The Old Spanish Pointer, or Perro de Punta Español, was an extinct breed (or landrace) of dog originating in Spain, believed to be the ultimate ancestor of almost all pointing dogs. Roman writers of the first century, Pliny or Sallustius, comment on the existence of dogs from Hispania that were used for hunting birds with nets. Centuries later, Muslim conquerors arrived on the Iberian Peninsula and brought the technique of falconry with them. These conquerors were pleasantly surprised to learn that Spanish pointers, trained by monks, displayed useful behaviours. The dog stopped when it found a bird and remained motionless until the hunter arrived. At this point, the falconry hunting technique joined with the Spanish Pointer as a perfect mechanism to locate and mark the position of prey. Since then, the skill set of the pointing dog has adapted to the technology involved in the hunt. Stories report that during the Spanish Civil War, a Portuguese merchant took one Spanish Pointer from Spain and gifted it to Baron Bichel of Norfolk.
[{"wars": "n/a", "used_as_trackers": "n/a"}]
[{"wars": "n/a", "used_as_trackers": "n/a"}]