Litters
Labrador's
Vizsla's
Perdiguero
De Burgos
Information
Started Dogs
AGD Hunts
Gallery
Events
Links
|
Perdiguero De Burgos
Spanish Pointer 
|
The Pointers. The Pointers are a family of dogs developed in different parts of Europe for the purpose of "standing game." A Pointer has keen hearing and eyesight as well as smell and is able to find exactly where the game birds are hiding, be they in trees, grassy cover, or bushes. When the dog senses the presence of a bird it freezes and points its entire body, with the nose at the end, towards the location of the bird. The hunter then fires and the Pointer has done its job, until it is time to find the next bird. These dogs, of which there are nearly two dozen, are perfect for the hunter who desires accuracy. They are also intelligent dogs, very devoted to their families, and very determined to do the job and to do it well. They are similar to the Setters in size, though some breeds are smaller than others are.
While the spaniels and water dogs come from the Spanish Water Dog, and the Spanish Water Dog, from herding dog breeds, the Pointers come from the Perdiguero Navarro, and the Perdiguero Navarro, from the scenthounds. The Perdiguero Navarro, or Old Spanish Pointer, is, together, with the Spanish Water Dog, the likely ancestral gun dog. This dog is the link between the scenthounds and the gun dogs. I believe that this breed is the dog that is basically where scenthounds transform into gun dogs, just as the Spanish Water Dog is where herding dogs transform into gun dogs. These two very different breeds are the two seeds from which the gun dog family has sprung. The Perdiguero Navarro stands 20-24 inches tall and weighs 50-70 pounds. It has a moderately heavyset build, straight legs, and a moderate dewlap. The head is long and the muzzle is square shaped with hanging lips. The skin is tight and the coat may be short or long. Colors include white and orange or white and liver, with or without ticking. The most distinctive quality of this breed, a quality that this dog and this dog alone possesses, is a split nose. The nose is actually split almost in two by a groove that runs between the two nostrils. The Perdiguero Navarro is a very energetic and determined hunting dog. It has existed since the 1100s and is probably descended from the Talbot Hound and the Southern Hound. For all those centuries it has been delighting hunters and gamesmen in northern Spain with its great desire to please, its untiring energy, and its wonderful nose. It is the original pointing dog and it makes a superb tracker. This breed has been on the verge of extinction for the better part of two centuries but has persisted in rural Spain. Today it has been rediscovered by enthusiasts of Spanish breeds and huntsmen, who are breeding this delightful, split-nosed dog, and it is beginning to make a comeback once again. The Perdiguero de Burgos, or Spanish Pointer, is a large Pointer that has contributed greatly to the development of other Pointer breeds, particularly the larger ones, such as the Large French Pointer, but also to more medium sized ones as well. It has been around at least since the 1500s and is thought to be a descendent of the Perdiguero Navarro (Old Spanish Pointer) and Spain's scenthound breed, the Sabueso Espanol. The Perdiguero de Burgos stands 20-25 inches tall and weighs 50-70 pounds. It is not as heavily built as it looks. It has a lot of skin, because of its relationship with the Sabueso Espanol. It has muscular shoulders and a deep and broad chest. It has a large square shaped head and a moderately defined stop. The muzzle is long, very broad and square shaped. The ears are low-set and of moderate length. It has hanging flews and a dewlap. The coat is short and dense and the coloring is always liver and white, which can include or exclude patches and ticking. Most Perdigueros de Burgos have very heavy ticking, giving an almost grizzled appearance. The Perdiguero de Burgos was used as a specialist on deer for most of its history. Today it is mainly used on quail, partridges, and hare. Its excellent nose could fairly qualify it as a scenthound and it is known for not giving up on a scent. It is a much faster and more athletic dog than it looks and is able to easily clamber over rough and hilly terrain and to master steep slopes. At the same time, like other gun dogs, this is a very obedient dog and easy to train. It swims well and works in the water. It is a very patient dog with children and other dogs and is very eager to please its master, as befits its gun dog status. Today the Perdiguero de Burgos is actually smaller and lighter built than it once was, because Spanish breeders have made great efforts to refine and hone its fine qualities as a bird-hunting dog. This breed was headed for extinction in the early part of this century, but today its popularity is growing rapidly in Spain and hunters are rediscovering its many positive qualities. While the Perdiguero Navarro and Perdiguero de Burgos are older pointing breeds, probably no breed of pointer more closely resembles the scenthound ancestors of the gun dogs, than the Bracco Italiano, or Italian Pointer. This dog has been around since the times of the Renaissance. The Bracco Italiano is the largest of all the Pointers. It stands 22-27 inches tall and weighs 55-90 pounds. It is a squarely built dog with straight and thickly muscular legs. The chest is deep and broad and its neck thick and back very stocky and muscular. The head is domed and its ears long and pendulous, just like those of a scenthound breed. The muzzle is long and deep and its lips are loose. Its tail is short and its coat is always short and dense. Coloring includes orange and white, chestnut and white, orange roan, and chestnut roan. The Bracco Italiano is a very fine dog. It is a descendent of the Perdiguero de Burgos and also, probably the smooth-haired Segugio Italiano, Italy's oldest scenthound breed. This dog is a much faster and more agile than one would think by looking at it. Its scenting ability is superb and it is able to point, retrieve, and track. It is very serious in the field with a strong commitment to what it is doing and its incredible power enables it to cover harsh mountainous terrain. It is also easy to train and very calm in the home. It is a very sweet and sensitive dog that loves to have fun and truly enjoys the company of children. It can be a little bit stubborn, because of its scenthound influence, but makes up for this in the results of the hunt. This breed declined drastically in the early part of this century but was rediscovered and is gaining popularity rapidly both in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. Hunters appreciate this dog, which, one might say, combines the best qualities of both the scenthounds and the gun dogs. The Portuguese Pointer, or Perdiguero Portugueso, is a popular hunting dog in Portugal. It stands 20-22 inches tall and weighs 35-60 pounds. It is a dog of square build with sloping shoulders, a moderately deep and broad chest, a long neck, and a short tail. The head is slightly domed and fairly long. The ears are wide and medium sized and the stop, fairly well defined. The muzzle is of moderate length with a deep rectangular shape and only slightly pointed. The coat is short and dense and comes in various shades of yellow-brown, with white markings sometimes occurring on the chest, neck, muzzle, and hands. Sometimes there is a white blaze on the forehead. The Portuguese Pointer is probably the ancestor of the English Pointer and is descended from the Spanish Pointer. It has been around since the 1200s and has long been used both to point and to track wounded game. In earlier years it was used in conjunction with a falcon, but today is used together with guns. It works on many different kinds of terrain and makes sure that it does not lose sight of its master. It sniffs the air and can detect game from a great distance. When it spots the game, its tail is held horizontally and the entire dog freezes, canceling out all other stimuli in the environment. The Portuguese Pointer has a soft mouth and enjoys doing its job and being with its master and the children and other pets in the family. It is a serious and sensitive dog that is easy to train. This breed is found almost exclusively in Portugal where it is kept by many hunt enthusiasts and is a source of national pride. It is not recommended for people who do not hunt or for anyone who does not lead an active lifestyle. This dog requires a great deal of exercise. |
Contact AspenGunDogs.com
