German Wirehaired Pointer

		German Wirehaired Pointer
		FCI standard Nº 98

Origin		Germany
Translation		Elke Peper
Group		Group 7 Pointing Dogs
Section		Section 1.1 Continental Pointing Dogs
Working		With working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI		Friday 26 November 1954
Publication of the official valid standard		Wednesday 25 October 2000
Last update		Wednesday 23 October 2002
En français, cette race se dit		Chien d'arrêt allemand à poil dur
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar		Deutsch Drahthaar
En español, esta raza se dice		Braco Alemán de pelo duro
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd		Duitse Staande Draadhaar

Usage

According to his purpose of a versatile working gundog the German Wirehaired Pointer must possess all the dispositions asked for the breed. He must be usable for all the work in the field, in the woods and in water before and after the shot.

Brief historical summary

The Deutsch Drahthaar is a rough coated pointing dog whose initial breeding started at the end of the 19th century (Griffon Korthals), and that has been systematically bred from the beginning of this century based on the ideas of „Hegewald“ (Sigismund Freiherr von Zedlitz and Neukirch) with the sealed aim of creating an assertive, efficient wirehaired German gundog. In accordance with the principle of „by working ability to type“ and with consequent regard to freedom of breeding, within a short time a gundog has been developed from the best of the rough coated types (Pudelpointer, Griffon Korthals, German Broken Coated Pointing Dog) and by using the German Shorthaired Pointer, that excels through his useful weatherproof coat and his versatility in all fields of practical hunting. Due to these characteristics, the Deutsch Drahthaar within a few decades has developed to become the most popular and well-tried among the large gundog breeds in Germany as well as in many countries of the world.

General appearance

A pointing dog of noble appearance, with harsh coat completely protecting the skin, with an attentive expression full of energy. The movement should be powerful, ground covering, flowing and harmonious.

Important proportions

The length of the body and the height at the withers should be as equal as possible. The length of the body may exceed the height at the withers by up to 3 cm.

Behaviour / temperament

Firm, self-controlled, well-balanced, without shyness of game, neither sensitive when shots are fired nor shy or aggressive.

Head
Cranial region
Head		In proportion to the size and the sex of the dog. Lines of head slightly diverging.
Skull		Flat, slightly rounded at the sides only, moderately broad, pronounced superciliary ridges.
Stop		Clearly visibly pronounced.

Facial region
Nose		Strongly pigmented corresponding to the colour of the coat. Nostrils well opened.
Muzzle		Long, broad, strong, deep. Slight roman nose.
Lips		Thick, close-fitting, not overhanging. Well pigmented corresponding to the colour of the coat.
Jaws and teeth		Large teeth. Powerful jaws with a regular, complete scissor bite with the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. 42 teeth according to the dentition formula.
Eyes		As dark as possible, neither too deep-set nor protruding, with an alert, lively expression. Eyerims well pigmented and close-fitting.
Ears		Of medium size, set on high and wide, not twisted.

Neck

Of medium length, strongly muscled; slightly arched napeline, clean cut throat, no dewlap.

Body
Topline		Slightly sloping from the withers in a straight line.
Withers		Pronounced.
Back		Firm, well muscled.
Loin		Short, broad, muscular loin region.
Croup		Long and broad, slightly sloping and well muscled. Broad pelvis.
Chest		Broad and deep with well developed forechest, the breastbone reaching as far back as possible. Ribs well arched.
Underline and belly		Slight tuck-up towards the rear in an elegant curve.

Tail

Following the topline, carried as horizontally as possible or slightly raised, but not steep. Neither too thick nor too thin. Docked for the hunting purposes. (In countries where docking is prohibited by law, the tail may be left natural. It should reach to the hocks and should be carried straight or slightly sabre-like.)

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality		Viewed from the front, straight and parallel, viewed from the side, legs set well under the body. The distance from the elbows to the ground to be approximately equal to the distance from the elbows to the withers.
Shoulders		Well laid-back, sloping shoulder blade, strongly muscled. Forming a good angle together with the upper arm.
Upper arm		As long as possible, with well developed, lean muscles.
Elbows		Close to the body, neither turning in nor out. Good angulation between upper arm and forearm.
Forearm		Lean, set perpendicular, strong bones.
Carpal		Strong.
Pastern		Slightly sloping.
Forefeet		Oval-round with well-knit toes and sufficiently thick, tough, robust and well-pigmented pads. They are set parallel, neither turning in nor out in stance or when moving.

Hindquarters
Generality		Viewed from behind, straight and parallel. Well angulated at the stifles and the hocks. Strong bones.
Upper thigh		Long, broad, muscular, with good angulation between pelvis and upper thigh.
Lower thigh		Long, muscular and sinewy.
Stifle		Strong, with good angulation between upper and lower thigh.
Metatarsus		Short, perpendicular to the ground.
Hock		Short.
Hind feet		Oval-round with well-knit toes and sufficiently thick, tough, robust and well-pigmented pads. They are set parallel in stance and when moving, turning neither in nor out.

Gait and movement

Covering lots of ground, with good reach and drive, parallel coming and going; with upstanding posture.

Skin

Tight, close-fitting, without folds.

Coat
Hair		Wirehaired harsh, flat lying and dense. Outer coat approximately 2 to 4 cm long; dense, waterresistant undercoat. The outlines of the body may not be obscured by longer coat. Through its harshness and density it should provide as good protection against weather and injuries as possible. The lower parts of the legs, as well as the lower region of the brisket and the belly, should be shorter but densely coated, the head and the ears to be shorter and at the same time denser but never softer coated. Pronounced eyebrows and a well developed not too long, as harsh as possible beard emphasise the determined expression.
Colour		• Brown roan with or without patches. • Black roan, with or without patches. • Brown with or without white chest patch. • Light roan. No other colour is permitted.

Size and weight
Height at withers		Dogs 61 to 68 cm, bitches 57 to 64 cm.

Faults

• Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Serious faults

Short or narrow or pointed muzzle.

Weak dentition.

Very loose eyelids.

Swayback or roach back.

Heavily overbuilt.

Elbows heavily turning in or out.

Bandy-legged, cow hocked or close behind, in stance as well as in movement.

Pacing permanently when stepping or trotting, stiff or mincing gait.

Sparce coat, lacking undercoat.

Disqualifying faults

Any kind of weak temperament, especially gun or game shyness, aggressiveness, nervousness; fear biter.

Over- or undershot bite, wry mouth, missing teeth other than P1, the canines being set too narrow.

Entropion, ectropion, differently coloured eyes.

Innate kinky or stumpy tail.

Faulty pigment.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

https://www.fci.be/

Detailed history

The Deutsch-Drahthaar was created in Germany in the late 19th century by a small group of dedicated breeders who set out to develop a versatile hunting dog that would satisfy all aspects of German hunting in field, forest, and water. This group of breeders succeeded in creating a versatile hunting dog that took its traits from the best dogs of the existing coarse hair breeds, cross bred with the shorthair blood. These ancestors included the Stichelhaar, Pudelpointer, Griffon, and the Deutsch-Kurzhaar.

The Deutsch-Drahthaar is a mid-sized, substantial dog. The height at shoulder varies from around 61 to 68 cm for males, and 57 to 64 cm for females. The coat is generally wiry, and tightly fit with a thick under wool. This coat was developed to provide optimal protection form external influences such as moisture, cold and heat, as well as thorns, brush and insects. The extended “eyebrows” and the typical beard give the DD his characteristic appearance. The breed has a variety of colorations. They are: brown and white or black and white ticked usually with some solid patches, and solid brown with or without a white chest patch.

A group of breeders founded the Verein Deutsch-Drahthaar (VDD) in May 1902. The driving force behind the Deutsch-Drahthaar, Freiherr Sigismund of Zedlitz and Neukirch, demanded that the primary breeding goal of the hunting dog be versatile performance ability. His thoughts became the principle of the VDD breeding program: “through performance to standard”. This principle is still upheld today, with registered breeders following a tradition of required performance and physical evaluation for all of the dogs used in the breeding program.

Many breeders of the German Wirehaired Pointer (GWP) errantly refer to their breed as Drahthaar. In addition to significant differences in breed standard, the Wirehair has been bred without regulation or restriction since the late 1950’s, but especially without the performance testing that proves the ability of the Drahthaar. After years of unrestricted breeding and no versatile performance standards the German Wirehaired Pointer has evolved into a distinctly separate breed. Click here for a little more history on the German Wirehaired Pointer (GWP).

Today’s DD is the dog most frequently used by the German hunting establishment, and is rapidly gaining popularity elsewhere, and that is not without reason. The Deutsch-Drahthaar is a passionate, hard-working dog. They are noted for their endurance and willingness to obey, as well as the ability to concentrate on the work at hand. After persistently searching the field with a sensitive nose, the DD shows the game by pointing, so that the hunter comes to a calm shot. Shot birds are hunted down and retrieved to the master. In particular, DD’s exhibit the characteristic of a retriever of lost game. They do this by their inbred capacity to track and pursue (and even dispatch) wounded game persistently and uncompromisingly in some of the most difficult conditions. This saves the game from unnecessary suffering. Their endurance, swimming ability and heavy coat also make them well suited to waterfowl hunting in the most adverse conditions.

While the Deutsch-Drahthaar is a superb hunting companion, they are also well suited as a family dog. DD’s are normally gentle and friendly with children and other dogs, and are known to become protective of their “family” and home. Their intelligence and calm manner help them in adjusting to various living conditions. VDD Breeding Regulations specify that DD’s who show unwarranted aggressiveness toward people or other dogs are to be removed from the breeding program, so these traits do not get passed on.

As with all genuine hunting/working dogs, the DD needs legitimate specialty training and consistent guidance. Only when given sufficient training and activity does he seem content.

To get a close up look at this truly versatile hunting companion, please go to our contact page to look for someone in your area. If there is no one in your immediate area, please contact the closest person. He/She can help you to locate a VDD/GNA member in your area.

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German Wirehaired Pointer