I have a 2 year old lab/pointer mix, but since I got her from the shelter I've been trying to figure out whether she is a German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) or an English Pointer. She's black and white with ticking, but since she's mixed with lab it's really hard to tell. By reading the breed standards I came to think she was a GSP.
I was recently told that you can tell the difference between GSPs and English Pointers by the color of their skin: GSPs have a dark-tan skin color while English Pointers have a more pink skin color, so my dog is clearly an English Pointer. I've never heard this before, but the woman who told me this said she has owned pointers and works at a dog training facility, so she seems qualified to know.
Does anyone know if this is true? If not, how CAN you tell?
Tags: Black, ticking, breed
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Aside from DNA testing, I’m not sure how you’d figure this out for sure in a mixed breed dog. I would just keep myself familiar with the breed descriptions including temperament, observe any of either breed that you meet, and eventually it might become clear. Then again, it might not. Doesn’t matter a whole lot, really, but one of the fascinations to me of having a mixed breed dog is figuring out what you’ve got if you don’t really know the mix. You can end up in long conversations with other dog owners as you try to figure out each other’s dogs. I’ve got a dog who’s a complete mystery but depending on which angle you view him from, has hints of Lab, maybe Chow or Husky, some Rottie. I’ll never know but it’s fun speculating. I have another who passes for a Lab with most people who meet her and there’s very definitely Lab in her, but as soon as she runs you can see a slightly large Border Collie.
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