The Rise of the English Pointer in America
Dog historian Craig Koshyk explores the Pointer’s rise from a lesser-known breed to dominance in American field trials, while challenging the belief that modern hunting dogs and methods have remained unchanged over time.
Dog historian Craig Koshyk brings us to Season 3 of Hunting Dog Confidential with a deep look into the pointer in America. With his second book, Pointing Dogs, Volume Two: The British and Irish Breeds, Koshyk continued his extensive exploration of hunting dog breeds, having traveled for over 20 years to study them in their native environments.
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In this episode, Koshyk challenges the commonly accepted idea that the hunting dogs we use today, along with the methods of dog training and hunting with them, are the same as they’ve always been. He explains that while some elements have persisted, much has evolved. “Hunters today and their four-legged companions are in some ways just like hunters and their dogs were a hundred years ago,” he notes, but emphasizes that many aspects of modern gun dog culture are completely new.
Koshyk first addresses the Pointer, a breed considered dominant in American field trials today. Many believe pointers have always held this position, but, as Koshyk points out, “For a long time, pointers played a distant second fiddle to Setters in America.” He explains that in the early 1900s, English Setters were more widely favored in trials, especially due to their natural retrieving ability, which was a key requirement for many competitions.
He shares a notable story from 1909, when a pointer named Manitoba Rap became the first of its breed to win the prestigious national championship in Grand Junction, Tennessee. Koshyk describes the surprise of the crowd, recounting how Thomas Johnson, Rap’s owner, made an audacious bet, wagering $5,000 (about $200,000 today) that a pointer would win—a bold move, as pointers had never won the championship before. Johnson’s confidence was rewarded when Manitoba Rap claimed victory, marking a significant turning point for the breed. “It may be said that the race of 1909 marks an epoch in this classic event,” Koshyk quotes from a report of the time.
Koshyk then delves into the versatile breeds, particularly the German breeds like the Weimaraner and German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP). Contrary to the belief that these versatile dogs have a long history in Germany, he reveals that these breeds are relatively modern creations. “There was a time not that long ago when there were no versatile dogs at all in Germany,” Koshyk explains, noting that early bird dogs in the region were primarily Pointers, Setters, and French breeds, such as Braques and Epagneuls.
The conversation returns to the rise of the pointer in American field trials. Initially, pointers were seen as less capable retrievers compared to setters, and many thought that pointers were too delicate for the harsh American conditions. Koshyk explains that early field trials often required dogs to retrieve birds, a task at which setters excelled. “At first, the vast majority of dogs running in trials were Setters,” he says, because the expectation was that dogs needed to retrieve well.
However, over time, trial organizers and handlers began to change their approach. They realized that bird-handling and bird-finding abilities were more important than retrieving skills. This shift in focus helped pointers catch up to setters in popularity. “They started running Pointers against Setters and judging them only on their bird-handling abilities,” Koshyk explains, which leveled the playing field for pointers.
Despite these advancements, the perception of Pointers as “too thin-skinned” to retrieve in tough cover or cold weather persisted for a while. Setters were seen as tougher and more elegant, a bias that Koshyk attributes to the deep-rooted preference for Setters in the American hunting and trial scene. Pointer breeders had to work on developing faster, hardier dogs to meet these expectations, and over time, they succeeded in breeding dogs that could compete at the highest level.
Koshyk also touches on an unusual prejudice from the past: the preference against black-coated pointers. Even though solid black pointers were not uncommon in the U.S., judges were reluctant to award wins to these dogs. That began to change in the 1890s when a black-and-white pointer named Rip-Rap won a significant trial, breaking the color barrier and helping black-coated pointers gain recognition.
In conclusion, Koshyk highlights how much has changed in the world of hunting dogs over the past century, particularly in the ways breeds have been shaped and the shifting standards of field trials. “So much has changed over the years in the way we breed, train, and use our hunting dogs that almost everything about gun dogs and gun dog culture today is completely modern,” he summarizes. This episode offers a thoughtful exploration of how history, culture, and evolving standards have influenced the development of hunting dogs, especially the rise of the pointer as the dominant breed in American field trials.
