The Mustached Hunter

The ultimate bird dog. Altho derived from several different breeds of retrieving pointers, in the 1800's, the German Wirehaired Pointer is believed the most versatile of all hunting breeds. I might be a bit prejudiced to this breed of dog because currently I am living with one and his name is Joey.

The breed's long eyebrows and lashes along with his mustache and beard give him the distinctive look of a Wirehair Pointer versus the Shorthair Pointer. The Wirehair is extremely intelligent, very loyal to his family and a rugged worker in the field. Not only does this breed point, as his name suggests, but he also tracks and retrieves all types of game. If you are looking for a great family dog that will be equally happy in the field hunting, then the German Wirehair Pointer should be your dog of choice.

The German Wirehaired Pointer comes in a variety of colors. We have had 3 GWP's. The first one we called Nick and he was mostly white with brown or liver ticking and a big brown liver spot on his side that looked like a fish. His beard was mostly liver in color. Our next GWP, River Jackson, we called him Jack, was all liver with the longer hairs almost golden and he had a white blaze on his chest. His eyebrows, mustache and beard were all the golden color. About the time Jack turned 4 we brought home another Wirehair we named Joey. Joey is mostly liver with white ticking and Joey has the longest hair of all our dogs. So of course the one that needs to be brushed the most. As you can see you there are several options as far as color goes.

Because the German Wirehaired Pointer is not a very popular dog (and I cannot understand why) the breeders have been able to maintain a very healthy breed and do their best to place their pups in homes that fit the breeds personality and temperament. This breed of dog is such a great family dog that I really don't understand why you don't see more of them. At my husbands hunt club he is the only guide that has Wirehairs and between you and me, my boys outhunt all other breeds. Their thick wiry coat gets them in the thickest brush, they crash thru icy water to retrieve and once they are on the hunt nothing stops them from the task at hand. They won't even stop for a treat!

As you can tell I love this breed of dog, the German Wirehaired Pointer. They are so intelligent and so faithful. They learn quickly, and not by hitting them, but by your tone of voice. With Joey, all I have to do is smile at him and he knows he has made me happy. Or if I say "naughty dog" his head drops and he feels bad that he has disappointed me.

The picture above is of our beautiful boy Jack. Jack died about a year ago from cancer that was growing so rapidly we didn't have any chance of saving him. Thankfully, we had our Joey to get us thru that sad time. Joey missed his hunting buddy and looked for Jack every time someone came into the house. But, I also noticed Joey sticking closer to us and not letting us out of his sight.

When we brought Joey home for the first time he sat on my lap and I kissed on his furry little face all the way home. I didn't know I was creating this monster who loves to greet you by kissing your face. Of course, he expects that everyone is as crazy about dogs as I am and he wants to be kissed on the face and he doesn't stop pestering you until you comply. Joey also visits the nursing home where my father-in-law is and makes the residents there so happy to be able to pet and love on him. Of course, Joey loves that too. Joey is a very social dog!

But first and foremost Joey is a hunter. He would rather hunt than eat steak. In fact, once he sees the hunting gear out he won't eat, he doesn't want to play and for heaven's sake don't pet him. He's going hunting and that is all that is on his mind. I think all German Wirehairs are focused like that because our other 2 were exactly the same way.

Joey is our little treasure. GWP's are family dogs and they love to be with family. They don't do as well being kenneled. All dogs are social animals and personally I think they should be part of the family; and if they can't be... don't get a dog. I think that is part of the reason why we have been so successful with German Wirehaired Pointers....because they have been family.

So here are some of the great traits of a German Wirehaired Pointer:

> Devoted to his family - this dog would take a bullet for you, he loves children and other animals

> Tough Dog - His stamina cannot be beat, adapts to changing weather conditions, his wiry coat can handle all terrain and all water conditions, webbed feet for a strong swimmer and the best nose on the planet

>Highly Intelligent - learns quickly, tracks, points and retrieves