Description

The German Wirehaired Pointer is a very distinctive, muscular medium sized dog. This breed\'s most distinctive feature is its wiry weather resistant coat and its facial furnishings. The head is moderately long with brown eyes that are overhung with medium length eyebrows. The ears are rounded and hang close to the head. The ears are not to be broad. The muzzle is to be fairly long with a straight nasal bone. The nose is to be brown with large open nostrils.

The neck of the dog is medium length and slightly arched. The skin is to be tight to be the body. The ribs are well sprung and the chest is deep. The back should be short, straight, and strong. The hips are broad with a nicely rounded croup. The tail is set high and should be carried horizontal or above when the dog is alert. The tail is docked about two-fifths of its original length.

The leg bones are flat not round and strong. They cannot be too heavy that the dog\'s agility is impeded. The feet are webbed, arched high with thick pads and hard strong nails. The dewclaws are generally removed. The thighs are strong and muscular. The hind legs are parallel when viewed from the back. The hocks are short and straight.

The gait of the German Wirehaired Pointer is free and smooth. It should have sufficient reach in the forequarters with substantial power in the hindquarters. It is considered to be a moderate gait. The dog has a strong ground covering stride and keeps a firm back. The legs move in a straight line and there is no tendency for the legs to cross over or interfere.

Coat Description

The coat of the German Wirehaired Pointer is its most distinctive feature. The coat is weather resistant and somewhat water repellant. The undercoat is dense enough that in winter it can keep the dog warm but thin enough that in summer it is virtually invisible. The outer coat is straight, wiry, and flat lying and is about 1-2 inches in length. The eyebrows are of strong straight hair and the beard and whiskers are of medium length.

History

The German Wirehaired Pointer was developed in the late 19th Century and beginning of the 20th Century in Germany. The breeding origin is based on the ideas of "Hegewald" (Sigismund Freiherr von Zedlitz und Neukirch). It was carefully cross bred from the German Pointer and several other breeds. There is some differentiation on which breeds these were. It is speculated that they were Wirehaired Griffon, Poodle-Pointer, Foxhound, and Bloodhound. The German Wirehaired Pointer is the most popular dog in its country of origin, Germany. However, it was not officially recognized until the 1920\'s. At this time the dog was introduced to the United States. It was officially recognized in the United States in 1959. It has never grown to be as popular in the United States as it is in Germany.

Temperament

The German Wirehaired Pointer is a very intelligent, active, and affection breed. They like to keep busy and enjoy doing work for their owners. Without enough exercise of activity they can become very bored and hard to manage. It is important to keep them busy with tasks or involved in activities outdoors.

This breed\'s puppies are very high energy and are very rambunctious. It is necessary to note that they are late bloomers and do not fully mature until two years old. They typically will excessively bark or destructively chew when they are bored or restless. This can be very aggravating for the owners. In addition to this, the German Wirehaired Pointer exhibit strong separation anxiety and do not like to be left alone for more than a few hours. If you work long hours or are away from home frequently, this is not the dog for you. Another thing to be aware of if choosing a puppy from this breed is that they do not house train easily. It takes several months of consistent and firm training for them to pick it up.

They are very loyal family pets. However, they can become jealous. They make excellent watch dogs and are very protective of their owners. If the family has children, this dog may not be the best choice. This breed typically does better with older and considerate children. They are affectionate and loving towards their owners and remain very loyal. They can be dominant with other dogs and animals, but generally will do alright. They typically do well with other household animals, however, will tend to be dominant with other dogs in their homes.

They need to be socialized from a young age because they tend to be a little bit aloof with strangers. Aloofness can turn into shyness which can be hard to handle when they are adult dogs. They do become attached to their owners and show tendencies of jealousy and these needs to be watched for. Early socialization can prevent or minimize this because it can show the dog that people and attention from other sources is not a threat.

The German Wirehaired Pointer make great hunting companions. They are capable of hunting any kind of game on any kind of terrain. This breed is an excellent tracker with a strong nose. They can also track and retrieve on both land and water. They are steady, lively, and vigorous and this adds to their great hunting appeal because they do not tire easily. However, if being used for hunting and retrieving out in the brush and water it is necessary to make sure that their feet are checked afterwards to watch for debris.

Thyroid Disease - High Risk

The German Wirehaired Pointer ranks #4 among all breeds for autoimmune thyroiditis prevalence. There is a high risk of obtaining a dog that will develop thyroid disease. For this reason you should make sure you, or your breeder, are testing all dogs before breeding.  It may even be a good idea to test dogs that you don't plan on breeding so that any instance of disease can be traced back to breeding pairs and eliminated.

You can download the full report (on all breeds) by the Michigan State University Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. Here

Other Health Problems

• Hip Dysplasia: Ball and joint problem of the hip. Causes arthritic like symptoms.
• Entropion: The eyelid will roll inwards towards the eye and cause irritation of the cornea. Surgical repair is required. 
• Cataracts: Causes visual blurring and can eventually cause blindness.
• Von Willebrands Disease: Involves a problem with the clotting of the blood.