to England...." (www.anytimepets.com)

Also, through both history and anatomical evaluation, we see that at least four breeds were instrumental in Pointer crosses: Greyhounds, Foxhounds, Bloodhounds, and Bull Terriers... (www.anytimepets.com)

The color for the pointer is lemon liver, black, and orange; either solid or mixed with white, and, has a very short coat which presents for easy maintenance.

The male should weigh about 65 pounds; the female should weigh about 55 pounds. The male should be about 27 inches tall, and, the female about 26 inches tall.

As mentioned, Pointers are very intelligent. However, sometimes they can be very difficult to train; there are a couple of reasons for that fact. Pointers have a very short attention span, and, of more import is, that they can be very, very willful.