Interpretation: The key here is "compact power and agile grace"….a dog that in his every inch denotes the strength required for a day in the field working for his hunting companion.
Temperament: The Pointer's even temperament and alert good sense make him a congenial companion both in the field and in the home. He should be dignified and should never show timidity toward man or dog.
Interpretation: The key word here is "timidity"….in order to fulfill his requirements afield, the Pointer cannot be a timid animal. He must have the determination to drive into cover, the independence to search far and wide for his game and the tractability to answer his master's call. He must also have the congeniality to conform to the training required.
Head: The skull of medium width, approximately as wide as the length of the muzzle, resulting in an impression of length rather than width. Slight furrow between the eyes, cheeks cleanly chiseled. There should be a pronounced stop. From this point forward the muzzle is of good length, with the nasal bone so formed that the nose is slightly higher at the tip than the muzzle at the stop. Parallel planes of the skull and muzzle are equally acceptable. The muzzle should be deep without pendulous flews. Jaws ending square and level, should bite evenly or as scissors. Nostrils well developed and wide open. Ears: Set on at eye level. When hanging naturally, they should reach just below the lower jaw, close to the head, with little or no folding. They should be somewhat pointed at the tip - never round - and soft and thin in leather. Eyes: Of ample size, rounded and intense. The eye color should be dark in contrast with the color of the markings, the darker the better
Interpretation: Prior to 1975, the only acceptable type of muzzle on the Pointer was the dish. Parallel planes were introduced into the AKC standard as it was very difficult for the American breeders to have more than parallel planes in their dogs…this due, I believe, from the foxhound crosses of old.
The head is the unique feature of the Pointer. It sets it apart from the other pointing breeds. It is relatively easy to measure the proper proportions of the Pointer head. Same distance from stop to occiput as from tip of nose to stop as width of skull. There are many pointers who do not possess the qualities asked for in the standard. Whether they have a dish or parallel planes. Apple headed is to be faulted (meaning that it looks like the top of an apple in profile). The nose must always sit high on the muzzle….this is an air scenting breed, therefore having the nose point to the ground (again a hound trait and to be severely faulted) is not conducive to properly scenting the air for birds. Nostrils wide open..a must for an air scenting breed. Remember….a pronounced stop! It should stop your thumb as you run it on the muzzle toward the skull, not slide up between the eyes as in the German Shorthaired Pointer. There should be a slight furrow between the eyes, giving expression to the eyebrows. Ears are very unique to this breed…they are to be triangular in shape, fine leathered and never reaching further than just below the jaw. This keeps the ear leather from tearing when hunting in thick cover. When judging you will find houndlike ears, both Foxhound (rounded at the tip) and Greyhound (too much folding). These are to be greatly faulted. Eyes round, dark and soft. This is a breed that is there to please man. He does not kill his game, only finds it and "points" it for his master to flush and shoot. That kindness should always be present in the expression of the eyes..
Neck: Long, dry, muscular, and slightly arched, springing cleanly from the shoulders
Interpretation: Long, meaning enough length to easily pick up the bird and bring it back. Not so long as to lose strength needed for the job..
Shoulders: Long, thin, and sloping. The top of the blades close together.
Interpretation: This description is to differentiate the scapula from the shorter, thicker bone of the scent hounds. Having the top of the blades close together does not mean so close as to interfere with motion…..then the shoulders would be too tight. Sitting close to the body and having full range of motion for utmost reach is most desirable.
Front: Elbows well let down, directly under the withers and truly parallel so as to work just clear of the body. Forelegs straight and with oval bone. Knee joint never to knuckle over. Pasterns of moderate length, perceptibly finer in bone than the leg, and slightly slanting. Chest, deep rather than wide, must not hinder free action of forelegs. The breast bone bold, without being unduly prominent. The ribs well sprung, descending as low as the elbow-point.
Interpretation: This description is one that could fit most of the Pointers and Setters. I take exception to the fact that our standard asks for "oval" bone. I feel that the description refers to the fact that the leg is to appear oval (wider than thick), and not round as in the hounds. With the two bones that form the front lower leg, this is the impression that is given. Put proper muscle and tendon over those bones and you have the appearance of an oval.
Back: Strong and solid with only a slight rise from croup to top of shoulders. Loin of moderate length, powerful and slightly arched. Croup falling only slightly to base of tail. Tuck-up should be apparent, but not exaggerated.
Interpretation: Again, qualities asked of many of the sporting breeds. This leads to having the agility to work afield without undue stress to the back and for range of motion in quick turning. All needed for work afield. A tuck up should be apparent, but not as severe as those of the sighthound, nor as straight as those of most scenthounds.
Tail: Heavier at the root, tapering to a fine point. Length no greater than to hock. A tail longer than this or docked must be penalized. Carried without curl, and not more than 20 degrees above the line of the back; never carried between the legs.
Interpretation: The tail, as the head, is the feature that sets the Pointer apart from his sister breeds. It is his rudder in the field. Used for balance in running and turning and short enough not to be continually damaged by bush and briar. The Pointer's tail, when on point, is staunch and still. Held, preferably, no higher than 20 degrees off the back and either straight or with a slight pump handle. Sickle tails, long tails, ropey tail (not tapered) are to be severely faulted as they denote hound traits.
Hindquarters: Muscular and powerful with great propelling leverage. Thighs long and well developed. Stifles well bent. The hock clean; the legs straight as viewed from behind. Decided angulation is the mark of power and endurance.
Interpretation: Decided angulation does not mean "over angulation". Correct balance between shoulder and rear are more important than extremes. Here, balance is the key, as it will always be the dog that is balanced front to rear that will have more staying power than the dog that is heavily angled on one end or the other.
Feet: Oval, with long, closely-set, arched toes, well-padded, and deep. Catfoot is a fault. Dewclaws on the fore legs may be removed.
Interpretation: I believe this is self-explanatory. The English prefer the cat foot, the AKC standard does not. The foot described herein denotes a hare-like foot that is capable of grabbing the terrain for more easily transversing the hills and dales where birds are found.
Coat: Short, dense, smooth with a sheen.
Interpretation: this does not mean "silky", nor does it mean longer than ¾ to 1". Any longer and you have a more houndlike coat. The coat should have enough substance to ward off thorns when hunting. An undercoat will develop on the Pointer in cold climates. In the warmer climates you may see no evidence of undercoat at all. There should be no wave to the coat…yes, there have been some with a slight ripple down the back..and it should always be dense enough not to see the skin. Of course, it is much finer on the head, ears and tail.
Color: Liver, lemon, black, orange; either in combination with white or solid-colored. A good Pointer cannot be a bad color. In the darker colors, the nose should be black or brown; in the lighter shades it may be lighter or flesh-colored.
Interpretation: NO POINTER CAN BE A BAD COLOR. Of course, we hall have our favorites…and there is nothing more beautiful than a ring or field full of Pointers of different color. There are no "bad" markings. You must learn to train your eye to remove the color from the dog and judge accordingly. The eye can be fooled by markings..making the back look longer or shorter, the head look wider or narrower, the neck look longer or shorter, the shoulders look more laid back than they are, the tail set lower or higher, etc.,etc.,etc. All color combinations are acceptable and there are tri-colored pointers. These are marked, as a Doberman, with tan points over the eyes,on the cheeks, under the tail and on the legs. There are roan Pointers. There are ticked Pointers. These are not to be faulted, nor are any of the markings to be faulted. Some of our finest Pointers have had minimal color with their white, this is very acceptable.
Gait: Smooth, frictionless, with a powerful hindquarters' drive. The head should be carried high, the nostrils wide, the tail moving from side to side rhythmically with the pace, giving the impression of a well-balanced, strongly-built hunting dog capable of top speed combined with great stamina. Hackney gait must be faulted.
Interpretation: Frictionless is the key. A Pointer should not look like he's working…he should move freely, as the wind, to cover terrain. Head held high, does not mean at a 90 degree angle to the body. This means that the head should be higher than the body for air scenting, not low to the ground (as a hound) for ground scenting. Hackney gait is probably one of the biggest problems in the breed today. We must try to award the sound dog of Pointer type. This breed is not meant to be "flashy moving". It is a working breed who should show determination in both reach and drive.
Balance and Size: Balance and over-all symmetry are more important in the Pointer than size. A smooth, balanced dog is to be more desired than a dog with strongly contrasting good points and faults. Hound or terrier characteristics are most undesirable. Because a sporting dog must have both endurance and power, great variations in size are undesirable, the desirable height and weight being within the following limits:
Dogs: Height - 25-28 inchesWeight- 55-75 pounds
Bitches: Height - 23-26 inches Weight -45-65 pounds
Interpretation: This is a working dog. It should never be shown in flabby weight, nor over-weight. I find that the Pointer, when in proper form will show hint of the last two ribs and be well covered throughout the rest of the body with muscle. We do not fault size, however with any breed whose job includes both staying power and dash, to be too big will be tiresome and to be too small will be difficult to find on the hunt. This is a medium sized dog. If you look at the height vs. weight, you will find that it is an elegant dog, who carries no excess weight. We have found, over the past 30 years, that the dog/bitch who fits the middle of the desired limits will function more easily and with less strain for day after day in the field.
Remember! It is the head and the tail that sets the Pointer apart and makes it unique. It is important that these qualities, along with soundness, be in your mind at all times when judging the Pointer.
Approved November 11, 1975