German Wirehaired Pointer - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The German wirehaired pointer is a griffon

Griffon

Griffon is a type of dog, a collection of breeds of originally hunting dogs. There are three recognized lines of the griffon type Fédération Cynologique Internationale FCI, the griffon vendéens, the wirehaired pointers, and the smousje...

type breed

Dog breed

Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....

of dog

Dog

The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...

developed in the 19th century in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

for hunting

Hunting

Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...

. It became a leading gun dog in Germany in the later part of the 20th century. It is the result of the careful mixing of the griffon

Griffon

, Deutscher Stichelhaar, Deutscher Kurzhaar, and the hunting Pudelpointer in the late 19th century.

Appearance

The German wirehaired pointer is a well muscled, medium sized dog of distinctive appearance. Balanced in size and sturdily built, the breed's most distinguishing characteristics are its weather resistant, wire-like coat and its facial furnishings. Typically pointer in character and style, the German wirehaired pointer is an intelligent, energetic and determined hunter. The tail is typically docked

Docking (animals)

Docking is the removal of portions of an animal's tail. While space docking and bobbing are more commonly used to refer to removal of the tail, the term cropping is used in reference to the ears. Tail docking occurs in one of two ways. The first involves constricting the blood supply to the tail...

to two-fifths of the natural length. In countries where docking is prohibited the tail should be of sufficient length to reach down to the hocks

Hock (zoology)

The hock, or gambrel, is the joint between the tarsal bones and tibia of a digitigrade or unguligrade quadrupedal mammal, such as a horse, cat, or dog...

. Like all German pointers, they have webbed feet.

Coat

The functional wiry coat is the breed's most distinctive feature. A dog must have a correct coat to be of correct type. The coat is weather resistant and, to some extent, water-repellent. The undercoat is dense enough in winter to insulate against the cold but is so thin in summer as to be almost invisible. The distinctive outer coat is straight, harsh, wiry and flat lying, and is from one to two inches in length. The outer coat is long enough to protect against the punishment of rough cover, but not so long as to hide the outline of the dog. On the lower legs the coat is shorter and between the toes it is of softer texture. On the skull the coat is naturally short and close fitting. Over the shoulders and around the tail it is very dense and heavy. The tail is nicely coated, particularly on the underside, but devoid of feather. Eyebrows are of strong, straight hair. Beard and whiskers are medium length. The hairs in the liver patches of a liver and white dog may be shorter than the white hairs. A short smooth coat, a soft woolly coat, or an excessively long coat is to be severely penalized when showing. While maintaining a harsh, wiry texture, the puppy coat may be shorter than that of an adult coat. The coat of the puppy should be shorter than 1 inch the adult coat should be kept at 1 inch long.

Gait

The dog should be evaluated at a moderate gait. The movement is free and smooth with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters. The topline should remain firm.

Temperament

The German wirehaired pointer is very determined, active and intelligent. Eager to learn and loyal to its family, it needs a handler who is consistent in approach. They like to be occupied and enjoy working for their owner. They are friendly with those they know, but are naturally aloof with strangers and should be socialized at an early age.' This is one breed of dog that does not do well in a kennel environment. German wirehaired pointers are happiest and most well behaved when they are part of the family and can spend time with their people. They can be rather willful and they like to roam. Powerful and energetic, they can become bored and hard to manage without enough exercise. The German Wirehaired pointer is a good all-around gun dog, able to hunt any sort of game on any sort of terrain. This dog has a good nose and can track, point, and retrieve on both land and water. Steady, lively and vigorous. These dogs should have the correct tempermant to live with children of all ages.

Color

The Colors are: Solid liver, black and white ticked, liver and white ticked, solid black and tri-colour.

Health

Von Willebrands Disease type 2, hip dysplasia, heart disease.

History

The German wirehaired pointer trace their origins back to 1880. They originated in Germany, where breeders wanted to develop a rugged, versatile hunting dog that would work closely with either one person or a small party of persons hunting on foot in varied terrain; from the mountainous regions of the Alps, to dense forests, to more open areas with farms and small towns. The breed the Germans desired had to have a coat that would protect the dogs when working in heavy cover or in cold water, yet be easy to maintain. Careful crosses of the German pointer with many other breeds. Sources differ on the exact lineage, though the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is a breed of dog used in hunting as a gundog. It is sometimes considered to be Dutch in ancestry, due to the breed founder, Eduard Korthals, nationality...

, Pudelpointer

Pudelpointer

A Pudelpointer is a versatile hunting dog breed from Germany. They are a pointing breed that came from a cross between the German hunting poodle and the English Pointer.- Appearance :...

, Stichelhaar

Stichelhaar

A Stichelhaar is a versatile hunting dog that originated from Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is a cross between German sheepdogs and rough-haired "standing dogs", but more detailed information about its origins are unknown.- Appearance :...

, and Deutscher-Kurzhaar are commonly accepted as the most likely contributors. This is a dog that can fully respond to the needs of its hunter. The goal was to develop a wire-coated, medium sized dog that could:

Search for, locate and point upland game
Work both feather and fur with equal skill and retrieve water fowl
Be a close-working, easily trained gun dog
Be able to track and locate wounded game
Be fearless when hunting "sharp" game such as fox
Be a devoted companion and pet; and
Be a watchdog for its owner's family and property.

Some consider the "Drahthaar" to be a different type of dog than the German wirehaired pointer.
While the breeds are genetically indistinguishable, "drahts" have to meet rigorous hunt and show tests before being eligible for breeding. These tests include tracking wounded game such as fox, rabbit, deer and boar, which may not be required of a dog that hunts birds predominantly. A desire to recover and retrieve game stands out in both styles of dog (GWP and Drahthaar).