The breeds · side by side
the wirehair question
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon or German Wirehaired Pointer.
Two bearded versatile breeds that get mistaken for each other at the trailhead. Range and drive are where they part; the coats are closer than the names suggest.
Every value below shows its source and how sure we are. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog. Nothing here is a prediction about one dog.
What the question turns on
Range
Close: 'a close-working, cooperative hunter' with a 'European-style, foot-handled range' suited to dense cover and varied terrain. The standard: bred 'to cover all terrain encountered by the walking hunter.'
Medium: a versatile dog that hunts for the gun and is judged on cooperation and search within the handler's reach
Energy
5 of 5
5 of 5
Coat
Double coat. Outer coat medium length, straight and wiry, never curly or woolly; harsh texture protects in rough cover. Obligatory undercoat of fine, thick down 'which provides insulation as well as water resistance'. Eyebrows, moustache and beard are extensions of the undercoat; shown in full body coat, not stripped short.
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)
Cold water
4 of 5 · Derived: the standard's undercoat 'provides insulation as well as water resistance' and the breed 'excels equally as a pointer in the field, or a retriever in the water'; the club describes 'waterfowl retrieval' as regular work.
4 of 5 · 4 of 5: water-repellent wire coat with a dense winter undercoat; bred for and tested in water work
Exercise need
More than 2 hours per day
More than 2 hours per day
The rest, read the same way
Height at the shoulder
dogs 23 in (22 to 24) · bitches 21 in (20 to 22)
dogs 25 in (24 to 26) · bitches 22 in
Weight
dogs 60 lb (50 to 70) · bitches 42.5 lb (35 to 50)
60 lb (50 to 70)
Shedding
Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Shedding 2 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Heat tolerance
3 of 5 · Derived from the standard's coat: medium-length wiry outer coat over a thick down undercoat = medium double coat.
3 of 5 · 3 of 5: medium-length harsh double coat; undercoat thins in summer
Median lifespan
Not recorded for this breed yet.
13 years (12.5 to 13.6)
Exercise need
More than 2 hours per day (RKC). AKC energy level 5 of 5 ('High Energy').
More than 2 hours per day
Grooming load
3 of 5 · More than once a week
3 of 5 · More than once a week
Grooming
More than once a week (RKC). AKC: grooming frequency 2 of 5, shedding 3 of 5; the breed is described on the AKC page as 'known for the harsh, low-shedding coat the breed is named for.'
More than once a week
Role
Versatile pointing dog 'bred to cover all terrain encountered by the walking hunter'; 'excels equally as a pointer in the field, or a retriever in the water.' FCI: 'essentially a versatile pointing dog. Also used for tracking wounded large game.' NAVHDA-recognized versatile breed.
Versatile hunter built for agility and endurance in the field; points upland game, retrieves on land and water, tracks wounded game, works fur
Primary game
Upland birds, with waterfowl retrieval as regular second work ('upland bird hunting and waterfowl retrieval').
Upland birds (quail, pheasant, chukar)
Also used on
Tracking wounded large game (FCI standard); the club adds rabbits and hares in Europe and tracking wounded deer in the US.
Waterfowl (ducks, geese); fur including fox; tracking wounded game
Field trial standard
Tested rather than trialed. AKC pointing-breed hunt tests (Junior, Senior, Master, Master Excellent): point, 'steady to wing, shot, fall', retrieve to hand, water retrieves at the advanced levels. NAVHDA Natural Ability (seven hereditary traits, max 112), Utility ('usefulness to the on-foot hunter in all phases of hunting both before and after the shot, in field and marsh', max 204) and the Invitational (Versatile Champion).
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
Water work
'Excels equally as a pointer in the field, or a retriever in the water'; the undercoat 'provides insulation as well as water resistance.' NAVHDA tests the breed runs include water phases; the club lists waterfowl retrieval as regular 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
Hip dysplasia
8.5% · 3,928 hip evaluations, all data through the Oct 5 2026 read: 90.8% normal (23.7% excellent, 59.3% good, 7.8% fair), 8.5% dysplastic (5.3% mild, 2.8% moderate, 0.4% severe).
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
Elbow dysplasia
5.2% · 1,783 elbow evaluations, all data through the Oct 5 2026 read: 94.6% normal, 5.2% abnormal (4.8% grade I, 0.4% grade II, 0.0% grade III).
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
Most common disorders
Not recorded for this breed yet.
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
What to ask a breeder for
Clearances
- Hip evaluation, elbow evaluation, ophthalmologist evaluation (AKC national breed club recommendations) · US
- Elbow scoring · UK
- Hip scoring · UK
- Eye exam (CHIC) · US
- Thyroid evaluation (CHIC, effective August 1 2017) · US
- Elbow evaluation (CHIC) · US
- Hip evaluation (CHIC) · US
- von Willebrand disease type 2 (vWD2) DNA test · UK
- Eye testing · UK
- Elbow scoring · UK
- Hip scoring · UK
- von Willebrand's disease DNA test (optional) · US
- Cardiac evaluation by a cardiologist · US
- Eye examination by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist · US
- Autoimmune thyroiditis · US
- Elbow evaluation · US
- Hip evaluation · US
The health clearances each breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
The selector
Which one, for your life?
A few minutes of honest answers: the birds, the ground, the water, the house, the week. The selector ranks both of these against what you said, explains every rank, and shows exactly where the one you came in wanting lands.
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