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LargeSporting Group

German Shorthaired Pointer

The German Shorthaired Pointer emerged in late-19th-century Germany as a versatile all-purpose gundog — pointing, retrieving, and tracking across varied European terrain.

Calculate German Shorthaired Pointer age
Lifespan13.4 yrrange 13–14
SizeLargeSporting Group
Weight45–70 lb20.4–31.8 kg
Senior at6 yrgeriatric at 10

Gallery (3)

About

About the German Shorthaired Pointer

The German Shorthaired Pointer emerged in late-19th-century Germany as a versatile all-purpose gundog — pointing, retrieving, and tracking across varied European terrain. The breed is defined by its webbed feet and dense liver-patterned coat.

Aging

How German Shorthaired Pointers age

RVC VetCompass gives a median lifespan of 13.4 years (n=4,260). Developmental orthopedic rates are unusually low — elbow dysplasia 1.1% on OFA screens — but gastric dilatation-volvulus remains the signature acute risk given the deep chest.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 13.4 yr · range 13–14Senior careSenior at 6 · geriatric at 10Common health issues10 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
45–70 lb(20.4–31.8 kg)
Height
21–25 in(53.3–63.5 cm)
Coat type
Short
Colors
LiverLiver & WhiteLiver RoanWhite & LiverBlack & WhiteBlackBlack Roan
Temperament

Temperament

How German Shorthaired Pointers tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

versatileenergeticintelligentbiddable
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~1 yr

    Congenital Cardiac Defect

    Description and veterinary guidance for Congenital Cardiac Defect land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
90min
per day

German Shorthaired Pointers are high-output dogs — plan for 90 minutes of daily activity across a mix of walks, off-leash play, and purposeful work.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.