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Are German Wire-Haired Pointer good duck dogs?

14K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  98ramtough 
#1 ·
I want a good quail upland and duck wet-land dog. I have been looking at the GWP.
Questions #1. Do anyone have a problem with GWP and water? Questions #2. Which is better male or female?

Any comments are helpful.

Colby
North Carolina
 
#2 ·
I have 2 German Shorthair Pointers, and they ROCK! Big time! They seem to like the water, and are super easy to train and eager to please. I have one male, and one female. The female seemed to mature quicker. I use the for quail hunting.

I think the GSP/GWP are good for anything!

I have a few pictures of mine at www.gundogforum.com under german shorthair pointer. Her name is Bell
 
#3 ·
I tend to agree with Grantc2 on this, GSP/GWP make an excellent utility retriever. However, maybe it 's just me :but it seems like in the last few years alot of the German dogs I've encountered have been increasingly aggresive. Some even down-right mean and unpredictable !! Of course ,could be the trainers/handlers !!!
 
#7 ·
I think the wirehaired are much better suited for the cold conditions compared to shorthairs, but check with someone who owns one. The wirehaired pointers I have been around are really good dogs. Well behaved, strong swimmers and eager to please.

I wouldn't take my shorthair duck hunting, except maybe teal season. The shorthairs are not made for the cold. They are light dogs with very short coats. It would be torture to have one in ice water conditions. On the contrary, they don't overheat in the upland on balmy days either. I wouldn't trade my shorthair for anything, but she is not going to the marsh in December either.
 
#8 ·
i don't think you can go wrong with pointing labs if you are looking for a dog that can do every thing. i have had one for going on 2 seasons. she was retiveing live ducks at 3 mo. and locking down on quail at 4 mo. she points better then all of my friends "bird" dogs. the only draw back on them is they are a little pricey. any other ?'s about them just ask and i will try to answer. what are your guys opinions on pointing labs????

p.s. if i was going to get a dog unless you plan on breading get a male ... cheaper, and you don't have to worry about them getting bread if you are "leaving them open" when they go in heat... i jsut saw that someone ask about that.
 
#9 ·
Well i have trained alot of (GWP's) but you have to do some home work on the breeder and find out what lines he or she has, you dont want to buy a GWP with just show back ground ,, I find that GWP's with NAVHDA ( North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association) back ground are better for the all around hunter ,,, and far as what sex it seems that female do better for some than others its all up to what are u going to do ,,, if u just want a hunting dog and not going to breed, than u can look at the all the puppies and just pick the one you like. I would just pick the pup i like best and if its a female than its a female. And just dont look at one littler look at a lot to find what you want ,,, if u are going to send some money on the dog you want to find the one that u would be happy with ,,,, and the coast of the pup is the least amount that u will spend on the dog.

:thumbsup:
 
#10 ·
I have a german shorthair now and love it, but I am getting a Drahthaar in march. The only real reason is so that I can have a versatile dog that I can hunt in -10 degree weather. If you are seroiusly considering a GWP I would STONGLY consider taking the extra time to look and learn about the Drahthaars. What ever you decide DO NOT LIMIT YOUR SELF TO YOUR STATE. I see a lot of people that only want to buy a pup that they can see. If you are getting the dog from a well known breeder you will have nothing to worry about. If you are going to take short cuts then you are probally not going to get what you are looking for.
 
#12 ·
Drahthaars are MUCH more strickly bred. Wire haired pointers are americanized drahthaars. A true drahthaar will have a tattoo on one of the ears. Drahthaars are also have a completly different testing program through the drahthaar organazation.

If you email me with any specific questions I will be more than happy to go through EVERYTHING with you.
Pros and cons of the different dogs ect......
I am new to the forum so if you cant get the email it is mfetter80@hotmail.com
 
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