Programs
Annual Awards
Each year the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America honors those dogs and their owners and breeders who have excelled in the various competitions throughout the previous year at their Annual Awards Banquet. This is held in conjunction with the National Specialty Show.
Effective in 2013 – for a dog to be eligible for GSPCA awards and GSPCA rankings, all owners and co-owners of the dog must be members of the GSPCA by March 1st of the competition year, and, effective in 2020, the year the award is presented. New owners must join the GSPCA within 60 days of being added as an owner of the dog if they are not already members.
GSPCA Hall Of Fame
The GSPCA’s Hall of Fame recognizes individuals and dogs that have made lasting contributions to the sport and/or the breed and is considered one of the highest honors in this time-honored sport.
To find out more about the GSPCA’s Hall of Fame, the requirements and the nomination process click on the links to the right.
Shorthair Journal
The Shorthair Journal is a print magazine that is published 6 times a year for all the members of the German Shorthaired Pointer club of America. It is a professionally produced magazine, which averages approximately 50+ pages per issue.
The Shorthair Journal is an interesting mix of articles on Health & Welfare of GSPs, training tips on our versatile breed, club events as well as advertising. It can connect you to local and regional GSP Clubs, breeders, officers and committee members as well as to other members. Additionally it includes schedules of Field Trial events, Specialty Conformation Shows and information of interest to our 1,500 members.
Junior Members
The GSPCA Junior membership was created as a link between the youth and adults of our breed, with the goal of educating and preparing our young fanciers to become the stewards of the GSP, through the expertise and resources available through the collective knowledge of current GSPCA “regular” members.
It was also created as a way to give recognition and better support to the young people who are interested in our breed, regardless of the area of interest. No breed can move ever onward toward perfection without dedicated and prepared young fanciers to take over as the current pillars of the breed step out of activity.
Registry Of Merit
How to Apply:
Please fill out a PDF application and submit with proof of AKC titles for the get used to calculate the points. Proof will be an AKC progeny report or a photocopy of each AKC title used to calculate the points.
After the application has been submitted and reviewed, an awards certificate will be sent to the owner and the awardee will be printed along with their get in the GSPCA Journal.
GSP Rescue
In the early years of Rescue, the GSPCA played an integral part in the startup of many rescue groups. Decades later, GSP rescue organizations have evolved to be their own entities, with large networks of regional volunteers. The GSPCA remains supportive of GSP rescue, and the GSPCA breeder guidelines state that breeders will take back dogs they bred when a home doesn’t work out.
If you are interested in volunteering for rescue or have a dog that needs rehoming, please check the list to the right and contact the group that serves your area.
It was also created as a way to give recognition and better support to the young people who are interested in our breed, regardless of the area of interest.
Sportsmanship
No matter how small the gesture, the act of sportsmanship is truly a great one. The AKC Outstanding Sportsmanship Award was established in 2006 and the award honors those individuals who deserve special recognition that have made a difference in the sport of German Shorthaired Pointers, embodies the AKC Code of Sportsmanship and GSPCA Code of Ethics, and have been an active and valued member of our breed events.
The GSPCA Board of Directors believes that sportsmanship is at the core of our sport and for the first time is supporting this award. We established this award as an annual offering beginning in 2015.
Versatility Awards
his is an exclusive award given by the German Shorthaired Pointer club of America to members of the GSPCA for their achievement in obtaining titles and other achievements in the many different venues that AKC offers! The Award was created to encourage members to expand their participation in the many different activities that are recognized within this program.
The Versatility Certificates can be earned on achievements in the following venues: Conformation, Field, Hunt, Obedience/Rally, Tracking, Agility, and a new “other” category for achievements that do not fit the other prior areas. This program is a tiered approach and will encourage the single focused enthusiast who has only participated in one activity to try out the many other and different activities that a GSP can do!
A system of point values has been established based on the titles that can be earned in each of these venues (refer to the chart of qualifications.)
Water Test Certificate
GSPCA Water Retrieve Tests are not only fun, but they provide an opportunity for GSP’s and their owner to participate in an activity together and for the GSP to demonstrate swimming and retrieving skills just being learned or those already developed.
Quite simply: It’s all about getting the GSP into the water to retrieve a bird back to the handler, and for the judges to observe the dog’s willingness to enter the water, reaction to gun fire, retrieving skills, and response to the handler’s commands. Game birds commonly used are chukar, quail, or pigeon, and usually ducks for the advanced levels. The GSP and their handler begin within a 12’ diameter circle a few feet from the edge of the water.
GSPCA Yearbook
Throughout the years the yearbook has grown in the table of contents and in volume. The current 2013 yearbook boasts 457 pages! Breeders have relied on our Yearbooks for years to not only showcase their own dogs, but also, who to consider breeding to.