Pudelpointer

The Pudelpointer is an all-around hunting dog with its homeland in Germany. Despite its rarity, it finds favour in the eyes of both professional and amateur hunters who use it to quarry land and water game. The breed also has an easy-going and sweet disposition, which makes it a wonderful family pet.

The Pudelpointer came to existence in the late XIX century as the result of a carefully thought-out breeding program. In 1881, a canine lover from Germany, Baron von Zedlitz, got upon an idea of creating a perfect sporting dog that would be equally proficient at tracking, pointing and retrieving tasks. Moreover he wanted it to be willing to work in water so it would hunt water fowl as well. Baron chose as a foundation stock several particular Poodles and approximately 100 various Pointers. The original breeds’ members, which were involved in breeding of the Pudelpointer, were a male named Tell, an English Pointer of Kaiser Frederick III, and the bitch named Molly, who belonged to Hegewald, a cynologist and writer.

30 years of assiduous breeding work paid off with invention of a truly universal gun dog that combined excellent trainability, retrieving instinct and love of water of the Poodle with superb nose and pointing abilities of the English Pointer. Apart from being an expert in hunting wild rabbits, partridge and various waterfowls, this obedient and steadfast dog is also held in high repute as a family pet in its native land.

The breed was initially imported to North America in 1956 by Bodo Winterhelt. He is the owner of the Winterhelle Kennel, which specialises in breeding and promotion of the Pudelpointer in this part of the world. In its homeland as well as in North America its specimen is estimated primarily by its performance in the field and its conformation usually bears secondary importance. Moreover its rarity explains the breeds’ low popularity with canine fanciers in other European countries and the US.

Well-developed hunting instinct doesn’t prevent the Pudelpointer from being a great companion animal. On the contrary its strong affection to the hunter usually translates into endless love and devotion to its family if the dog is kept as a pet. The dog is always eager to spend time with familiar kids and exhibits the utmost care while playing with toddlers. Nevertheless it still requires some standard amount of socialisation in order to be accepting of their impulsive behaviour.

In general the Pudelpointer is good with strangers although it tends to behave itself somewhat standoffish in their presence. It begins to bark as soon as it observes some suspicious activity in the vicinity of the house. So it’s no wonder that it usually becomes a decent watcher. At the same time it should never be charged with guarding duties because of its all-around friendliness.

The canine aggressiveness is absolutely inadmissible for the specimen of the Pudelpointer as it has to be able to hunt with its counterparts. It likes sharing its life with one or two other canines with similarly vigorous temper. But other types of pets are in great danger when this dog is around since they resemble prey too much. However it still can be taught to treat the domestic cat respectfully if the training begins in a very young age.

Breeders claim this breed to be very healthy.

The Pudelpointer won’t need any special care since its coat repels dirt and sheds minimally. One or two grooming sessions per week are commonly sufficient to keep the dog’s fur shiny and healthy. Remember that its body should be carefully examined after each and every hunting trip for the signs of mites or other external parasites.

The owner should also pay due attention to cleaning of the dog’s ears, which easily trap debris and different small objects. Regular teeth brushing and nail trimming is also essential if you want your pet to preserve good overall health to old age.

The Pudelpointer owes its outstanding quick-wittedness to its immediate forefather, the Poodle and learns new commands fast and easy. Actually it can be trained to fulfil very difficult tricks and makes a tough competitor in various canine sports. As a rule it tries to make the trainer happy and shows implicit obedience to him.

But if you begin physically punishing this dog for its blunders, it will become totally unruly and even aggressive. Reward-based training strategy works best for the Pudelpointer especially if you will hold its interest with small bits of its favourite food.

The daily exercise regimen of the Pudelpointer should consist of an hour or two of playtime in a properly enclosed yard. Because of such extensive exercise requirements it can’t be considered to be a good apartment dog. It’s fair to say that this breed will be fully happy only if it serves in its original role of the hunter’s assistant.

The dog is fond of all canine games and willingly accompanies its masters in various outdoor activities. The Pudelpointer that doesn’t have a regular chance to burn its excessive energies will inevitably develop habits to destructive behaviour and unreasonable barking at home.