The Turkish Pointer (also called Tarsus çatalburun outside of the US) is a native hound of Turkey most recognizable for its split or bifid nose. Tarsus is a region in Turkey, and the word "çatalburuns" means forked nose. And they do in fact have a split nose, a rare genetic trait shared by two other breeds; the Spanish Pachon Navarro and the Bolivian Andean Tiger Hound. The left and right nostrils are separated by a deep indentation, or cleft, often creating the illusion of having two noses with only one nare each.
Due to the shared split nose trait as well as conformation and hunting style, it is theorized that the Turkish Pointer and Pachon Navarro, another rare pointer, share a common origin in the 8th century. There is considerable debate if the Turkish Pointer is the ancestor to the Pachon Navarro or vice versa.
The coat is short and comes in a variety of colors, brown being the most common followed by brown and white, liver and white, black and white and black. Turkish Pointers are medium with a deep chest and an athletic build. They have drooping ears that frame the face, and a long, straight tail. They weigh 44–55 lbs.
The Turkish Pointer has a very acute sense of smell, which is thought to be accentuated by the particular structure of the nose. They are able to track scents on both the ground and in the air, with studies finding that most of them use both styles concurrently. They are particularly skilled in scent hunting as a pointing dog, especially in partridge hunting. In recent years, Turkish Pointers have been trained as detection dogs for narcotics, explosives and search and rescue. They begin training to hunt by 6–7 months, with puppies as young as two months displaying pointing ability.
This breed can suffer from hip dysplasia, allergies and hypothyroidism, but is otherwise considered quite healthy.
Turkish Pointers are highly intelligent and obedient dogs. They tend to be calm and quiet in the home, but exceedingly energetic in the field. Very agile hunting dogs, there is actually a demand for these worldwide from hunters who collect and work rare hunting breeds. Unfortunately, the demand is never really met, since there are so few of these that exist today and only a handful of breeders. It is estimated that there are between 80 and 200 individuals globally. They have been bred for hundreds of years to hunt upland game.
To add insult to injury, they are not recognized by any kennel club in the world. Nevertheless, they do breed true and have been documented for centuries. Not being recognized provides an additional hurdle for preserving the breed - one that they may not be able to overcome, with some breed experts suggesting the Turkish Pointer will be past the point of possible salvation within 30 years.
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