German Wirehaired Pointer (GWP)

GWP’s came into Claire’s life in 1985. Prior to that, Claire had done well in junior handling with her parent’s GSP. Despite being 5^th pick of litter, this first GWP beat his siblings in the ring and finally became the only one in the litter to become a show champion and then dropped the “show” bit of the title by winning a field trial award.

Origins of the Breed

The breed originates from Germany and the earliest records of the GWP are in the late 1800's. The breed comes from a cocktail of German Shorthaired Pointers, Stichelhaars, Griffons and Pudel Pointers. It was formed by a group of men who were looking to create the perfect hunting dog.

Character

The breed standard states "of sound reliable temperament which is at times aloof but not unfriendly towards strangers: a loyal and affectionate companion who is eager to please and enthusiastic to learn". It fails to point out the breed's over exuberance and its tendency to be stubborn! Unfortunately not all breeders plan litters with temperament as a first priority. A GWP can be a larger than average dog and an aggressive one is a liability. Do your homework when purchasing a puppy and if you hear ANYTHING remotely derogatory about a certain line’s temperament then save yourselves a lot of heartache and look elsewhere.

Pet Value

If given the right amount of exercise they can be good family pets but you should be very aware that they will never be a calm dog to live with. If you are house proud or wussy about your children getting knocked over then this is not the breed for you. Their bonding with individuals totally depends on the individual dog. They can be very affectionate and often need reminding that they are not lap dogs. They go through all the "leggy" and "bum high" stages as they grow. Also they seem to go through a real adolescent stage when they feel their feet and want to take on the world - this particularly applies to the males.

Health Issues

In general they are a healthy breed which lives an average 13 years. Being a longer backed breed there can be cases of "bloat" or gastric torsion. As in other breeds, there have been problems with epilepsy, hip dysplasia, skin problems, von willebrands, entropian and mouth faults but we are lucky in that none of these are prevalent in the breed. The more conscientious breeders are adapting their breeding programmes to eradicate these conditions. Bitches are prone to suffer from phantom pregnancies.

Grooming

A dog with a correct coat requires minimal attention and most of the tidying up can be done with finger and thumb although sometimes it is easier to use scissors around the ears and genitals. They do tend to moult all year round but more so in the Spring, however they don't moult a lot.

Exercise

They are lunatics if they do not get adequate exercise and can be destructive. They are averagely active in the home but do require at least an hour of exercise per day. A combination of free running, swimming and road walking is ideal. Also, we would recommend that puppies under 6 months are given minimal exercise on flat ground only.

Training

They are renowned for being one of the more difficult of the HPR's to train. I personally find that this varies from dog to dog because some are very biddable and some are very stubborn. They are extremely intelligent and often think that they know more than the trainer! Because of their level of intelligence, it is important that even the pet GWP has some form of mental stimulation. Someone once said that if it took a stone to train a Labrador, it would take a boulder to train a wire. The key is to be fair but firm with a puppy. Instilling basic obedience is the most important foundation for whatever avenue you are going to choose. It's far easier to reprimand a 12 week old puppy that a 4 stone adult! They do have a stubborn streak and you can bet that the dog who has behaved perfectly in training will always let you down when it matters in competition!