English Pointers

Numark Kennel produced the mothers of 2002 National Champion Miller's True Spirit and the 2003 National Champion Texas Trail Blazer

English Pointers

A Brief History of the English Pointer.

The 1946 copy of Life Magazine features the English   Pointer, Tarheelia's Lucky Strike. He is one of the main ancestors of the world famous Elhew Pointers.
The Pointer was the first dog, so far as we   know, used to stand game in the sense in which we use the term today, and was developed as a distinct breed much earlier than any of the setters. It seems likely that Pointers came into general use in Spain, Portugal, throughout Eastern Europe and the British Isles at approximately the same time, although the development of the English Pointer took place in Great Britain. The first Pointers appeared in England around 1650, some time before wing-shooting with guns became popular, and Pointers were often used to locate and point hares in conjunction with Greyhound coursing. However, by the 18th century, wing-shooting had come into vogue, and the "Pointer" has been considered by the majority of sportsmen to be the superior, of any of the gun dogs.

The Pointer's lineage is foggy, but there is no question that it includes Foxhound, Greyhound, and Bloodhound crossed with some sort of "setting spaniel," which played an important part in the creation of all modern bird dogs. Eventually the Spanish Pointer too was interbred with the English Pointer, but only briefly to intensify the pointing instinct in the breed. During the 19th century, Pointers gained in popularity and were crossed often with setters to improve disposition; they appeared often in hunting news and sporting papers. The Pointer of today is easily recognized and not a far cry from his 19th century predecessors. He is clean-limbed, lithe, and muscular without being coarse, full of energy and "hunt," built for speed and endurance, courageous, and determined. Although willing to work for someone other than his master, Pointers are wonderful family dogs and make excellent companions at any age



The English Pointer is the aristocrat of upland game hunting dogs.
Copyright 2008, Numark Kennel, all rights reserved ______________________________________________________________________

POINTER STANDARDS

General Appearance
Symmetrical and well built all over, general outline a series of graceful curves. A strong but lissom appearance.

Characteristics
Aristocratic. Alert with appearance of strength, endurance and speed.

Temperament
Kind, even disposition.

Head and Skull
Skull of medium breadth, in proportion to length of foreface, stop well defined, pronounced occipital bone. Nose and eye rims dark, but may be lighter in the case of a lemon and white colored dog. Nostrils wide, soft and moist. Muzzle somewhat concave, ending on level with nostrils, giving a slightly dish-faced appearance. Slight depression under eyes, cheek bones not prominent, well developed soft lip.

Eyes
Same distance from occiput as from nostrils, bright and kindly in expression. Either hazel or brown according to color of coat. Neither bold nor staring, not looking down the nose.

Ears
Leathers thin, set on fairly high, lying close to head, of medium length, slightly pointed at tips.

Mouth
Jaws strong, with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Neck
Long, muscular, slightly arched, springing cleanly from shoulders and free from throatiness.

Forequarters
Shoulders long, sloping and well laid back. Chest just wide enough for plenty of heart room. Brisket well let down, to level with elbows. Forelegs straight and firm, with good oval bone, with back sinews strong and visible. Knee joint flat with front leg and protruding very little on inside. Pasterns lengthy, strong and resilient. Slightly sloping.

Body
Well sprung ribs carried well back gradually falling away at strong muscular and slightly arched loins. Short-coupled. Haunch bones well spaced and prominent, not above level of back.

Hindquarters
Very muscular. Well turned stifles. Good expanse of first and second thigh. Hocks well let down.

Feet
Oval, well knit, arched toes, well cushioned.

Tail
Medium length, thick at root, tapering gradually to a point. Well covered with close hair, carried on a level with back, with no upward curl. In movement, tail should lash from side to side. (Note) Many American gundog owners and breeders have set a standard for tail carriage to be from ten to eleven o'clock. The tail is an extension of the dog's spine. The tail should be straight with no curl. A twelve o'clock tail is very unnatural.

Gait/Movement
Smooth, covering plenty of ground. Driving hind action, elbows neither in nor out. Definitely not a hackney action.

Coat
Fine, short, hard and evenly distributed, perfectly smooth and straight with decided sheen.

Color
Usual color are lemon and white, orange and white, liver and white, and black and white. Self colors and tri-colors are also correct.

Size
Desirable heights at withers: dogs: (25-27 ins); bitches: (24-26 ins).

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nu