information from DKV website
| A Short History In a little less than 100 years the transition from the plump, cumbersome archetype to the present noble appearance has taken place. The breed’s particular assets are a far reaching nose, impressive, firm pointing, willingness to track down, retrieving, following blood scent, toughness, endurance and passion for water hunting. All of these attributes are absolutely set in stone by the breeders. The breeders of our versatile hunting dog have made an enormous contribution to today’s appearance of the Deutsch-Kurzhaar through close observation of the hunting specifications as well as their knowledge and experience. They were supported by the founders and the club presidents in their efforts to achieve the best possible results. With diligence and German thoroughness they jointly helped the Deutsch-Kurzhaar acquire today’s significance. In Germany the Deutsch-Kurzhaar is the most common versatile hunting dog next to the Deutsch-Drahthaar. A downright enthusiastic upward trend can be observed not only in Europe, but far beyond the borders of Germany. The DK thrives on its growing popularity on all continents. The yearly test statistics in the German Versatile Dog Registry of the JGHV e.V. clearly substantiate that the DK achieves excellent results in comparison to all other pointing breeds. In relation to the registered whelps the Deutsch-Kurzhaar almost always is at the peak of accomplishment with its wide-ranged performance spectrum. |
The Ancestors of the Deutsch-Kurzhaar
Through literary sources we know that the ancestors of the Deutsch-Kurzhaar can not exclusively be found among the Old German lead dogs, bloodhounds, scent hounds, hunting dogs and further native breeds. These dogs were specialized in attacking and bringing game to bay The history of the Deutsch-Kurzhaar begins with the dogs that were used to point birds in order net them – especially in the Mediterranean countries and by falconry hunting. The pointing dog came to the German courts via France, Spain and Flanders. These dog’s most important attribute was their pointing capability. After the double-barrelled shotgun was invented in 1750 there was an even greater need for a pointing dog. As of then, birds were shot in flight.
From the Pointer to the Versatile Gundog
Due to Napoleon’s conquest over the feudal system the hunting of small game became accessible for various social levels. That was the beginning of the transition from the mere pointer to the multi-talented all purpose gundog. Hektor I (Stammb. Kurzhaar, Volume I, born 1872) may be referred to as the ancestor of our Deutsch-Kurzhaar, although his type was far away from today’s Kurzhaar. For the most part, they were heavier, often had throat skin or a sway back, ectropion or soft paws. As a result they were slower and calmer workers, but they were already highly efficient and most of them were good retrievers.
In relatively short time our DK-breeders have formed the type of our present dogs out of Hektor I. The standards, as described in the Standard Deutsch-Kurzhaar, have been achieved in all blood lines. The over-all appearance is noble and harmonious, the exterior guarantees endurance, power and speed. This expresses itself through the noblesse of the over-all appearance, the flowing side lines, dry head, well carried tail and the taut, shining coat. DK-breeders offer hunters the Deutsch-Kurzhaar under the motto: noble, versatile, reliable, easy to groom.
