German Wirehair Questions

[woodview]

First off I've got to admit I broke a couple of my own rules yesterday...

I bought a dog the first time I saw her - in the past I've always gone back a number of times because IMO it's hard to get a good read on a dog based on one viewing - regardless of what you're told by the owner or breeder.

Also, I've got almost no first hand experience with this breed - I'd done some research on them but kind of went to look at her just to get a better feel for the breed.

Having said all of that I don't think I'm going to regret getting her. She bonded to me quicker than any dog I've ever seen. while it wasn't for very long, I did work with her about an hour after we got home - she's not a puppy, already partially trained, and while I definately enjoy the bond with a dog, I wanted her to realize right off the bat that this isn't a democracy we've got going on here. She was very eager to please and picked up on what I wanted really quick. Quoting Theresa after about four hours "I'm glad she listens pretty well to me too, but I think that if she could crawl up your rear... she would"

I'm wondering if wirehairs have a real distinct odor. Didn't really notice it until we were in the blazer on the way home. I thought it might be from a flea/tick treatment but when I gave her a bath she had a good number of iritations from ticks plus about 10-12 of the lil buggars on her so I'm doubting that's the cause.

I guess it's a little late now but I'm wondering if anyone's got an opinion on this breed or any suggestions on what to look out for or expect. Books and articles are great but hearing from real people with info is definately better.

Watched her work a chunk of turf and lock up on the quail there - I knew I was in trouble when Theresa started rubbing my arm and shot me a smile like she'd caught me in some private moment and said "you like her don't you? I do too" and I realized that the hair on my arm was standing straight up and found myself muttering "yup, I think that's her" before the conscious part of my brain was even aware of it.

p.s. after telling a breeder that you hunt grouse and are taking the dog the joke "Oh dump, now I've gotta shoot em in the air" may not get you quite the smile you were after.

[charliepete2]

I haven't personally owned a Wirehair, but I have a couple buddies that have them. From my experience they are really attached to their owners. Real one person dogs. The ones that I've been around are what some people call 'sharp'. Meaning that they love to kill fur. You might have to watch you're new dog around the neighbors cat.

As far as hunting goes the Wirehairs I've seen are medium to close workers and aren't real speed demons. They have a tendency to work head down taking foot scent instead of head up taking body scent. The ones I've hunted behind are better at pheasants than grouse. I'm not much of a waterfowl hunter, but from what my buddies have to say this is where they really shine.

Have fun with your new dog. If the last owner didn't protect the dog from ticks you might want to get it checked out to make sure it doesn't have lymes disease. Especially if it was living in an endemic area.

[Northland Sportsman]

I have two GWPs. They are great dogs! I have one who is a hunting machine. The first year was a little slow, but she was a pup, now all of my buddies fight over who gets to hunt behind her she is awesome, especialy on pheseant & grouse. She has also taken to the water awesome and gets some pretty good dock jumps in. She is very competetive and a great house and family dog. The other GWP we have is a great family dog, she loves my wife to no end. We got her at about a year old from a couple who lived in town and didn't have the room for her. She is high strung and loves to play, great with kids, etc. I have had a very difficult time getting her to hunt. Last year her idea of hunting was to follow me on my heals - not very effective I am trying to work with her more this summer to see what she can learn. It doesn't seem like she has the drive to hunt like my other dog, but I haven't given up hope yet. If nothing else she is a great family pet and loyal friend. These are my experiences with the breed. I hope you have good luck with yours as a pet and hunting partner. I know they have great potential!

[metrojoe]

Sorry don't know to much about Wirehairs. I wish you the best of luck, but I'd also like to suggest you get that pup in for a lymes test.

Is a grouse sitting in a tree considered in the air?

[GoodToGo]

I got my GWP a couple of years ago under similar conditions as yours. Tara has worked out extremely well. SHe is wonderfully tolerant with our boys, now age 6, does not have a mean bone, never growled or done anything other than take whatever they are dishing out. She is very bonded to the family, and especially me. Sometimes a little too needy, but not often. A ton of energy outside, she is a machine that will hunt all day. SHe turns it off inside and mostly lays around. Excellent grouse and pheasant, with no real training. Is very sharp, has killed kittens, squirrels, rabbits, neighbors chickens (twice). Has a tendency to roam, so now we have an invisible fence (due to the unfortunate chicken incident). No real odor, other than the usual dog smell after a month or so. Very friendly towards strangers, but if startled emits a menacingly deep howl/bark/growl. Usually at 2:00 in the morning (I consider this a good thing). No experience yet with ducks, although she enjoys retreiving and swimming. All in all a great dog. Only negative: constant threat to the neighbors egg supply.

[woodview]

GoodToGo:

Do you have other pets and if so how is she with them? She's actually been timid around other dogs, but once she got comfortable with our other dog (Shiba Inu mix - 10-15lbs) they tore off the deck to play but tessa nipped her on the back - Hanna (shiba) yelped, took off and looked like the reaper was coming - Tessa (wirehair) saw that and gave chase for a second before I called them both over. I remember the thought of "did she just look like she saw prey" go through my head. Don't really think it'll be a problem and they'll get along fine, plus it could very well have been my eyes playing tricks on me, but I'm not gonna dismiss my gut feeling about that moment either especially hearing they can be sharp.

Great fish by the way.

I definately have to get her socialized. I think most of her time was spent in a kennel. She's great with people, but like I said so far she's been shy around other dogs and I want her really comfortable with them. I don't want her getting scared and reacting if one comes up to give her a sniff (those other guys in the woods with dogs have guns to... and they're probably a better shot than me ). Unfortunately she pees (dribbles) when she gets excited (wherever that is ). I'm pretty sure this will stop and she's already getting the idea of where exactly I want her to do her thing in the yard.

Other than the one moment with Hanna she hasn't done a single thing wrong.

Pretty crazy how strongly she's attached to me already and I can tell she thinks I'm the center of the universe (she really is pretty smart ). If she was a woman I'd move and change my name or expect to find a rabbit boiling in the pot - can't remember what the name of that old movie was.

NorthlandSportsman: Did you have both out hunting together or was she alone when she stayed on your heels?

Sorry for rambling but I'm really pumped and really happy I got her.

I just keep finding forums on this sight that are awesome, and I've been working my way backwards through this one obsessively. Some really great advice here. Not to swell anyone's head out there but I'm wondering if there are any particular people's postings you've thought informative.

metrojoe

pretty sure that if you can talk about it dropping like a rock after you shot....

[GoodToGo]

We do not have other pets. We're a one dog house, and we can't get anything else cause we're pretty sure it'd get killed. I'm not a cat man, so no loss. Around other dogs she is very playful, and very submissive. It's almost embarassing how easliy she goes belly up. I have seen no hint of aggressiveness to other dogs. When we are hunting she ignores the other dog and just hunts. She also seems to adore me, she spends a lot of time looking at me. My last dog was pretty aloof, this has taken some getting used to.

The movie was Fatal Attraction by the way. If that movie won't keep a man from straying, nothing will...

[Ole #1]

Congrats on your new Wirehair. I love the Wirehair breed, they are great family dogs and very serious hunters. Wirehairs don't have an odor, unless they get dirty or wet, like other dogs.

[Blaze]

Woodview,

Congrats on your new buddy - hope you have many years of great hunting together. I've had a GSP, a GWP, and now a Drahthaar, so I've had a bit of experience with the breed and what they're like. Where'd you get Tessa - breeder?

There is a lot of variation in the breed - some hunt with head high, some with nose to the ground - my DD looks like an English Pointer in the field the way he works the air. They really are a jack of all trades, which is what drew me to the breed. Ducks, pheasant, grouse - I believe the key FOR ANY BREED to excel is simply EXPOSURE. Get her out and get her on birds...lots of them. My GSP had more contact with wild pheasants in one weekend in ND than she did in a year of hunting in MN. The light really went on that weekend - she started working the birds like a pro by the end of that trip. Same holds true for sharpies/ruffies/ducks - nothing teaches 'em better than the real deal.

Our GWP was a real piece of work - the dog was just too smart. He would stop and think about commands before deciding if he wanted to do it or not, but once he learned something it was locked in. He would also get bored very easily and get destructive as a hobby. He could open doors, get out of his portable kennel (we ended up padlocking him in) - I still think he was part GWP, part Houdini. Like others have said, they adore people (like a lab - much more than any GSPs that I've seen) and think they are lap-dogs. Our dogs have all been part of the family, and I know our GWP and DD would not transition well to being "kennel-only" dogs - they are kids too...or at least they think they are!

If you get a chance, post a pic of Tessa - we'd love to see her.

Good luck,

Blaze

** Looks like labs4me removed my reference to other dog sites **

** Sorry about that Labs! **

Woodview - there are some other sites I watch regulary with good info/advice on training techniques, resolving problems, etc. - email me at mrdba2u AT yahoo DOT com if you're interested. Thanks.

[wormfood]

woodview - Your story sure sounds familiar. Pretty sure we'll be sharing a few brews come Friday and we'll let the pups get to know one another. - Ojahowitz

[Northland Sportsman]

I have had her out alone and with our other dog. It doesn't seem to make a difference. She will hunt for a short while and then lose interest and stay on my heels, it gets frustrating. Like I said before, I haven't given up hope yet. I think that getting them on birds would help and am considering getting some game farm birds for training. Our dogs are part of the family and she will have a place whether or not she picks up on the hunting, but it would be nice. And as said above, they both think they are lap dogs.

[woodview]

wormfood - wow it's ironic to hear from you because I was going to mention this site to you... I love it! Couldn't remember if I mentioned it at one of the grouse hunts. We'll be carefull letting the dogs meet... first time she met our red-healer they circled around me (they both consider me sacred ground) checking eachother out and when Dee-Dee poked her nose through to get a good sniff the universe just exploded!!!

Gentlemen, a dog fight erupting between your legs will take 10+ years off your life ... I guarantee that... I'm now bald .

It was actually a lot less than I just made it sound like but I'm pretty sure I grew an extra arm because I yelled NO and pointed them in opposite directions, but I distinctly remember "another one of my hands" cupping "myself" .

Blaze, definately planning on getting her on birds but I'm more concerned with obedience training than anything birdy... why do I jinx myself? Again, really crazy how tuned in she is.

I think my biggest problem is that I'm not. I've already figured out mistakes I've been making. #1 would be that I've tried to reassure and comfort her when she's meeting new dogs and acts shy/scared/ready-to-defend - human nature to protect and comfort I think. I just don't want another near groin confrontation - call me a whimp but as a friend of mine told me about a crazy ex who threatened to kick me there;

"only two times can someone get to a man's pride... when he's willing or a fool."

Finding out how much/little I "actually" knew/know about pointers has been humbling! I've been obsessive about learning as much as I can and on that note thanks for all the replies and you'll be getting email soon Blaze.

Think the submissive/excited peeing is getting old. Today when we let Tessa in she greeted me and when I looked at where she'd been (carpet) I didn't see a puddle, but a minute later Theresa walked up and when she got to that spot she stopped and grimaced - no mind reading needed to tell what she'd stepped in - looked me right in the eye and in the calmest, yet chilling manner, stated "lick it up" Told her it was Karma for asking if we could shave her beard.

Ojahowitz, not sure we'll be making it to upper red before the cabin (sounds pretty slow), but still can't wait. No posting how many clays I miss! I have no depth perception, finger trigger hasn't been the same after that 'barby twins' accident, I dress to the 'right' so with all that weight my balance is all screwed up.... I swear IT ISN'T MY FAULT!.

By the way, will bob be up? (think icehole)

[wormfood]

Nah, Bob can't make it. His old lady let's him drink at home!

Oh yah, Red may be a bit slow. Just talked to Leebowitz and he's up for grinding them on Roosevelt. Just get us enough for a fish fry on Friday and we should be content - either that or we'll just cook up a pizza.