German Pointer  -   Stichelhaar   -   Griffon   -   Pointer  -  Pudelpointer   -   Foxhound
               The combination of these dogs made what we know today as the
                                                     German Wirehaired Pointer
GWP Facts
German Wirehaired Pointer
History
Around 1850, the incidence of political revolt,
together with improvements in the shotgun and
the cartridge, spurred the business of hunting to
such degree that everybody, regardless of class
distinction, took to the hunt. The number of
sportsmen, as a result, doubled, more dogs
were bred, and the hunting breeds became
more specialized; continental sportsmen, always
seeking the best, sought an all-purpose dog
that could hunt in varied terrain – and the
Pointer emerged. One of these, the Deutsch-
Drahthaar (German Wirehair), was native to
Germany.

In its early stages, the Deutsch-Drahthaar Club
catered to all varieties of wirehaired pointing
dogs, separating only later into categories
depending on purpose. Most of the early
wirehaired Pointers represented a combination
of Griffon, Stichelhaar (both mixtures of Pointer,
Foxhound, Pudelpointer, and Polish water dog),
Pudelpointer (a cross of Poodle and Pointer)
and German Shorthair. The Germans preferred
an extra-rugged hunter capable of working on
any kind of game on any terrain to a specialized
hunting breed. They continued to breed the
distinctive traits of Pointer, Foxhound, and
Poodle until they had created what is today the
German Wirehair, a constitutionally tough,
courageous breed who pointed and retrieved
equally well on land and in water.

Coat has always been one of the most
emphasized and important features of the
breed, representing the breed’s all-weather
quality; it is to large extent water-repellent and
shields the body from rough cover while
maintaining the skeletal outline. Although the
GWP had become a favored sporting dog in
Germany many years earlier, it was not admitted
into the German Kartell for dogs until 1928. The
breed was imported into the US in the 1920’s,
and in 1953, the German Drahthaar Club of
America was formed. The breed was admitted
into the AKC in 1959, when the parent club was
officially changed to the German Wirehaired
Pointer Club of America.
Did You Know?
•The coat of the German Wirehaired Pointer is
weather-resistant 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 German Wirehaired Pointer 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 German Wirehaired Pointer was first bred
as a result of increased popularity in hunting in
order to accommodate demand for new breeds.
•The German Wirehaired Pointer works equally
well in land and water, in part due to the unique
coat.

•The coat of the German Wirehaired Pointer,
the breed’s most distinctive feature, is dense
enough in the water to protect against harsh
cold, but it sheds in the summer to the point of
veritable invisibility.
German Wirehaired Pointer AKC Breed Standard

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 angles of the hindquarters balances that of the forequarters. A straight line drawn vertically
from the buttock (ischium) to the ground should land just in front of the rear foot. The thighs are
strong and muscular. The hind legs are parallel when viewed from the rear. The hocks
(metatarsus) are short, straight and parallel turning neither in nor out. Dewclaws are generally
removed. Feet as in forequarters.

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. Seen from the side, the movement is free and
smooth with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters. The dog
carries a firm back and exhibits a long, ground-covering stride. When moving in a straight line the
legs swing forward in a free and easy manner and show no tendency to cross or interfere. There
should be no signs of elbowing out. The rear legs follow on a line with the forelegs. As speed
increases, the legs will converge toward a center line of travel.

Temperament
Of sound, reliable temperament, the German Wirehaired Pointer is at times aloof but not unfriendly
toward strangers; a loyal and affectionate companion who is eager to please and enthusiastic to
learn.
Wirehairs today have many roles. They are excellent dogs for the everyday hunter who, much like the Germans
of 100+ years ago, want a dog that can literally do it all. It is not uncommon for hunters and their Wirehairs to
jumphunt ducks in the morning, hunt quail, pheasant or chukar in the afternoon, and wait in a blind for an
evening flight of geese. Wirehairs serve as companions who’d rather sleep on their owners’ feet than
anywhere else. They compete successfully in conformation shows, horseback field trials, AKC hunting tests,
agility, obedience, and every type of performance event you can name. It is not uncommon to find the same dog
participating in several of these events concurrently! They also serve individuals and communities in the form
of therapy dogs, drug detection dogs, and much more.
info courtesy of www.akc.org