French Spaniel vs German Shorthaired Pointer
Side by side
French Spaniel
German Shorthaired Pointer
Adult weight
23–27 kg (50–60 lb) (breed club figure)1
Males 25–32 kg (55–71 lb); females 20–27 kg (44–60 lb) (breed club figure)2
Fully grown
11 months, both sexes4
Shedding
Sheds through the year
Grooming
Brushing a few times a week
A brush once a week
Exercise
Plenty
Class
Field
Field
Which suits you
Grooming
The French Spaniel needs more grooming, brushing a few times a week, where the German Shorthaired Pointer needs a brush once a week.
Temperament
They differ most on affection (French Spaniel: affectionate on its own terms; German Shorthaired Pointer: a lap or leaning dog) and on independence (French Spaniel: keen to work with you; German Shorthaired Pointer: cooperative, with its own ideas).
Alike
They are much the same size as adults, about 25 kg (55 lb) for the French Spaniel and 26 kg (57 lb) for the German Shorthaired Pointer.
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
What they're like
French Spaniel
Pointing dogs · Medium
In temperament it is gentle and sociable, keen to work with its handler and generally calm indoors.
German Shorthaired Pointer
Pointing dogs · Medium
In temperament it is friendly, intelligent and willing, with plenty of drive and stamina.
Breed traits
Day to day
French Spaniel
German Shorthaired Pointer
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Differs
Learns readily, likes games
Needs daily brain work
Handler demand
Differs
Needs steady training
Needs an experienced owner
With people
French Spaniel
German Shorthaired Pointer
Affection
Differs
Affectionate on its own terms
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Bonded to its family
Bonded to its family
Independence
Differs
Keen to work with you
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
French Spaniel
German Shorthaired Pointer
Sensitivity
Differs
Average
Needs a calm, predictable home
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Differs
Chases; needs managing
Likely to chase small pets
Puppy growth
Reference curves · both sexes
Summary
Detail
Both grow to much the same adult weight, about 25 kg.
French Spaniel
German Shorthaired Pointer
More comparisons
Compare the French Spaniel with
Sources
- 1American Kennel Club. French Spaniel breed page. ↑
- 2American Kennel Club. German Shorthaired Pointer breed page. ↑
- 3
- 4Hawthorne et al., 2004. Body-weight changes during growth in puppies of different breeds. Journal of Nutrition 134(8 Suppl): 2027S–2030S (WALTHAM). ↑
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8Morrill et al., 2022. Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science 376: eabk0639 (Darwin's Ark). ↑
- 9Dogs Trust. Finding a good, responsible breeder. ↑
- 10American Kennel Club. Screening puppy buyers: how top breeders find the best homes. ↑
- 11
Parts of this page were written by AI ·