| Wirehaired Pointing Griffons: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find. Information about Wirehaired Pointing Griffon personality and behavior. |
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My book, Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (published by Henry Holt & Co.), includes a full-page profile of the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, including these excerpts:
"This rugged, athletic hunting dog has a pleasant, gentle disposition.
Vigorous daily exercise (jogging, biking, hiking, field work) is high on his list of Things to Do, as is companionship and personal attention. Too much solitary confinement makes him restless and prone to separation anxiety, which he may express by chewing destructively.
Though independent and easily distracted, the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is not a dominant dog and is quite responsive to obedience training that includes a calm voice and light hand.
He can be hard to housebreak and some bark excessively, especially without enough exercise or mental stimulation.
Wirehaired Pointing Griffons are not for the fastidious household: They are sloppy drinkers, their beard soaking up water and depositing it as a trail of drips across your floor."
History
Developed in Holland and France by a Dutchman named Korthals, this dependable (but seldom seen) bird dog is known in Europe as Korthals Griffon.
Size
20-24 inches and 45-60 lbs |
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Wirehaired Pointing Griffons
What's good about 'em
What's bad about 'em
- There are energetic Griffons, and placid Griffons.
- Hard-headed Griffons, and sweet-natured Griffons.
- Serious Griffons, and good-natured goofballs.
- Introverted Griffons, and Griffons who love everyone.
| If you acquire a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm." |
Now let's look at some common characteristics for this breed...
- Is medium-sized with an agile, athletic build
- Has a rough wiry coat and whiskery beard
- Is rugged in body, pleasant in disposition
- Is dignfied with strangers and congenial with other dogs
- Responds well to calm training -- is not a dominant dog
A Wirehaired Pointing Griffon may be right for you.
| If you don't want to deal with... |
- Vigorous exercise requirements
- Exuberant jumping, especially when young or not exercised enough
- "Separation anxiety" (destructiveness and barking) when left alone too much
- Timidity when not socialized enough
- A distractable mind of his own -- tends to ignore calls and commands when an interesting sight or scent catches his attention
- "Shaggy dog syndrome," i.e. debris clinging to the coat, water soaking into the beard and dripping on your floors
- Slowness to housebreak
- Finding one
A Wirehaired Pointing Griffon may not be right for you.
| If I were considering a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon... |
My major concerns would be:
- Providing enough exercise and mental stimulation. Wirehaired Pointing Griffons MUST have regular opportunities to vent their energy and do interesting things. Otherwise they will become restless and bored -- which they usually express by barking and destructive chewing.
| If you simply want a pet for your family, and don't have the time or inclination to take your dog running or hiking or biking, or to get involved in hunting, or tracking, or agility (obstacle course), or a similar canine activity, I do not recommend this breed. Wirehaired Pointing Griffons were never intended to be simply household pets. Trying to suppress their "hardwired" desire to run and work, without providing alternate outlets for their energy level, can be difficult. |
- Separation anxiety. More than most other breeds, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons need a great deal of companionship and do not like being left alone for more than a few hours. They tend to express their unhappiness through destructive chewing and barking. If you work all day, this is not the breed for you.
- Providing enough socialization. Standoffish by nature, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons need extensive exposure to people and to unusual sights and sounds. Otherwise their natural caution can become shyness, which is very difficult to live with.
- Mind of their own. Wirehaired Pointing Griffons are one of the most responsive of the pointing breeds, but they are not Golden Retrievers. They have an independent mind of their own and are easily distracted by exciting sights, scents, and sounds. You must show them, through absolute consistency and great patience, that you mean what you say and that they must pay attention to you.
- "Shaggy dog syndrome." Like all "shaggy" dogs, the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon can be a messy dog. Leaves, mud, snow, fecal matter, and other debris cling to his rough coat. When he drinks, his beard absorbs water, which drips on your floors when he walks away. When he eats, his beard absorbs food, which ends up on your pants when he presses his head against your leg. Rough-coated dogs are not suited to fastidious housekeepers.
- Housebreaking. The pointing breeds can be a bit slow to pick this up. Expect several months of consistent crate training.
- Finding one. In the United States, fewer than 300 new Wirehaired Pointing Griffon puppies are registered each year. (Compare that to over 60,000 new Golden Retriever puppies.)
| If you're considering an adult Wirehaired Pointing Griffon... |
There are plenty of adult Griffons who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.
When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.
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Copyright © 2000-2006 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without the permission of the author. |
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