Editing Pointing dog (section)

{{Short description|Hunting dog}}
{{Redirect|Pointer (dog)|the breed of dog also called the "Pointer"|Pointer (dog breed)}}
{{Redirect|Bird dog|the aircraft used in firefighting|Aerial firefighting#Leadplanes|the Everly Brothers song|Bird Dog (song)|the aircraft|Cessna O-1 Bird Dog}}
[[Image:Vizsla ráhúz a vadra.jpg|thumb|A [[Vizsla]] pointing ]]
'''Pointing dogs''', sometimes called '''bird dogs''', are a [[Dog type|type]] of [[gun dog|gundog]] typically used in finding [[Game (food)|game]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/gundogs/gundog-breeds/pointing-dog-53955|title=Continental pointing dog breeds investigated|date=30 March 2016|access-date=20 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gundogmag.com/editorial/how-to-pick-a-pointing-breed/176184|title=How to Pick a Pointing Breed - Gun Dog Magazine|date=26 May 2011|access-date=20 August 2018}}</ref> Gundogs are traditionally divided into three classes: [[retriever]]s, [[flushing dog]]s, and pointing breeds.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6f4a/756b673499e5318927d67ad4aa8b3fd41636.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820203446/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6f4a/756b673499e5318927d67ad4aa8b3fd41636.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2018-08-20 |title=Genetic differentiation in pointing dog breeds inferred from microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA sequence |date=2008 |journal=Animal Genetics |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2052.2007.01658.x |s2cid=16719543 |last1=Parra |first1=D. |last2=Méndez |first2=S. |last3=Cañón |first3=J. |last4=Dunner |first4=S. |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=1–7 |pmid=18254732 }}</ref> The name ''pointer'' comes from the dog's instinct to ''point'', by stopping and aiming its muzzle towards game. This demonstrates to the hunter the location of their quarry and allows them to move into gun range. Pointers were [[selective breeding|selectively bred]] from dogs who had abundant pointing and backing instinct. They typically start to acquire their hunting instincts at about 2 months of age.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mazover A. P.|title=Hunting dogs|publisher=Agropromizdat|year=1985|pages=239}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2021-04-21|title=Gun Dog - The Evolution and Definition of Modern Dog Breeds|url=https://projectupland.com/hunting-dogs/defining-a-gun-dog/|access-date=2021-12-25|website=Project Upland|language=en-US}}</ref>