As the name implies, the country of origin of this breed of dog was Germany.  German Shorthaired Pointers have been known to be a distinct and separate breed probably since the 17th century.  However, the dog that we identify as a GSP today was developed by a group made up of dedicated noblemen and sportsmen towards the end of the 19th century.  It is important to note that these people had a very specific purpose in developing this breed.  They wanted a personal gun dog, that could "sense, find, point, mark, and return game in the field and out of the water."  They also wanted a companion and family dog.  They wanted it all, a dog that could do anything.  Prior to this time, noblemen would keep large kennels with a variety of dogs depending on what he wanted to hunt that day. Each dog would have a specialty, earth dogs, field dogs, water spaniels, etc.  The philosophy of the developers of the GSP was "Those that have many dogs do not have any dogs."  It is believed that these developers selectively bred to the German Pointer, the Spanish Pointer, the English Pointer, and various scent hounds until they arrived at what we know today as the German Shorthaired Pointer.
     Hunting privileges had been given to the middle classes in the 18th to 19th century, hunting to this date had been almost exclusively for the nobility.  The middle class needed to have a dog that could help hunt dinner, be a companion to it's master and be a protector of the family.  It had to get along with other animals, since this dog would mostly be found on farms.  There would be no separate kennel for the dog - it lived with the family.
     German Shorthaired Pointers found their way to the U.S. as early as the 1880's.  The American Kennel Club recognized the breed officially in 1930.  In 1939 the A.K.C. granted the Minnesota GSP Club parent club status, and the GSP Club of America got it's start.  Until 1953 the Minnesota Club remained the parent club, then it was mandated that the parent club be a separate organization.  In 1962 the GSP Club of America was finally established into its present day structure.

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