Gun Dog Forum

So this is the 2nd time this has happened, this is from the last incident. I pull into parking lot with my dog topper.

Stranger: You running cat dogs?
Me: No, bird dogs.
Stranger: Oh, Labs huh!
Me: No, bird dogs.
Stranger: ...........................
Me: I run Pointers.
Stranger: OK, my brother in-law does that, has some nice Pointers.
Me: (Now my mood changed, interest is peeked). Name is Matt. (Shake hands) You know the breeding on his pointers?
Stranger: Sure do............... German
Me: German?
Stranger: Ya, German bred pointers.
Me: You mean German Shorthaired Pointer?
Stranger: That's what I said.
Me: (rolling eyes) Gotta run.

Don't feel to bad, I get told weekly that my english setter is a nice looking Brittany. Always different ppl, too.

GSPs, preferred most by cat hunters everywhere.

"You have a white pit bull? He showed up in my yard and is trying to eat barbeque."

Try owning Vizslas and GSP's and explaining that at the gas station. It's just easier for me to say pointers and be done with it since that is what they do.

Try being at a dogshow with your girlfriend watching the Vizslas go around the ring when she turns around and says "that's the ugliest Vizsla I've ever seen standing behind u's"! WheN I turned and looked I couldn't help but feel totally embarrassed for her. It was a Redbone Coon hound.

Yep, might just as well call them what they are.

It's envy Matt

You have to be nice. To a lay person, if it has Pointer in its name, it can be confusing.

Try having a breed that is a pointing breed being called a Springer. I use to try and correct but anymore I don't care and I just let them call them whatever they want to.

I don't get why you would get upset about someone with little experience with bird dogs confusing a breed. :roll:

Maybe teaching them the difference would be a better approach.

Just saying

Maybe he had just a little experience and you didn't mention that you run English Pointers instead of German ones? He may have bee rolling his eyes while walking away.

Brazosvalleyvizslas wrote:Maybe he had just a little experience and you didn't mention that you run English Pointers instead of German ones? He may have bee rolling his eyes while walking away.

They aren't "English" they are Pointers .

birddog1968 wrote:

Brazosvalleyvizslas wrote:Maybe he had just a little experience and you didn't mention that you run English Pointers instead of German ones? He may have bee rolling his eyes while walking away.

?


They aren't "English" they are Pointers .

I think their standard breed name is "English" pointer. Unless akc has changed that....

Pointers is pointas and settas is settas and thems birddogs,sorry continental breed folks yours are considered dogs that find birds but not actually "birddogs" to the true blue redneck crew.

I had a kid in near the great falls area ask if we were running "lions" when he saw my pointer.The funny part about that was that 2 years later that pointer did take off and chase a coug up a tree in washington.

campgsp wrote:

birddog1968 wrote:

Brazosvalleyvizslas wrote:Maybe he had just a little experience and you didn't mention that you run English Pointers instead of German ones? He may have bee rolling his eyes while walking away.

?


They aren't "English" they are Pointers .

I think their standard breed name is "English" pointer. Unless akc has changed that....

For some reason I don't think they are talking about AKC stuff.

Try large Munsterlander, I met exactly 3 folks at dog parks the knew what one was. And trying to explain it as very similar to a German Long haired pointer does not help in most cases.

AF calls them Pointers, AKC calls them Pointers and even westminster calls them pointers.....

It is funny how many times I have been in a situation such as getting gas or transfer station , bank .Places where you do encounter the general public. "What kind of dog is he? " I typicaly smile & nod at Max in the truck and say who him ? & My response is always the same " He's a little brown dog " The people love & usually repond with he's a nice looking dog.

I feel your pain, man! A couple of years ago I had someone call my Heeler a pit bull, I've had someone call my Malinois a Dobe/Shepherd cross and one person actually argued with me that she was a Shepherd! The other day I was at Subway, just getting back in the pickup and had Moxy and Cinna hanging out the windows, just begging for attention from passers by, when one guy passed by and yelled back, "nice lookin' dogs - Brittany Spaniel?" I gave up long ago trying to explain to people why Britts aren't spaniels (I can only imagine what the Britt folks go through), so I just grinned and said, "nope, Setter."

On the flip side, it is a real pleasure when you get someone who rolls up out of no where and really knows the breed. I was parked at a gas station awhile back and Cinna was hanging out the window as usual while I was in the store, and when I got back from paying for gas a lady was at the window just loving on her. I thought the lady was going to break out in tears. She said Cinna was the first Setter she'd seen since her's was taken from her yard years ago. She even asked if she was a Llew or an English. Had one guy comment on Moxy and we sat and spoke for awhile about his old dogs and such. He'd been to Ames and everything. That was nice.

I have had people confuse my pointers with several breeds also. They normally ask about my GSP's which I think is the most common comment.

My personal favorite is people commenting on my Dalmation. He is actually a tri-color setter that is predominately white with ticking.

Ha ha - I had the same thing with my GSP - she was always called a dalmation. The Vizsla has been called a redbone. Crazy people out there!

This wasn't about confusion of breed. I'd understand that, some people just don't know. Do I care to explain to them, no, but that's me. But the main point, Shorthairs are not called Pointers. Only Pointers are called Pointers. German Shorthaired Pointers are: Shorthairs, GSP's, not Pointers. I brought this up because I see it in here all the time. "Pointer won't Point". Then it turns out "Pointer" is a Spanoni. It's a simple case of mis-informed, this should help it.

Brazosvalleyvizslas wrote:Maybe he had just a little experience and you didn't mention that you run English Pointers instead of German ones? He may have bee rolling his eyes while walking away.

No such thing as a German Pointer....................

hustonmc wrote:

Brazosvalleyvizslas wrote:Maybe he had just a little experience and you didn't mention that you run English Pointers instead of German ones? He may have bee rolling his eyes while walking away.

No such thing as a German Pointer....................

I have a GWP. I'd argue it's a German pointer. Not a German Pointer, however. Tough to hear capitalization.

hustonmc wrote:

Brazosvalleyvizslas wrote:Maybe he had just a little experience and you didn't mention that you run English Pointers instead of German ones? He may have bee rolling his eyes while walking away.

No such thing as a German Pointer....................

How about a German Longhaired Pointer...German Wirehaired Pointer......German Shorthaired Pointer. Notice the ed on the end of the word describing the type of coat on the German pointers. It doesn't say they are Shorthairs but it says they are shorthaired Pointers. We are the ones who started calling the German pointers Shorthairs instead of the right name. And that is fine but we can't say there are no German pointers.

Ezzy

When I had my black and white pointer, people always called him a dalmation, got to the point where I would just nod my head and drive away. What took the cake though, is when I was in the yard running my ryman type english setter, when the neighbor came over with his kids to see the dog, and he says, now kids this is a dalmation, are you kidding me a english setter, I could kinda see calling my pointer a dalmation, but not my setter. I just smiled and said, no it is an english setter. No matter what, the kids loved her.

I wonder if the dogs just look at each other and roll their eyes at all the humans arguing about kind of pointing setting spaniels they are... :roll: :roll: :roll:

Me: No, bird dogs.
Stranger: Oh, Labs huh!
Me: No, bird dogs.

I always use that line!!!

SHORTFAT wrote:I wonder if the dogs just look at each other and roll their eyes at all the humans arguing about kind of pointing setting spaniels they are... :roll: :roll: :roll:

Dogs would have a lot to say if they could speak.

I understand the frustration!!! I have a black and white GSP and every body says " I didnt know Dalmations hunted", or even better " How come you docked your labs tail?" when they see my sloid black GSP or when I had my solid liver GSP. Godbless the uninformed.

Ummm...hello....you do live in eastern oregon...As a fellow oregonian i didn't even realize that prissy white dogs were allowed in the state

The funniest thing that ever happened to me was when my son and I were standing out in front of a restaurant a few months ago waiting on my wife to arrive. I have two gsp's the male is patched and ticked and my female is just ticked, both have liver heads. We had been up at gundog dev all day training and were letting the dogs relieve themselves when this lady pulls up next to us in a very high end car and rolls down the window:

Lady: " What kind of dogs are those? "

Me: "They are both German shorthair pointers!"

Lady: "Oh! When I was a kid my Granddad had a few dogs just like that, he always just told me they were "birddogs" I thought thats what yours were!

Me: "Right, birddogs"

Lady: "Well they sure are pretty though"---she then rolls here window back up and drives away!

My little boy looks up and me and just starts laughing uncontrollably! Guess you all would had to have been there! I take my dogs out whenever I have them and take them into places that allow pets to enter and I am always surprised at the different reactions I get. I run into a lot of people that know exactly what they are but most people are shocked when they see them I guess because the way they are colored and marked up.

pointer wrote:I have had people confuse my pointers with several breeds also. They normally ask about my GSP's which I think is the most common comment.

My personal favorite is people commenting on my Dalmation. He is actually a tri-color setter that is predominately white with ticking.

I have people always saying what a pretty dalmation I have, shes actully a llewelling setter. that just confuses them more.

Not many Brittanys around where I live, and most follow up with that is a spaniel right? I explain the difference between a pointing dog and a flusher. My wife is sick of me explaining it, rolls her eyes and walks away. I say I am trying to educate people, and my wife thinks people who don't hunt don't know or care and why do I bother.