After months of researching to find the right breed. Kristina Tamburr and her boyfriend, from central New Jersey, decided they wanted a dog that was health tested, temperament tested, proven in the field, and proven in the show ring. That’s when they decided on the German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP).
“We were on a waiting list for over a year with each dog,” Kristina says “And we are so blessed to have found the breeders that we did. I have established such an amazing relationship with our breeders to the point where we talk almost every day.”
Why a German Shorthaired Pointer?
Kristina says her boyfriend grew up with hunting dogs and is an avid hunter. She, too, spends most of her day outside and needed a dog to keep up with her active lifestyle.
An Athletic Hunting Dog
Their first GSP, Ruger, is two years old. He competes in Conformation, Obedience, Rally, Dock Diving, Trick Dog, CGC, and Pointing Hunt Tests.
She says Ruger’s favorite sport is Dock Diving. In fact, Ruger got his Dock Master title in just two days jumping 21-22’ “The drive that Ruger has for it is insane. I remember at our first NADD event, none of the dogs were jumping and Ruger would jump 22 feet. Everyone would run up to take videos of him and say ‘Jump Ruger Jump!’ It was amazing. There is nothing like seeing your dog do what they love to do.”
She also loves to watch Ruger do what he was bred to do — work a field and point bords. “He is in his glory,” Kristina says. “They love to please just as much as they love to work.”
Practice Makes Perfect
Kristina sets aside 1-2 hours a day to train her dogs. She does 30 minutes of obedience work followed by 30-45 blind retrieves, heel work, and fetch.
They live on a pheasant preserve so, during hunting season, Kristina and her boyfriend take their dogs out to hunt one or two times a week. When they aren’t hunting, they are training for hunt tests and basic field obedience.
Her advice to others looking to get into dog sports is: Ask questions! Everyone is super welcoming and wants you to do well,” she says. “Also, listen to your dog. See what events they like and which ones they don’t like – never force your dog to do an event they aren’t enjoying.”
Ruger has more than 19,000 followers on Instagram and Kristina uses the account both to show off her cute dogs and to educate the public on dog sports and hunting dogs.
Pointing Breed Hunt Tests
Pointing Breed Hunting tests are non-competitive pass/fail tests that are a great way to let pointing breeds do what they were born to do. The tests assess each dog independently based on things like display of desire, boldness, independence, and speed. Dogs run across difficult or confusing scent patterns to pinpoint the location of birds.
Eligible AKC breeds include:
- Brittanys
- English Setters
- German Shorthaired Pointers
- German Wirehaired Pointers
- Gordon Setters
- Irish Red & White Setters
- Irish Setters
- Pointers
- Spinone Italiano
- Vizslas
- Weimaraners
- Wirehaired Pointing Griffons
- Wirehaired Vizsla
Join Ruger
Follow Ruger’s journey through dog sports on Instagram. To find the right dog breed for you, check out the AKC Marketplace.
Think your dog has what it takes to be Dog Star of the Month? Use the hashtag #ThisIsAKC on Instagram.