You may have seen a GSP before and never even realized it but you probably noticed it was a handsome dog with a liver and white ticked coat, well proportioned, athletic body and a well-controlled demeanor. This versatile gundog is in the AKC sporting group and, due to their skill and companionable personalities, it's no surprise they are very popular-- well within the top 20 breeds (as of 2017). Keep reading for a breakdown of information about the German Shorthaired Pointer's intelligence, activity level and more.
Intelligence- This breed is not only intelligent but also usually obedient and eager to please-- which many owners understand are completely different qualities from smarts alone. In the field they need little training to pick up on their duties and become excellent hunting companions. What they will need early and firm training in is not to chase and attack other small, non canine pets.
Kids, Strangers, Other Pets- GSP dogs are great with kids but should be supervised around small children due to their boisterous, playful tactics. These dogs are not aggressive and should be fine around strangers unless a dangerous situation presents itself-- then they are rumored to be somewhat protective. Finally, they are usually friendly with other dogs--or at least indifferent-- but they may chase and attack small pets if not trained early (and even then they may still).
Exercise- This will require the most effort out of all your duties as an owner to the GSP. If not hunting companions, they need hours of daily outdoor exercise and will be a pain in the butt if they don't get it! Luckily, they are pretty adaptable to anything you'd like to do from hiking and running to biking or frisbee; German Shorthaired Pointers even love swimming!