German Wirehaired Pointer

[Troy]

The German Wirehaired Pointer

ANKC Standard

(from http://www.ankc.org.au/home/breeds_details.asp?bid=85 )

Group: Group 3 (Gundogs)

General Appearance: A pointing dog of noble appearance, with harsh coat completely protecting the skin, with an attentive expression full of energy. The movement should be powerful, ground covering, flowing and harmonious.

Important proportions: The length of the body and the height at withers should be as equal as possible. The length of the body may exceed the height at withers by up to 3 cm.

Characteristics: The German Wirehaired Pointer is a versatile working gundog that must possess all the dispositions asked for the breed. He must be usable for all the work in the field, in the woods and in the water before and after the shot.

Temperament: Firm, self controlled, well-balanced, without shyness of game, neither sensitive when shots are fired nor shy or aggressive.

Head And Skull: Head: In proportion to the size and sex of the dog. Lines of head slightly diverging.

Skull: Flat ,slightly rounded at the sides only, moderately broad, pronounced superciliary ridges.

Stop: Clearly visibly pronounced.

Nose: Strongly pigmented corresponding to the colour of the coat. Nostrils well opened.

Muzzle: Long, broad, strong, deep. Slight roman nose.

Lips: Thick, close fitting, not overhanging. Well pigmented corresponding to the colour of the coat.

Eyes: As dark as possible, neither too deep set nor protruding, with an alert, lively expression. Eyerims well pigmented and close fitting.

Ears: Of medium size, set on high and wide, not twisted.

Mouth: Large teeth. Powerful jaws with a regular, complete scissor bite with the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. 42 teeth according to the dentition formula.

Neck: Of medium length, strongly muscled. Slightly arched napeline, clean cut throat, no dewlap.

Forequarters: Viewed from the front, straight and parallel, viewed from the side, legs set well under the body. The distance from the elbows to the ground to be approximately equal to the distance from the elbows to the withers.

Shoulders: Well laid back, sloping shoulder blade, strongly muscled. Forming a good angle together with the upper arm. Upper Arm: As long as possible, with well developed, lean muscles.

Elbows: Close to the body, neither turning in nor out. Good angulation between upper arm and forearm.

Forearm: Lean, set perpendicular, strong bones.

Carpal Joint: Strong.

Pasterns: Slightly sloping

Body: Topline: Slightly sloping from the withers in a straight line.

Withers: Pronounced.

Back: Firm, well muscled.

Loins: Short, broad, muscular loin region.

Croup: Long and broad , slightly sloping and well muscled. Broad pelvis.

Chest: Broad and deep with well developed forechest, the breastbone reaching as far back as possible. Ribs well arched.

Underline and belly: Slight tuck-up towards the rear in an elegant curve.

Hindquarters: Viewed from behind, straight and parallel. Well angulated at the stifles and the hocks. Strong bones.

Upper Thigh: Long, broad , muscular with good angulation between pelvis and upper thigh.

Stifle: Strong, with good angulation between upper and lower thigh.

Lower Thigh: Long, muscular and sinewy.

Hocks: Short, perpendicular to the ground.

Feet: Oval-round with well knit toes and sufficiently thick, tough, robust and well-pigmented pads. They are set parallel, neither turning in nor out in stance or when moving.

Tail: Following the topline, carried as horizontally as possible or slightly raised, but not steep. Neither too thick or too thin. Docked for the hunting purposes. (In countries where docking is prohibited by law, the tail may be left natural. It should reach to the hocks and should be carried straight or slightly sabre-like.)

Gait/Movement: Covering lots of ground, with good reach and drive, parallel coming and going; with upstanding posture.

Coat: Skin: Tight, close fitting, without folds.

Wirehaired, harsh, flat lying and dense. Outer coat approximately 2 to 4 cm long; dense water resistant undercoat. The outlines of the body may not be obscured by longer coat. Through its harshness and density it should provide as good protection against weather and injuries as possible. The lower parts of the legs, as well as the lower region of the brisket and the belly, should be shorter but densely coated, the head and the ears to be shorter and at the same time denser but never softer coated. Pronounced eyebrows and a well developed not too long, as harsh as possible beard emphasise the determined expression.

Colour: Brown roan with or without patches. Black roan with or without patches. Brown with or without white chest patch. Light roan. No other colour permitted.

Sizes: Height at the withers -

Dogs: 61 to 68 cms

Bitches: 57 to 64 cms

Faults: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog, and on the dog�s ability to perform its traditional work.

SEVERE FAULTS

Short or narrow or pointed muzzle. Weak dentition. Very loose eyelids. Swayback or roach back. Heavily overbuilt. Elbows heavily turning in or out. Bandy-legged, cow hocked or close behind, in stance as well in movement. Pacing permanently when stepping or trotting, stiff or mincing gait. Sparse coat, lacking undercoat.

ELIMINATING FAULTS

Any kind of weak temperament, especially gun or game shyness, aggressiveness, nervousness; fear biter. Over or undershot bite, wry mouth, missing teeth other than P1, the canines being set too narrow. Entropion, ectropion, differently coloured eyes. Innate kinky or stumpy tail. Faulty pigment.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

Notes: Male animals must have two apparently normally developed testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

See Photos of the German Wirehaired Pointer

QUESTIONS

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc)

2. Where and why was the breed first developed?

3. How common is it in Australia?

4. What is the average lifespan?

5. What is the general temperament/personality?

6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult?

7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with?

8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods?

9. How much grooming is required?

10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)?

11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of?

12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be)

If you wish to contribute to the knowledge about this breed, please answer the above questions. (Copy and paste them into a new post).

• Please only answer if you breed or own a pedigree example of this breed.
  
• You do not have to answer all questions
  
• Please keep posts limited to answering questions or for asking further questions if you require more (or expanded) information.
  

See Photos of the German Wirehaired Pointer

German Wirehaired Pointer Breeders

German Wirehaired Pointer Puppies For Sale

[Hotwyr]

Yay - crikey I have been off line for so long that I missed my own breed!!! I will keep it simple and short ... as I could go on for hours...

QUESTIONS

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc)

I am a breeder - kennel name Hotwyr. I have a mix of Australian/UK/German lines. I also have my very first AUSTRALIAN champion as of 24th October..... I have 9 GWP's at home (4 imports, 3 homebred, 1 NZ bred, 1 SPCA rehome)

2. Where and why was the breed first developed?

1st developed in Germany (no surprise there) as an all round hunting companion that could tolerate all types of ground cover and all types of weather and conditions - hence the Wire coat

3. How common is it in Australia?

Not super common but there are a few about the place - same as here in NZ.

4. What is the average lifespan?

Up to around 12-14 years

5. What is the general temperament/personality?

Clowns, love to work, play, run. Can be guardy if uncontrolled, can also be predatory for the same reason. Will sit on your lap or run around the yard........ mine can be seen with pieces of wood in their mouths most of the time... LOL

6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult?

A significant amount as these are a working breed so need to be kept active or they can become destructive

7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with?

Not really (IMO) we have a re-house who as a pup was sold to a first time dog owner. Needless to say she has some issues...

8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods?

They can but do better with company be it canine or human

9. How much grooming is required?

If you have a correctly coated GWP - minimal. If you have the big coated variety - well........

10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)?

Yes IMO

11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of?

Yes there are a few. Breeders should be testing for the following: vWD (von Willebrands Disease - a clotting disorder), Hips/Elbows for dysplasia, Thyroid levels as the breed can get Hypothyroidism, I also test for any eye problems.

12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be)

Depending on what the dog is to be for - do the parents hunt? Work at all? Successes?

Can you see the parents and any other progeny/siblings. Ask about coats, bites, can you talk to any other previous buyers.

Results of all the tests - normal parameters differ across countries but results for Australia can be found at LIDA - www.vetsci.usyd.edu.au/lida/ and for the USA at CHIC - www.caninehealthinfo.org

Do your research - this is a lovely breed BUT not the breed for everyone

Edited November 22, 2009 by Hotwyr

[Kowari]

Hotwyr you are not alone! and congratulations on your 1st Au CH

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc)

We are a pet home, (we don't work, breed or show the breed) owning two Wires, a nine year old bitch Pipit who came with us from the UK and is our first GWP, & a two year old dog Lewis from Canberra to keep us on our toes.

3. How common is it in Australia?

We know and have met a breeder here in Adelaide but have never come across anyone else with one whilst out on our walks.

5. What is the general temperament/personality?

Our two couldn't be different - two ends of the spectrum. Pip is full on, weights 23 kg, into everything, never tires always keen, if you move she moves. Lewis is laid back, 38kg, not as bold, happy to observe whats going on before he bothers to get involved. With regards personality they both have great temperaments, friendly, loving, naughty often found with stolen items of clothing in their mouths. As Hotwyr says you do need to be quite firm with them or things can get out of hand.

6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult?

We do 'special' trips to the beach or forest at the weekend, but ours are happy with a 'routine' walk every other day as we spend a lot of time with them when we are home.

7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with?

I agree with Hotwyr here, probably not they are quite a handful - we had a Springer Spaniel before the Wires so another high energy dog.

8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods?

We had just Pip for 7 years, but she was brought up as a house dog in the UK with lots of interaction with us. She now shares with Lewis and they live in a yard during the day but in the house with us when we are home.

9. How much grooming is required?

Lewis has a short, flat coat so only requires grooming to get sand or mud out. Pip's coat is longer but again we only tend to groom to get grass seed and prickles out. We do not have to clip or strip either of them.

10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)?

Sadly yes - but they don't mean to they are just showing how happy they are.

[JackieW]

1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc)

Another pet owner here. I have my third Wire now, my first dying in June aged 12 and my second now 8-1/2. My third is a 4 yo male.

3. How common is it in Australia?

Much more common than it was, but I'm still always asked what breed they are. Guess of choice seems to be wolfhound cross.

5. What is the general temperament/personality?

All three are/were soft in nature. Jamie was stubborn as a pup, Aja a breeze to train, Granville arrived pretty much trained . Personalities are great, there's something about their faces that makes me smile, particularly the boys .

6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult?

More than they used to get before I moved, but I'm now on acreage. They run round the yard, never walk...

7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with?

I think Aja would have been OK for a first time owner, but not Jamie.

8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods?

Jamie was on his own for 4 years before I got Aja, but she didn't cope well after he died, and luckily Granville's breeder let me have him to keep us both company.

9. How much grooming is required?

Not a huge amount. Both boys need/ed a bit of grooming but they just get a comb/brush usually.

10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)?

Jamie didn't start calming down till he was 7 (and he was still full of energy till he did his cruciate in at 9 and then got insulinoma the following year), Aja is still a bit full-on at 8-1/2. Granville is a big overgrown puppy, so I'd say yes, probably they are a bit boisterous.

Edited December 20, 2009 by JackieW