TRAINING
The volume entitled Family Dog (New York: Dutton) by Richard A. Wolters is a superb volume for those that desire to train an obedient canine companion with good social skills. Nona Kilgore Bauer’s German Shorthaired Pointer: A Comprehensive Guide to Owning and Caring for Your Dog (Allenhurst: Kennel Club Books) is also very useful, and focuses on the German Shorthair (e.g., there is a short breed-history and a description of the breed-characteristics). For numerous reasons, owners might also desire formal obedience classes for a pup or adolescent dog: local handlers and pet supply stores frequently offer such classes. Note that the most important components of dog training are consistency, patience, and persistence: without these components, success in training will remain elusive. Remember that the old adage that “people get the dog they deserve” is demonstrably true. That is, the more time, attention, and care devoted to the training and nurturing of a dog, the better “citizen” the dog will be.
Training a sporting dog for fieldwork and dogs shows should begin at an early age. Various publications contain substantial information about beginning and advanced training for the field and for the show. For training a retriever for the field, the volume entitled Water Dog (New York: Dutton) by Wolters remains a standard. For training a pointing dog, the volume entitled Gun Dog (New York: Dutton) also by Wolters continues to be very useful. Jerome B. Robinson’s The Ultimate Guide to Bird Dog Training (Guilford: Lyons Press) proposes numerous valuable techniques as well, complementing the Wolters volume in various ways. For those desiring to “show” dogs, the American Kennel Club’s publication entitled Rules Applying to Dog Shows is of fundamental importance. Note that for those planning to compete in the field and in shows, it is often prudent to consult with, and contract with, a professional handler.COMPETITIVE EVENTS
The major registries (e.g., American Kennel Club, United Kennel Club , Field Dog Stud Book , Canadian Kennel Club sanction various kinds of competitive events. Field Trials (focusing on capabilities in the pursuit of game) and Dog Shows (focusing on conformation to the breed standard) are very popular. Several decades ago, the American Kennel Club inaugurated various Hunt Tests for the sporting breeds. For Hunt Tests, the dogs compete against a standard of achievement (rather than against other dogs). Labrador Retrievers compete in the Retriever group and German Shorthaired Pointers compete in the Pointer group. Currently, there are three successive levels of competition for the Hunt Tests: Junior Hunter, Senior Hunter, and Master Hunter. In addition, the American Kennel Club also sponsors events such as Obedience Competitions and Utility Dog Competitions. The major registries post the “Rules and Regulations” for their competitive events on their respective web sites. Print versions are also normally available.
The Westminster Kennel Club is a Dog Show, not a registry (i.e., it does not “register” dogs). It is, however, the oldest dog show in the United States and arguably the most prestigious. The first Westminster Dog Show occurred in 1877 at Gilmore’s Garden (the forerunner of Madison Square Garden) in New York City. It is an annual event, drawing thousands of registered dogs of most recognized breeds. A “Best of Breed” is selected for each breed. In addition, since 1907 a single dog is chosen as “Best of Show” as well. Two German Shorthaired Pointers have won “Best of Show” at Westminster: Champion Gretchenhof Columbia River (1974) and Champion Kan-Point VJK Autumn Roses, “Carlee” (2005).