Family-friendly: | 5/5 |
Exercise needs: | 5/5 |
Easy to train: | 4/5 |
Tolerates being alone: | 2/5 |
Likes other pets: | 3/5 |
Energy level: | 5/5 |
Grooming needs: | 3/5 |
Shedding: | 2/5 |
- Dog suitable for owners with some experience
- Extra training required
- Generally healthy breed
- Enjoys vigorous walks
- Enjoys one to two hours of walking a day
- Large dog
- Some drool
- Requires grooming once a week
- Quiet dog
- Welcomes everyone happily
- Generally friendly with other dogs
- Gets along with other pets with training
- Great family dog
- Needs a large garden
- Can live in semi-rural areas
- Can be left occasionally with training
The German Wire-Haired Pointer breed can suffer from:
- Hip dysplasia
- Gastric dilatation volvulus
- Von Willebrand's disease which is where a dog produces insufficient or faulty clotting factors which can result in uncontrolled bleeding.
- Hypothyroidism¹ where the thyroid gland is underactive and does not product enough thyroid hormone. This can result in low energy levels, weight gain and skin problems.
Priority Kennel Club health schemes and testing:
- Hip dysplasia screening scheme
- DNA test for Von Willebrand's Disease which tests whether or not a dog has the potential to be affected by this condition.
¹R. F. Nachreiner, 'Prevalence of serum thyroid hormone autoantibodies in dogs with clinical signs of hypothyroidism', 2002, American Veterinary Medicine Association.
Personality
Gentle and even tempered, the German Wire-Haired Pointer is a friendly, hard-working companion, and while they lack a little of the speed of their smooth coated cousins, they are the stronger, more rugged of the German Pointers, and really can go all day. Keen to learn and affectionate to their loved ones, the GWP needs to be well exercised mentally and physically, and to spend quality time with their family to remain happy and well-balanced.
Did You Know?
In Britain in the 1800’s the trend was to develop specific dogs for each hunting task, hence the wide variety of spaniels, setters and pointers we have today! In mainland Europe however breeders focused on producing all-rounders, the ‘Hunt/Point/Retrieve’ or HPR breeds. These dogs, of which the German Wire-Haired Pointer is one example, were excellent at hunting, pointing, flushing, springing and retrieving, meaning all those jobs could be done by one dog. European efficiency at its best!
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