German Wire-Haired Pointer  

History

German Wirehaired Pointers have been great for hundreds of years!

The GWP originated in Germany where it was known under a variety of names. Deutscher Stichelhaariger Vorstehhund was the name settled upon in the late 19th century, previously it had been Straufhaarig (hard haired) and Stachelhaarig (prick haired). Later the more literal translation of wire haired was used, Drahthaar.It originates from Barbets and other rough haired hunting dogs. These dogs were recorded in England in 1576 and were to be found throughout Europe and beyond under various names. These were crossed with other Vorstehhund (German Pointing Dogs) in the 18th century, including the Pudelpointer A Dutchman called Korthals began a breeding program for Griffons in the 1870's, reinstating the hunting instincts neglected in favour of looks over the past decades. The history of the Griffon D'Arret a Poil Dur would not be disimilar to the GWP. Korthal began a well documented breeding program, line breeding and even mating brother to sister to attain his requirements of harsh coat, nose, speed and endurance.  Here however politics got in the way. France and Germany were traditional enemies and had just fought each other in 1871 war. The Germans would not register Korthals Griffons because they had a French name and he would not change that name maintaining it was a Continental breed, not a specifically German one. Genetic purity was an obsession with Korthals and the German breeders. For a while the motto of the Griffon breed club was the catchy "Pure breeding and no crossing with other wire haired varieties". The Stichelhaariger club motto was "Keep to pure breeding". German breeders disputed the origin of Korthals dogs and he would have nothing to do with theirs.Professional and ethnic jealousies aside, the Griffon Korthals, as it became known after his death, was the most popular sporting dog in Germany between the 1871 and 1914-1918 wars. In 1902 the Verein Deutsch Drahthaar (GWP Club) was formed in Germany, with its principle aim breeding for hunting ability, coat, build and appearence, most definately in that order. Strict registration requirements and only allowing registered dogs to be bred from produced a breed stamp which was accepted only 26 years later by the German Kartell as an established and clearly defined breed. The head study  of a dog from this period shows the harshness of coat without great amounts of beard or eyebrow hair in that example.
The side view of a liver and white dog of the same vintage is very much like modern stock, perhaps a little short in the back, not quite 10:9 ratio. By this time GWPs had become the number one hunting dog in Germany and were spreading across mainland Europe, where breeders could be persuaded to sell. Over this same period Griffons had gone into a decline due to inbreeding caused by the small gene pool allowed by necessity of being descended from Korthals original 7 dogs. The Griffon Club decreed that mating with German Wirehaired Pointers was not to be considered an outcross. So such mating were officially sanctioned and pictures of  Korthals Griffon leaves one in no doubt of their input to the GWP gene pool. Introduction to this country (UK) did not occur until after WW2, initially through servicemen bringing the dogs back from Germany, or having seen them trying to obtain them when back home. There is a variety in GWPs in the UK. Some still have the long woolly 'Dutch' coats others can range from looking like heavy coated GSPs (with beards and attitude!) to almost Airedale like dogs.  The small gene pool in this country initially caused some problems but steady imports from Germany have improved matters considerably and there some interesting working bloodlines on the scene.  Thankfully they have remained an unpopular dog in this country and relatively unspoilt with it. There are some kennels who pay lip service to working but are only really interested in poncing around show rings. Everyone in the breed knows who they are and anyone serious about working would not touch anything with their lines in it. An individual dog might be an excellent hunter, but divergence from the central aim of 'hunting ability first and foremost' is just undoing centuries of work.  They are delightful dogs to train and live with, but definately not for the novice nor for anyone who is not going to work the dog. A good dog has such strong hunting instincts, that it will hunt whatever. Unless you have the experience to channel these instincts to work for you and the space in which to do it, any walks off the lead you allow could soon turn into cat culls!

General Appearance ****The German Wirehaired Pointer is a well muscled, medium sized dog of distinctive appearance. Balanced in size and sturdily built, the breed's most distinguishing characteristics are its weather resistant, wire-like coat and its facial furnishings. Typically Pointer in character and style, the German Wirehaired Pointer is an intelligent, energetic and determined hunter.

Size, Proportion, Substance  ****The height- of males should be from 24 to 26 inches at the withers. Bitches are smaller but not under 22 inches. To insure the working quality of the breed is maintained, dogs that are either over or under the specified height must be severely penalized. The body is a little longer than it is high, as ten is to nine. The German Wirehaired Pointer is a versatile hunter built for agility and endurance in the field. Correct size and balance are essential to high performance.

Head  ****The head is moderately long. Eyes- are brown, medium in size, oval in contour, bright and clear and overhung with medium length eyebrows. Yellow eyes are not desirable. The ears- are rounded but not too broad and hang close to the head. The skull- broad and the occipital bone not too prominent. The stop- is medium. The muzzle- is fairly long with nasal bone straight, broad and parallel to the top of the skull. The nose -is dark brown with nostrils wide open. A spotted or flesh colored nose is to be penalized. The lips- are a trifle pendulous but close to the jaw and bearded. The jaws- are strong with a full complement of evenly set and properly intermeshing teeth. The incisors meet in a true scissors bite.

Neck, Topline, Body ****The neck is of medium length, slightly arched and devoid of dewlap. The entire back line showing a perceptible slope down from withers to croup. The skin throughout is notably tight to the body. The chest- is deep and capacious with ribs well sprung. The tuck-up- apparent. The back is short, straight and strong. Loins are taut and slender. Hips- are broad with the croup nicely rounded. The tail -is set high, carried at or above the horizontal when the dog is alert. The tail is docked to approximately two-fifths of its original length.

Forequarters **** The shoulders are well laid back. The forelegs are straight with elbows close. Leg bones are flat rather than round, and strong, but not so heavy or coarse as to militate against the dog's natural agility. Dewclaws are generally removed. Round in outline, the feet are webbed, high arched with toes close, pads thick and hard, and nails strong and quite heavy.

Hindquarters **** The angulation of the hindquarters balances that of the forequarters. The thighs are strong and muscular. The hind legs are moderately angulated at the stifle and hock and, as viewed from behind, parallel to each other. Dewclaws are generally removed. Feet as in front.

Coat ****  The functional wiry coat is the breed's most distinctive feature. A dog must have a correct coat to be of correct type. The coat is weather resistant and, to some extent, water-repellent. The undercoat is dense enough in winter to insulate against the cold but is so thin in summer as to be almost invisible. The distinctive outer coat is straight, harsh, wiry and flat lying, and is from one to two inches in length. The outer coat is long enough to protect against the punishment of rough cover, but not so long as to hide the outline of the dog. On the lower legs the coat is shorter and between the toes it is of softer texture. On the skull the coat is naturally short and close fitting. Over the shoulders and around the tail it is very dense and heavy. The tail is nicely coated, particularly on the underside, but devoid of feather. Eyebrows are of strong, straight hair. Beard and whiskers are medium length. The hairs in the liver patches of a liver and white dog may be shorter than the white hairs. A short smooth coat, a soft woolly coat, or an excessively long coat is to be severely penalized. While maintaining a harsh, wiry texture, the puppy coat may be shorter than that of an adult coat. Coats may be neatly groomed to present a dog natural in appearance. Extreme and excessive grooming to present a dog artificial in appearance should be severely penalized.

Color **** The coat is liver and white, usually either liver and white spotted, liver roan, liver and white spotted with ticking and roaning or solid liver. The head is liver, sometimes with a white blaze. The ears are liver. Any black in the coat is to be severely penalized.

Gait ****  The dog should be evaluated at a moderate gait. The movement is free and smooth with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters. The topline should remain firm.

Temperament ****

Disqualification's ****  Nose any color than brown
Black coat.

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