The breeds · gun dog · versatile

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 98

German Wirehaired Pointer.

Versatile hunter built for agility and endurance in the field; points upland game, retrieves on land and water, tracks wounded game, works fur.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

13YRMedian lifespan12.5 to 13.6, measured on real dogs.

25INHeightdogs 25, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.

50–70LBWeight, all linesbreed 60 lb (50 to 70).

2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 25 in (24 to 26) · bitches 22 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2007

No center given because the AKC standard prints only a floor. FCI 98: bitches 57 to 64 cm (22.4 to 25.2 in).

Weight

60 lb (50 to 70)

Breed clubAKC

Center is the midpoint. Single registry web page behind this value, not the standard; fewer than three sources.

Coat

Functional wiry coat, weather resistant and to some extent water-repellent; outer coat straight, harsh, wiry, flat lying, one to two inches long; undercoat dense enough in winter to insulate, almost invisible in summer; shorter on legs and skull; facial furnishings (beard, eyebrows)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2007

FCI 98: outer coat approximately 2 to 4 cm with a dense, water-resistant undercoat.

Shedding

Shedding 2 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · 3 of 5: medium-length harsh double coat; undercoat thins in summer

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2007

Derived from the standard's coat description (medium double = 3). The standard itself says the undercoat is 'so thin in summer as to be almost invisible', which argues toward the upper end of 3.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

13 years (12.5 to 13.6)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Row printed as 'German Wirehaired Pointer'. Smaller sample than the GSP row; the CI is wider. Teng et al. 2022 does not include the breed. AKC breed page states 14 to 16 years with no source; not used as a value.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped. GWPCA: the breed 'needs to be given meaningful work'.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

5 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC grooming band 'More than once a week' = 3. GWPCA describes the coat as 'easy to maintain'; hand-stripping practice varies by owner and is not a registry requirement.

Grooming

More than once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Versatile hunter built for agility and endurance in the field; points upland game, retrieves on land and water, tracks wounded game, works fur

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2007

AKC standard Size section ('a versatile hunter built for agility and endurance in the field'); GWPCA: bred to 'search for, locate, and point upland game', retrieve waterfowl, track wounded game and work fur including fox; FCI 98 utilization: usable for all work in field, woods and water before and after the shot.

Primary game

Upland birds (quail, pheasant, chukar)

Breed clubGerman Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

GWPCA breed information names quail, pheasant and chukar in the afternoon and ducks and geese morning and evening. 'Primary' is KENAI's reading of the club text; the registry standards name no species.

Also used on

Waterfowl (ducks, geese); fur including fox; tracking wounded game

Breed clubGerman Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

GWPCA breed information: 'jumphunt ducks in the morning', 'wait in a blind for an evening flight of geese', 'fearless when hunting sharp game such as fox', 'work both feather and fur', 'track and locate wounded game'.

Range

Medium: a versatile dog that hunts for the gun and is judged on cooperation and search within the handler's reach

Breed clubNorth American Versatile Hunting Dog Association

No published range figure; characterization rests on the NAVHDA search and cooperation standards. Fewer than three sources behind this value.

Field trial standard

NAVHDA: Natural Ability (to 16 months: nose, search, pointing, desire, cooperation, tracking, water entry, gun shyness), Gun Dog Test (formerly Utility Preparatory) and Utility (field search, pointing, steadiness, retrieve of shot bird and dragged game, duck search and water retrieves, obedience); dogs are judged against a standard by three judges and prized I, II or III

Breed clubNorth American Versatile Hunting Dog Association

GWPCA also runs AKC pointing-breed field trials and hunt tests at its national events.

Water work

Water work is core to the breed: bred to retrieve waterfowl; the coat is described as protection in heavy cover and cold water; NAVHDA Utility includes a duck search

Breed clubGerman Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

Cold water

4 of 5 · 4 of 5: water-repellent wire coat with a dense winter undercoat; bred for and tested in water work

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2007

Derived from coat plus water work (GWPCA: jump-hunt ducks, wait in a blind for geese; NAVHDA Utility duck search). Fewer than three sources behind this derived value.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

8.9% · 8.9% dysplastic of 5,918 OFA hip evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026); 90.0% normal (18.8% excellent, 60.0% good, 11.2% fair); 6.3% mild, 2.4% moderate, 0.2% severe; OFA rank 143

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Cross-check: GWPCA health page quotes OFA through December 2019 as 9% abnormal of 4,927 evaluations, consistent. Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock and poor results may be withheld (Hou et al. 2013; Table S1 counts 2,931 public GWP hip records 1974 to 2009). Registry figure, not a population prevalence.

Elbow dysplasia

2.9% · 2.9% abnormal of 2,055 OFA elbow evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026; 2.4% grade I, 0.4% grade II, 0.1% grade III); 96.9% normal; OFA rank 108

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Cross-check: GWPCA quotes OFA through December 2019 as 2.7% abnormal of 1,208. Hou et al. 2013 Table S1: 405 public GWP elbow records 1974 to 2009.

Most common disorders

Parent club health priorities: hip dysplasia (OFA 9% abnormal), autoimmune thyroiditis (OFA 8.9% abnormal of 1,033 thyroid evaluations through Dec 2019), hemangiosarcoma; elbow dysplasia (2.7%), eye disease (1.1% of 368), cardiac (0.8% abnormal, advanced) at lower rates

Breed clubGerman Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

No VetCompass paper and no UK survey breed table for the GWP (Wiles et al. 2017 received only 94 GWP responses, below the 200-dog cutoff for within-breed prevalence). Live OFA thyroid table at access (1,818 evaluations): 80.4% normal, 0.5% autoimmune thyroiditis plus 9.1% compensated autoimmune thyroiditis (9.6% autoimmune in all), 0.3% idiopathic hypothyroidism, 9.6% equivocal. Fewer than three independent sources; club-reported.

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 5; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 2; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

UKvon Willebrand disease type 2 (vWD2) DNA testDNA (KC best practice) · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: German Wirehaired Pointer (exercise band, grooming band, size, coat length, Breed Health schemes)
UKEye testingBVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: German Wirehaired Pointer (exercise band, grooming band, size, coat length, Breed Health schemes)
UKElbow scoringBVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: German Wirehaired Pointer (exercise band, grooming band, size, coat length, Breed Health schemes)
UKHip scoringBVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: German Wirehaired Pointer (exercise band, grooming band, size, coat length, Breed Health schemes)

USvon Willebrand's disease DNA test (optional)DNA (VetGen; clear by parentage for first generation) · German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America, Health Testing Recommendations statement to the AKC (board effective 1/1/2015)
USCardiac evaluation by a cardiologistOFA congenital cardiac (min 12 months) · German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America, Health Testing Recommendations statement to the AKC (board effective 1/1/2015)
USEye examination by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologistOFA CAER / ACVO (yearly if breeding) · German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America, Health Testing Recommendations statement to the AKC (board effective 1/1/2015)
USAutoimmune thyroiditisOFA approved laboratory; from 2 years, yearly to 4 · German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America, Health Testing Recommendations statement to the AKC (board effective 1/1/2015)
USElbow evaluationOFA (min 24 months) · German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America, Health Testing Recommendations statement to the AKC (board effective 1/1/2015)
USHip evaluationOFA (min 24 months) or PennHIP (min 12 months) · German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America, Health Testing Recommendations statement to the AKC (board effective 1/1/2015)

No KENAI kennel lists the German Wirehaired Pointer yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

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How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 9 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called: GWP, Wire

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