Deciding that I truly enjoyed this breed, I wanted to share with others. Rose already had a heat once. She was past the age of two it was time to breed her. The only problem with this is that it was Bird season. Trying to tell the husband to keep his dog home during the bird hunt is impossible. On January 12, 2008, Rose gave us our first litter of puppies.

Most of the puppies took on Roes' Characteristics. One out of the whole litter looked wirehaired like there sire.

My favorite hunting picture ever. Kid and pheasant. Pheasant is the main bird my husband hunts with Rosie.





The kids love to help her find what she sees in the bushes.


If there is any type of animal hiding in the bushes, Rose will find it.






Rose loves to run with the kids.






"Sit Rose"



Unusual affection towards cats.




This is a Tom cat we adopted. My husband found him in rain storm,very young, possibly 4 weeks old. Rose raised Halloween, it was her cat.






Rose playing dress up with my girls.

There are a few items I would recommend for a new owner of a German shorthair pointer.

#1 most important item this dog needs.





An lively family member. My husband is a former Marine. He continues to stay active hunting, running, and hiking. He is the perfect companion for this breed.














German Shorthairs want to Run, walking takes some training. At first glace people think a Halti is a muzzle, but it is far from. It puts light pressure on a point just above the dogs nose. This reminds them to stay back and not pull. After working with Rose with it for a while the kids were able to walk her.






Link for more information on the Halti.



http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=875



Very few toys will live for long with Rose. One Christmas we got a package of AKC toys. Nothing we have had has lasted longer then that duck and squirrel. AKC toys are hard to find in stores, there are lots of knock offs. The AKC brand is well made, and worth the price.

Investing in a good large dog Kennel is a must if your GSP will be living inside with the family.  We only used ours the first two years with Rainbow Dash.  The Kennel should be used only as a sanctuary, not a punishment for your puppy.  It must be a place where they can feel safe if you want it to work. Do not feed your dog in the kennel.  Sometimes we would give Dash a raw hide to chew on to help her calm down in the beginning.

First Question to ask
What is a German Shorthair?
Wikipedia, a great place to start.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Shorthaired_Pointer#References




AKC MEET THE BREEDS®: German Shorthaired Pointer
A versatile hunter and all-purpose gun dog, the German Shorthaired Pointer possesses keen scenting power and high intelligence. The breed is proficient with many different types of game and sport, including trailing, retrieving, and pointing pheasant, quail, grouse, waterfowl, raccoons, possum, and even deer. A medium-sized breed, he has an aristocratic bearing and can be solid liver or liver and white in color.

A Look Back:
The origin of the German Shorthaired Pointer is not clear, but the source of the breed seems to have been the German Bird Dog, related to the old Spanish Pointer, and various crossings with local German scent hounds and track and trail dogs. When the Germans introduced the English Pointers to lend elegance to the German Shorthaired Pointer prototype, the result was a utility dog that combined sporting virtue with clean lines, good looks and sound temperament.

Temperament:
The Shorthair is friendly, intelligent, and willing to please. The first impression is that of a keen enthusiasm for work without indication of nervous or flightly character.

Right Breed for You?
The German Shorthaired Pointer thrives as part of an active family. He is an even-tempered, intelligent and loyal family watchdog that has enthusiasm for its work. An athlete, he can adapt to his living situation, but requires consistent exercise. The GSP’s short coat sheds, but grooming is minimal.

Sporting Group; AKC recognized in 1930.
Average size: 55 to 70 pounds and 23 to 25 inches tall at the shoulder.
Gun dog, family pet.
© The American Kennel Club, Inc.





This was the first book I picked up on the breed. It was is informative about its temperament, and health. It did not give information on training for hunting.

Our little family brought our German shorthair pointer into our clan November of 2006. My husband found an ad in the local paper. We had a little extra money, and a new hunting dog was on his priority list. He had grown up with German Shorthairs, so he already had an affection for the breed. I, on the other hand, needed a little convincing. My husband had been talking about getting another dog for some time. So, I took some time to educate myself about the breed. I bought books, and looked at information online, but was still a little skeptical. I did cave, and we took the trip out to get our new puppy.

The puppies were in a separate yard from their mother. First we walked into the back yard to meet the Dam. My husband walked up to her and she nipped at him. Hoping the aggression was just because of the separation from her pups, it did not help my skeptics. The pups on the other hand were hard not to love; Friendly, curious, and enthusiastic. There were only two solid (brown) liver puppies in the litter. The male was already claimed, but we didn’t pick our pup just because of her color. I feel she was just the one I was captivated by. She was just the lucky pup we took home to meet our girls.

Our children were at there grandmothers house. they had no clue were in for a huge surprise. It was love, working hard on trying to name her instantly. I’m not sure all the names they went through. It was close to the holidays, and my mother had a small Rosemary plant on her table. My girls had been messing with the rosemary tree before we brought the Puppy. After the girls had been playing with our new puppy for a while my mom took a whiff of her and said, “She smells like Rosemary.” It stuck, the kids loved it, and we named her Rosemary.