stacknitup
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Thinking about getting one. Anyone have experience with them, and as a family dog in the house etc., They are 3 months old and either male or female.
German Wirehaired Pointer
- Thread starter stacknitup
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drahthaar
Guest
If its your first gun dog to be trained I would opt for the female. Tend to hunt for you a little more naturally than a male. My first male was very high drive, very high talent, I had a lot of help from Vetran handlers, and there were times I still felt like just the taxi driver in the cab ride to the hunting grounds, then see ya!!
I don't know the history or the pedigree, German lines, or American(GWP) lines, but for the most part they are great family dogs, they need lots of exercise, a crate to sleep in(as their safe place), and always, always, let them know where they are on the "totem" pole(they will always test the waters), ie, below the wife, below the kids, and if you have a cat, below that particular cat, or you will come home one day with your dog presenting you with that dirty little furball that he is protecting you from(if you know what I mean).
Go do a search for VDD group north america, see if you can find an Armbruster training manual. Or go to Versatiledogs.com and find out some other good books for versatile dogs. I rarely visit that site, too much chest pounding, and my dog breed is better than your dog breed. But its good to lurk I guess.
I don't know the history or the pedigree, German lines, or American(GWP) lines, but for the most part they are great family dogs, they need lots of exercise, a crate to sleep in(as their safe place), and always, always, let them know where they are on the "totem" pole(they will always test the waters), ie, below the wife, below the kids, and if you have a cat, below that particular cat, or you will come home one day with your dog presenting you with that dirty little furball that he is protecting you from(if you know what I mean).
Go do a search for VDD group north america, see if you can find an Armbruster training manual. Or go to Versatiledogs.com and find out some other good books for versatile dogs. I rarely visit that site, too much chest pounding, and my dog breed is better than your dog breed. But its good to lurk I guess.
I have a 3yo male that is %110 24hrs a day. I always tell people he is a great hunting dog and a poor pet...LOL. Not his fault, but if he does'nt get his exersise EVERY day he can be a little much in the house. My shorthair is the complete opposite...she does'nt run as big in the field as the wirehair, but is a saint in the house. I would'nt say its breed specific, but line specific for sure. Any breed can make a great pet/hunter but certain lines within those breeds have qualities and fualts that others dont. Get to know your breeder and the parents...grandparents of the pups your interested in. Dont buy a dog just because somebody you know has pups, your gonna have the dog maybe 10yrs and a few extra bucks wont mean squat down the road.
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
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Jazz
Guest
I have hunted pheasants and chukars with several different brothers and sisters. They are very good bird dogs and have tremendous endurance. Most seem to be on the "independent" side so they don't strike me as house "lap" dogs but there may be exceptions to that as well. I have not been around them in that type of environment. A couple of the females did seem to want more attention when we weren't hunting and were a little more friendly.
Jazz
Jazz
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springbear
Guest
They can be a handfull to say the least... I have had a couple of them and I am not sure I would recomend one for a house dog/hutning dog. Pure hunters for sure, loyal to a fault, PROTECTIVE AS HELL.... You gotta be careful with that, because anything that they percieve as a threat to them or anybody above them is going to get nailed. bet on it.
If you are getting the pup from a breeded that is well known for hard hutners and likes to brag about it, bet on the pups growing into very hard charging adults. (poor house dogs). Only way to keep them alive and out of trouble is to kennel, hunt the crap out of them and run them, a lot. If the pups are just some buddies dog that they decided to breed with what ever other GWP they found, then you might have a dog that would make a house friendly dog. And might make a decient hunter.
I have had one of each kind of dog. Neither one lived very long. One, I was kid on a ranch and though all dogs were as smart as our cow dogs and would keep them selves out of trouble.. That was obviously a hard lesson to learn as a kid.
Second one I had was a high dollar, hard charging one that made a poor pet and house dog... My wife thought she would be nice to the dog and take her to work one day. (out in the field doing river work). The dog was killed (ran over) about 5 minutes after she let it out of the truck.... It would not really mind her (or anybody but me) and sure as heck did not follow her around like our Lab did... NO BODY was going to come into our house univited either.
I have a Griffon now. decent hunter, perfect house dog, very good with my kids and the kids down the street, and the rabbit... you get the point.
I would love to have another GWP because I do not think they can be rivaled in hunting, but not until I retire and the kids are all out of the house.
If you are getting the pup from a breeded that is well known for hard hutners and likes to brag about it, bet on the pups growing into very hard charging adults. (poor house dogs). Only way to keep them alive and out of trouble is to kennel, hunt the crap out of them and run them, a lot. If the pups are just some buddies dog that they decided to breed with what ever other GWP they found, then you might have a dog that would make a house friendly dog. And might make a decient hunter.
I have had one of each kind of dog. Neither one lived very long. One, I was kid on a ranch and though all dogs were as smart as our cow dogs and would keep them selves out of trouble.. That was obviously a hard lesson to learn as a kid.
Second one I had was a high dollar, hard charging one that made a poor pet and house dog... My wife thought she would be nice to the dog and take her to work one day. (out in the field doing river work). The dog was killed (ran over) about 5 minutes after she let it out of the truck.... It would not really mind her (or anybody but me) and sure as heck did not follow her around like our Lab did... NO BODY was going to come into our house univited either.
I have a Griffon now. decent hunter, perfect house dog, very good with my kids and the kids down the street, and the rabbit... you get the point.
I would love to have another GWP because I do not think they can be rivaled in hunting, but not until I retire and the kids are all out of the house.
Longer haired dogs take alot more maintenance. Pick burrs out after a day of hunting. You have to brush them which is a pain to do.
Why not a German Shorthair Pointer? Mine is a great house family dog. I dont have to worry about her biting anybody. Hunting she is all business, I havent seen her quit after a long day hunting she is still covering country the same as she was in the morning. I have a litter of pups coming up. Check out the classified on here and see if they are something you might want.
Why not a German Shorthair Pointer? Mine is a great house family dog. I dont have to worry about her biting anybody. Hunting she is all business, I havent seen her quit after a long day hunting she is still covering country the same as she was in the morning. I have a litter of pups coming up. Check out the classified on here and see if they are something you might want.
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whiskeybent
Guest
I have hunted with 2 wirehairs. 1 was good 1 was worthless as hell. I have a llewellin setter and have hunted with this breed alot. great hunters and great indoor pets. They are very calm indoors. As far as the long hair is concerned there is a product called show sheen that IFA sells its made to make horse hair shine but if you spray a little on your dog you will not get hardly any burs and it washes right off when your done hunting
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drahthaar
Guest
Yes, your type of hunting may dictate which way you want to go. There are 4 different motherlines(shorthair,stichelhaar,pudelpointer,and griffon) of wirehairs that may have more of an influence on the dogs coat and confirmation, water-loving, search, etc. There are wirehairs with a good tight, hard, coat that lays flat(like a shorthair), that will shed burrs very well, you should be able to see this at 3 months. Griffon type coats can be hell with burrs and such. But even if the coat is a good double coat(downy underneath wirey guard hairs) that is tight, burrs will not be a problem. I have those cheap little black "truckstop" combs all over in my vests and cars, you run those through the dogs hair, 2 minutes, its all good. You should do this anyway, some of those nasty seed heads can work their way in to the skin, or get in the eyelids. Need to check your dog well after hunting anyway.
