Pointers are both excellent hunting dogs and loyal family companions. They’re categorized in the sporting group. These dogs are energetic but there are ways to try and keep their exuberance in check.

In the time and place where I grew up—Sioux City, Iowa, in the 1960s and early ‘70s—hunting dog breeds didn’t live in the house, period. It simply wasn’t done. The proper place for a bird hunting dog ...