The German Wirehaired Pointer

Appearance

The German wirehaired pointer is a noble looking breed that stands tall looking in appearance.

The coat is very important to this breed, as without the correct coat it is not a Wirehaired Pointer.

The coat is not shaggy, long or soft and should be natural without grooming. The hair on the body should lay flat and not have an excessive long beard.

The hair on the head and ears should be natural and short, neck coat medium and body jacket shorter than the neck. Coat length should be around 2 cm on the body, 3cm on the neck and a 4 cm beard maximum.

The Wirehaired pointer should be well angled in front and behind for it to function in the field.

Ears should reach the corner of the mouth and not be too long or short. The stop should be pronounced, Lips should cover the bottom lip but not pendulous.

The head should be as much as equal portions, not too wide and not too narrow.

Body is of equal portions, height to length, with length no longer than 3 cm than that of the height.

Dogs and bitches should appear to their gender.

The height for females is from 57 to 64 cm at the shoulder

For Dogs 61 to 68 cm at the shoulder

Weight between 27 to 32 Kgs respective to gender.

Colours are Brown Roan and Black Roan with a solid head colour with or without a blaze.

Solid brown with or without a white or roan chest spot allowable, no roan on legs feet or face.

Eyes should blend with the coat colour as much as possible.

History

The need for a German Race of Wirehaired breed came about when Eduard Korthal departed Germany in the late 1800 and went to France with his pointing Wirehaired Griffons.

A few enthusiastic Germans decided to create their own breed for Germany That would be more versatile with high performance in hunting.

A dog with strong physical constitution and taller than the Griffon Pointer.

A tougher shorter Wire coat, not long, close fitting but to protect the body from thorns. So they used the local dogs that looked the most like the dog they were aiming to produce, most were cross breeds with wirehaired coats, then bred these dogs to Pudelpointer which was of a cream colour at that time for speed.

They used a tall dog called Stichelhaar who was Tri coloured mostly being Brown, tan and roan. The stichelhaar was a very rugged dog with a wire coat and docked tail standing taller than longer,he provided the strongest water abilities. He derived from breeds that no longer existed.

Then infused the Wirehaired Griffon Pointer who is shorter smaller, longer and has a shaggy wire coat Than the GWP, to maintain the type they needed.

Lastly a German Pointer with short hair who was added for it’s strong scenting abilities.

By 1904 the breed was at a point where they had enough gene pool of consistent looking Wirehaired Pointers and the German Club was formed with registrations, and conservation hunt testing known as the Hegewald was set in place by Freiherr Sigismund

Temperament

The breed is very loyal and protective of their family but normally bond with one particular person more than the whole family.

This breed is a devoted breed making it hard to re-home at a later age. They tend to be slightly aloof with strangers but never timid or aggressive.

They like to be raised in a family environment and do not kennel well for long periods.

They are active and need exercised twice daily and to be educated to avoid boredom.

They do not make good pets in small yards and if left alone for long periods they can become destructive from boredom. They are excellent dogs for people who love the outdoor active life who will enjoy swimming, retrieving, obedience, and agility.

Children should be supervised with this breed as with playing with any large breed.

They generally don’t get on with cats unless introduced as a puppy; the same applies for other domesticated pets such as rabbits, rats, mice.

The German Wirehaired instincts to hunt are very strong they are born to hunt.

Care / Grooming

Grooming the Wirehaired pointer should be basic with a bath once every 6 weeks and trim under the tail if feathering occurs.

Pluck and clean inside the ears 3 times a year.

Trim the nails every 8 weeks.

If you have bought an excessive coated wirehaired pointer then it will require stripping with a Mars Coat King every 2 weeks should keep the coat in some sort of order.

Walk twice daily if not on acreage. Basic education and training is essential as with any breed. Teaching your dog manners will make living with your GWP easier.

This breed is not suited for the first time dog owner they are better with people with some dog experience as they can be stubborn and in the wrong hands they can be ruined with incorrect training and environment.

Health

When looking for a GWP ask about Hip scores and eye certificates.

The breed has low incident hip problems but with many new stock being imported it is best to check that new stock has hip and eyes certificates.

Eye problems tend to be Retinal folds and when inbreeding PRA has occurred in some Australian bloodlines.

There has been some skin problems in some inbred bloodlines, which are immune system, related and also in light pigmented animals.

Otherwise the German Wirehaired Pointer in Australia has less health issues than most breeds.

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