Читать книгу Pointer - Richard G. Beauchamp - Страница 9

Some remarkable characteristics of the Pointer are the breed’s exceptionally high energy level, directness of purpose and zest for life. However, there are also the more subtle and telling things that make the Pointer the unique breed that it is. Living with the breed reveals both the Pointer’s innate intelligence and uncanny ability to work things out.

The average Pointer doesn’t “need” people: he accepts them. If it were possible to ask your Pointer if he required some assistance, the answer might well be, “I can manage that by myself very well, thank you.” A Pointer might think this is so; however, a Pointer must have direction and discipline. You must never forget that this is a dog carefully bred through history for speed, stamina and intelligence—admirable but lethal qualities if not properly channeled.

The Pointer’s striking appearance has, in many cases, been the reason for selecting the breed as a household pet. Unfortunately, too often the needs of the breed are ignored. The owner of a Pointer must respond to this highly intelligent breed’s athleticism. If he cannot guarantee his dog at least one hour of daily exercise, then there must be someone in the household who can. Then and only then can the Pointer become the ideal family dog. Otherwise, the potential owner should consider a different, less active breed.

If such care and training can be provided, it is still important not to act hastily. For the Pointer who is destined to be an all-around family and house dog, it is better to choose from a breeder who has selected for characteristics that include an eye to the show ring and companionship rather than from a breeder who is concentrating exclusively on hunting. Hunting dogs may be far too active for the family who doesn’t require a sporting companion, though it is necessary to screen show breeders carefully as well.

People are attracted to the Pointer for many reasons: his beauty and deportment are legendary. Other owners wax lyrical about the intelligence and ability of Pointers in the field and even in day-to-day life. Besides these attributes, there is a wide range of beautiful colors and markings from which to choose.

However, all of these characteristics do not constitute reason enough for anyone to purchase a Pointer without the prospective owner’s conducting a little self-evaluation as well.

This is not a breed that can be left home alone all day long and then be taken out for a ten-minute walk in the evening. Many generations of selective breeding make the Pointer a dog that must run. The breed, no matter from what lines it may come, show or field, has the innate desire to experience the great outdoors and perform its duties as a hunter of game. A Pointer can be a great companion and close friend for his entire life, but only if the owner is ready to invest the time, patience and exercise outdoors required to bring the breed to its full potential.

Pointer pups are very cute. Their floppy ears, elastic physiques and waggy-tail personalities make them irresistible. Indeed, Pointer puppies are the subject of calendars and greeting cards printed around the world each year. It is important to realize, however, that a Pointer puppy will spend only a very small part of his day sitting and looking cute. The far greater part of the day will be spent investigating, digging, chewing, eating and needing to go outdoors, only to immediately insist that he be let back in. Any prospective owner should also remember that puppies experience just as many of the aches and pains and sniffles as any human child on the way to maturity.

It takes time and planning to fulfill the day-to-day needs of a puppy or grown dog. This says nothing of the time required for the many lessons a Pointer must be taught by his master before he understands what he may and may not do.

Some breeds live simply to please their masters in that they always seem ready, willing and able to respond to commands. The Pointer, however, has to know that you are serious about what you ask him to do, and he may have to think about it as well. What is vital to remember is that your Pointer puppy, or even adult, will depend wholly on you for everything he needs and every lesson he must learn. If you are not ready to accept this responsibility, you are not ready to own a Pointer. It will only result in household damage and drudgery on your part, and what should be a joyful relationship will result in a frustrating situation for both you and your dog.

The Pointer is a very active dog that requires plenty of outdoor exercise; an hour each day is the absolute minimum.

Failure to understand the amount of time and consideration a well-cared-for dog requires is one of the primary reasons for the number of unwanted canines that lose their lives in animal shelters. Given proper consideration beforehand, the purchase of a dog can bring many years of companionship and comfort as well as the unconditional love and devotion that no other animal can match.

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL

Everything in the Pointer’s history contributed to the mental and physical characteristics that have produced both an industrious, efficient hunting dog and a fine household companion. Generations of selection on that basis give us dogs that embody what makes a Pointer a Pointer.

Before any family brings a dog into their home, they should give very serious consideration to three extremely important questions:

1. Does the person who will ultimately be responsible for the dog’s day-to-day care really want a dog?

The children in the family may vociferously claim that they desperately want a dog; however, will they be doing more than just playing with the dog once he arrives? Pet care can be an excellent way to teach children responsibility, but it should not be forgotten that, in their enthusiasm to have a puppy, children are likely to promise almost anything. It is what will happen after the novelty of owning a new dog has worn off that must be considered.

In many active families the ultimate responsibility for the family dog often falls on one person. This appears to be the case even in the homes where both parents work outside the home. This person may not relish any more duties than he or she already has.

2. Does the lifestyle and schedule of the household lend itself to the demands of proper dog care?

There must always be someone available to see to a dog’s basic needs: feeding, exercise, training and so on. If you or your family are gone from morning to night or if you travel frequently and are away from home for long periods of time, the dog must still be cared for. A Pointer cannot be left home alone day in and day out. Are you willing and able to adjust your schedule, or are you prepared to pay the costs of frequent boarding and/or dogsitting for your dog while you are gone?

3. Is this particular breed, the Pointer, suitable for the individual or household?

Does your household contain children? Pointers are wonderful with well-behaved children and they make delightful playmates, but no dog should be expected to tolerate abuse just because a child doesn’t know better. At the same time, an enthusiastic Pointer puppy can knock down and injure a toddler in a playful moment.

The prospective dog owner should also strongly consider the specific peculiarities of his own lifestyle and household. Everyone involved must realize that the new dog will not understand the household routine and must be taught everything you want him to know and do. This takes time and patience, and often the most important lessons for the new dog to learn will take the longest for him to absorb.

Your Pointer puppy should have received lots of human and canine interaction at the breeder’s home. This socialization helps to mold him into a friendly, well-adjusted, people-loving companion.

WHY A PURE-BRED?

There is no difference in the love, devotion and companionship that a mixed-breed dog and a pure-bred dog can give his owner. There are, however, some aspects that can best be fulfilled by the pure-bred dog.

What will a mixed-breed puppy look like as an adult? If esthetics are important to you and you have a specific image in mind of what your dream dog looks like, you are best off not taking the chance with a mix. For instance, the haystack look of the Old English Sheepdog would not be suitable for someone who thinks the razor-sharp lines of the Doberman are what the perfect dog should have. Predicting what a mixed-breed puppy will look like at maturity is nearly impossible. Size, length of hair and temperament can change drastically between puppyhood and adulthood and may not be at all what the owner had hoped for. Then what happens to the dog?

THE DEVOTED “NANNY”

One of the Pointer’s most striking characteristics is the kind and gentle manner with which he conducts himself in the company of children. Even the most accomplished field dog has a very special place reserved for youngsters. Many owners state that the speed demon at work in the field can become quite the devoted “nanny” in dealing with the family’s children. The Pointer raised with children is as much their protector as their playmate.

In buying a well-bred Pointer puppy, the purchaser will have a very good idea of what the dog will look like at maturity as well as how he will be capable of behaving with proper guidance. If your mental picture of the ideal dog is a Cocker Spaniel or an English Setter that lives only to lavish attention and affection upon you, the more independent breeds (of which the Pointer is certainly one) are not going to live up to that ideal. Naturally there are differences within breeds just as there are differences from family to family and from human to human. At the same time, the general character of a specific breed is far more predictable than that of a dog of unknown parentage.

When choosing a puppy, one must have the adult dog in mind because the little fellow is going to be an adult much longer than he ever was a puppy. The adult dog is what must fit the owner’s lifestyle and esthetic standards. A fastidious housekeeper may well have second thoughts when trying to accommodate a very large breed that slobbers or one that sheds his coat all year ’round. All dogs shed to some degree. Pointer hair is shorter and less noticeable on clothing and furniture but far more difficult than long hair to pick up with a vaccuum cleaner or a brush.

EXTRAORDINARY BRAIN POWER

As far back as the 19th century, dog experts attested to the extraordinary brain power of the Pointer. In 1880 Edward Jesse, Esq., noted dog authority and author of Dog Anecdotes, wrote, “Thus a pointer has been known to refuse to hunt for a person who had previously missed every bird the dog had found. He left him with every mark of disgust, nor could any coaxing induce him to continue with his unsportsmanlike companion.”

The initial purchase price of a Pointer could easily be a significant investment for the owner, but a pure-bred dog costs no more to maintain than a mixed breed, unless of course it is blessed with the coat of a Maltese or Poodle, which the Pointer is not. If the cost of having exactly the kind of dog you want and are proud to own is amortized over the number of years you will enjoy him, you must admit the initial cost becomes far less consequential.

WHO SHOULD OWN A POINTER?

Just as a prospective buyer should have a checklist to lead him to a responsible breeder, so must good breeders have a list of qualifications for the buyer. These are just a few of the “musts” a prospective Pointer buyer might face if looking to purchase a puppy from a responsible breeder:

1. The buyer must have a fenced yard and a secure and protected place for the dog to stay if he is out of the house.

2. Children should be at least five years of age. Although Pointers seem to have a natural affinity for children, an adolescent Pointer can be clumsy and can unintentionally injure a toddler.

3. Pointers are usually too strong and active for elderly people.

4. Everyone in the family must want a Pointer.

5. The buyer must be financially able to provide proper veterinary and home care.

6. No Pointer is likely to be sold to a person who is interested in breeding “just pets” or operating an indiscriminate “stud factory.”

7. The buyer must be aware that Pointers require a great deal of exercise.

Pointers are playful dogs who make fun companions. Here’s a surfing pup “riding the waves” with a little help from his family.

Pointers from good show or field lines can make perfect pets for dedicated experienced owners.

THE POINTER AS A HOUSE DOG

A young Pointer must start understanding household rules from the moment he enters your home. What it will take to accomplish this is patience, love and a firm but gentle and unrelenting hand. Even the youngest Pointer puppy understands the difference between being corrected and being abused.

Pointers are entirely capable of being anyone’s best friend and household companion but, as is the case in any good relationship, both parties must be compatible. Pointers were bred to hunt. At no time in the breed’s developmental history was any attempt made to make the Pointer a lap dog or boudoir companion. A Pointer best belongs to someone who realizes that work can come in the form of almost any structured activity—performing the daily obedience routine or even playing ball.

Pointers must be given their daily duties and plenty of opportunity to exercise, or they may well use up their excess time by inventing things to do. What your Pointer decides to do on his own might be gnawing the legs of your best table, digging a tunnel to the neighbor’s yard or communicating vocally with every other canine in the hemisphere. As far as your Pointer is concerned, if you do not insist that something he is doing must be stopped, your lack of determination will be construed as carte blanche or permission to continue! Pointers learn quickly, but that does not mean they always care about what you are trying to impress upon them. Moreover, if you do not provide the requisite leadership, your Pointer will let you know in no uncertain terms that he is entirely capable of providing that leadership for himself.

The Pointer is short of coat and long on endurance, particularly tolerant of heat and, considering the breed’s thin single coat, fairly tolerant of the cold as well. However, the Pointer must still be left in the shade when temperatures soar or housed indoors when they plummet.

The Pointer is curious and will want to roam if not provided with a fenced yard, so a fenced yard or other securely enclosed area is necessary for off-leash exercise and training. The Pointer can be trained to do just about anything a dog is capable of doing, particularly if the task includes agility and enthusiasm.

POINTERS IN THE FIELD

For the individual desiring a hunting partner, the Pointer offers many superb qualities, not the least of which is his short coat that requires little deburring. If you plan to hunt in the uplands over game birds, such as quail, pheasant and grouse, then shooting over a Pointer is the way to go. Hunting with a Pointer is an all-day affair, and this breed knows how to last the entire day, expending his energy like a professional athlete. If you are interested in hunting with your dog in the field but have never done so, attend a walking field trial and observe how the dogs work. The assistance of a professional trainer is invaluable to the novice hunter, equally for the puppy and the owner. The first year in a hunting puppy’s life is the most critical time in establishing what kind of hunter the dog will become.

MALE OR FEMALE?

While some people may have personal preferences as to the sex of their dog, both the male and the female Pointer make equally good companions and are equal in their trainability. The decision will have more to do with the lifestyle and ultimate plans of the owner than with differences between the sexes in the breed.

Pointers from lines bred strictly for the field are usually smaller and finer-boned. They also seem to pack more energy ounce for ounce in their physiques. Pointers from show lines are generally larger and have heavier bone than their field cousins. The male is normally larger and heavier-boned than the female at maturity.

Males usually take a longer time to grow up both mentally and physically. Some males can reach a point during adolescence when they could not care less about food, and keeping the young male at a reasonable weight may prove to be somewhat of a challenge. This is not to say that young Pointer females are exempt from these disturbing hunger strikes, but experience has proven that males are apt to take the lead here.

In the field, the Pointer is the paragon of hunting prowess, though not the first choice of hunting novices.

ONE STEP AHEAD

An excellent example of the Pointer’s speed and endurance comes from the field. It is said that the reason the Pointer is so successful in the field is that he covers so much ground in the course of a hunt. Many estimate that covering 100 miles in a full day’s hunt is not unusual for a big-running Pointer. This, combined with the breed’s often unbridled enthusiasm for its work, can result in the dog’s becoming quite out of control. None of these characteristics disappears because a Pointer has been chosen as a house dog and companion. Therefore, the owner of a companion Pointer must always be one step ahead of his dog and always in control.

The female is not entirely problem-free. She will have her semi-annual, and sometimes burdensome, heat cycles after she is eight or nine months old. At these times she must be confined so that she will not soil her surroundings, and she must also be closely watched to prevent male dogs from gaining access to her or she will become pregnant.

ALTERING

Spaying the female or neutering the male will not change the personality of your pet and will avoid many problems. Neutering the male Pointer can reduce, if not entirely eliminate, his desire to pursue a neighborhood female that shows signs of an impending romantic attitude.

Neutering or spaying also precludes the possibility of your Pointer’s adding to the pet overpopulation problem that concerns animal activists and environmentalists worldwide. Altering also reduces the risk of problems including mammary cancer in the female and testicular and prostate cancer in the male.

HEALTH CONCERNS

With a little luck and grace, the well-cared-for Pointer often lives to be 12 to 14 years of age, acting hale and hearty for most of those years. Unfortunately, all breeds of domesticated dog suffer from some hereditary problems, though the Pointer’s problems are relatively few.

HIGH-ENERGY DOG

Pointers are not the best choices as companions for those who live in an apartment. Pointers don’t pretend to be city slickers. Hundreds of years have been invested in making the Pointer a wide-ranging, highly energetic dog, and confining the Pointer to close quarters for long periods of time is likely to produce a neurotic, destructive and unhappy dog.

A chief concern among Pointer breeders is hip dysplasia, commonly referred to as HD. This is a developmental disease of the hip joint. One or both hip joints of the affected dog have abnormal contours. Some dogs might show tenderness in the hip, walk with a limp or swaying gait or experience difficulty getting up. Symptoms vary from mild temporary lameness to severe crippling in extreme cases. Treatment may require surgery. Even though hip dysplasia is not very common in the Pointer, enough cases have been reported to merit breeders’ having appropriate testing done on their stock. Owners should ask to see hip clearances on the litter’s parents.

Some occasions of a relatively rare and unusual disease known as neurotropic osteopathy have been documented in the breed as well. What appear to be skeletal injuries occur somewhere in the age range of three to nine months as a result of degeneration of the spinal cord.

There are reports of some skin problems, including demodectic mange. Regular grooming procedures are important in that they prevent any of these skin problems from progressing to an advanced stage.

Eye problems such as entropion and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) have been recorded by careful breeders, but not on an alarming basis. Here again, purchasing a Pointer from a respected breeder who has eye testing done is extremely important.

Pointers make great cycling companions, if trained to run safely beside the bike.