Pointers in the UK...

[Springfield Pointers]

Question: Why are Pointers so rarely found in the UK? I am battling to find anyone who has any working dogs. Springers fall out of any tree if you shake it. I've seen a few GSP's, but Pointers - no. I get the different shooting conditions etc, but surely just a few? Anyone?

[trekmoor]

There are still people who work pointers in Britain . They tend to come together only for field trials however. The people who do best in these trials tend to have very good access to grouse moors.....practice makes perfect.

I have twice been at training seminars as the third part of a three man team of pointer field trial judges along with Peter O'Driscoll and Wilson Young both of whom very successfully compete in pointer trials and judge them. Both men have won the pointer/setter championships. I have worked my HPR's alongside their pointers and know how good their dogs can be. I was invited to be the third part of those training seminars "experts ....a word I hate" mainly to keep the HPR enthusiasts who turned up happy ! We were asked all sorts of questions .....and although we are friends we certainly did not always agree ! I think the 30 -40 pointing dog enthusiasts who sat in the hall listening to us "discussing/arguing" were quite amused by the fact that we did not always agree !

I have met many other pointer/setter folk and got on well with all of them BUT there are not nearly as many such people as there are among the spaniel and lab folk .....or even among the HPR folk. There just isn't sufficient work on open, gamey ground available to make folk want to keep a pointer.

Bill T.

[westcountry]

I think they are slowly on the increase,SP. Seen one or two spaniel people switched over. English Setters also seem to be on the brink of a resurgence.
In this country its down to where and how you can work your dog. Pointers are not ideal for commercial shooting. Very few people have the range of land to shoot over that Pointers would revel in. Having said that 20 years ago I knew a man with English Pointers that worked the Grouse Moors with them for the Arab Sheikhs to fly their falcons at. He was very well paid.

[Jangles]

Some websites for Pointer Breed Clubs in the UK - I can't vouch for any content though. Hope they help...

www.thepointerclub.co.uk
www.thepointerclubofscotland.wordpress.com
www.southernpointerclub.co.uk

or

UK Field Trial Societies list you can trawl through..

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/ ... s_list.pdf

Jangles

[Rothievale]

We do! We've got 2 English pointers and a German pointer. We regularly have a mix of pointers, gsps and sometimes a setter. We use them for counting grouse on the hill, grouse over pointer days and counting capercaillie. Are you fb? I've loads of photos on Facebook but struggle for the time to upload photos onto here

[Springfield Pointers]

Setters do very well in the highlands of the eastern cape in the big country. They have some incredible setters. Very big running, hard dogs. Incredibly beautiful.

[Springfield Pointers]

Some websites for Pointer Breed Clubs in the UK - I can't vouch for any content though. Hope they help...

www.thepointerclub.co.uk
www.thepointerclubofscotland.wordpress.com
www.southernpointerclub.co.uk

or

UK Field Trial Societies list you can trawl through..

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/ ... s_list.pdf

Jangles

Thanks. Will look them up. Wanting to get involved.

[Judy]

Llewellyn on here comes over from Italy to Trial her Setter in the UK does pretty well too. She has a few contacts amongst the Pointer folk, I'll ask her to PM you.

[Springfield Pointers]

Llewellyn on here comes over from Italy to Trial her Setter in the UK does pretty well too. She has a few contacts amongst the Pointer folk, I'll ask her to PM you.

Fantastic, thank you.

[llwellin]

Hello, I have been following British Field trials since 2015 and English Pointers are probably the most represented breed, I saw some pointers I liked more than others but overall I see the breed in good health. The type of pointers I see in the UK is somehow/sometimes different from the Italian type pointers but recently the Brits started working with Italian bloodlines as well.
As people have already wrote here, is difficult to go hunting/shooting on your own with a pointer in the UK. So basically these dogs are used just for trials and grouse counting. a few for formal grouse shooting over setters & pointers. Anyway feel free to ask questions, here or privately