Germany is the ancestral home of some great hunting dogs. Here in the US, we see German Shorthair Pointers all the time (or at least I do). The GSP is one of the most popular pointers around, and I see them all the time in the field. In fact, nine times out of ten, if a guy tells me he has pointers, he means a GSP.
But Germany did produce other breeds of pointing dogs. One was an the Württemberger, an extinct breed that author Craig Koshyk documents in his great book Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals.
Here’s an excerpt on the The Württemberger from Craig’s book:
“The Württemberger, known in Germany as the Dreifarbige Württemberger or Dreifarbige Württembergische Vorstehhund, was a short-haired, tricolored pointing dog that disappeared just after World War I. Exactly where, when and how it came to be is the subject of speculation.
The most common assumption is that the breed was developed in the Württemberg region of southwest Germany in the 1870s. Some sources claim that Gypsies traveling from Russia brought it to the Kingdom of Württemberg in the early 1800s, but others insist that it was an ancient breed, known in southern Germany for centuries. Whatever their origin, heavy, tricolored pointing dogs were present in large enough numbers in the 1880s and ’90s to catch the attention of Germany’s Delegate Commission which, for a time, recognized them as a breed. But no separate stud book was ever created for Württembergers and they, along with Weimaraners, were registered in the German Shorthaired Pointer stud book.”
You can read more about the Württemberger pointer here. Don’t forget to check out Craig’s Book: Pointing Dogs, Volume one : The Continentals. it’s a must have for any fan of hunting dogs, and it’s on sale now for Mother’s Day ($40 off!).
