German Wirehair, Drathaar, and Wirehair Pointing Griffon

We are new to this particular breed and would like to know more about them. Are they the same as a drahthaar? Our dog is colored more like a German Shorthair - that is white with liver spots of various size. Other German Wirehairs that we have seen either in person or on TV are more roan colored. Comments on this color variation please. What is the difference between a German Wirehaired Pointer and a Griffin?

He is a great dog. Fun to be around. He did well during his first bird hunting expedition. (Pheasants and chuccars SP?) I have found that discipline must be handled carefully as he is quite sensitive to it.

Let's answer your questions in the order you asked them.
1. Is a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon the same as a Drathaar? No they are not the same. The breed Griffon belongs to the Spaniels & Griffon which is a sub-group of the Continental Pointing Breeds according to www.doginfomat.com. Then go to http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/wirehagr.cfm for a description of the Griffon. Then compare it to the German Wirehaired Pointer or Deutsch Drathaar which is actually German and is translated to English as German Wirehair. Now I can get myself in some trouble as many say there is a difference between a German Wirehair and a Deustch Drathaar. The former is usually AKC (American Kennel Club) registered and the latter is VDD (Verin Deutsch Drathaar) registered. To me there is no difference other than the qualifications between the two to registrations to allow breeding. The VDD registration is somewhat more stringent. Just my opinion.

Anyhow to paraphrase a Griffon has somewhat longer hair length to the coat. The colors of both dogs are somewhat similar. The hunting gait of most Griffons is somewhat slower paced than a wirehair. A Griffon has a tendency to work closer than a wirehair will but a lot of this is in the training.

German Wirehair
The GWP coat is weather-resisting in every sense of the term, and it is to large extent water-repellent. It is straight, harsh, wiry, and quite flat-lying. One and one half to two inches in length, it is long enough to shield the body from rough cover, yet not so long as to hide the outline. The breed was imported into the United States in the 1920's and admitted into AKC's stud book in 1959. Most of the early wirehaired Pointers represented a combination of Griffon, Stichelhaar, Pudelpointer, and German Shorthair. The Pudelpointer was a cross between a Poodle dog and an English Pointer bitch, while the Griffon and the Stichelhaar were composed of Pointer, Foxhound, Pudelpointer, and a Polish Water dog. Thus it is easy to appreciate the different hunting skills incorporated in the wirehaired Pointers of a century or more ago.

The WPG is an older breed that the GWP. The origin of the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is Dutch, however, it is regarded as a French breed. This is due to the fact that a major portion of the development of the breed took place in France. The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is particularly adapted for swampy country, where its harsh coat is excellent protection. The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is a great swimmer and an excellent water retriever. The wiry coat requires attention to grooming to keep it healthy. The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is an intelligent dog who is easy to train and very willing to please. They are outgoing dogs who are loyal and trustworthy.

WPG coats according to AKC. Preferably steel gray with brown markings, frequently chestnut brown, or roan, white and brown; white and orange also acceptable. A uniformly brown coat, all white coat, or white and orange are less desirable. A black coat disqualifies.

GWP coats according to AKC. 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. Though lately I have seen some Deustch Drathaars with black/white coats.

Now on to training. Please check out a local chapter of the North American Hunting Dog Association. They are there to help you train your own pointing dog before and after the shot on both land and water. That's what they are all about. Go to www.NAVHDA.org for more info. Trust me that is where I learned and I now have a dog I guide with at hunt clubs. As far as your discipline all dogs are different just like people are. There will be times in the training of your dog that it will seem like it is a struggle. There will be times that it will go very smoothly. I have found that either breed can be quite stubborn at times. They both can be quite hard-headed other at other times. A NAVHDA chapter can help. It was formed by hunters for hunters who appreciated to work behind a well trained dog. Well so much for the soap box. If you run into problems all you need is ask there is lots of advice on this forum and others if you will just take the time. Good luck training and good hunting. Remember this! A well trained dog just hunts better and allows you to practice safe hunting. A well trained dog is a pleasure to be around at all times.

John

<< Back to Q&A