Anyone have a Wirehaired Griffon?

[Spaarky]

Make a long story, short, I am ready to get a dog again. Actually I will have 3-4 by the time I am done...

I am looking at a Wirehaired Griffon. I want something a little different. Wife wants something smaller(smaller than our 85lb lab). Looks like they are good for upland and water.

I am sure it will come up so before anyone gives some advice. A pointing lab will be down the road. My best buddy has every Setter breed there is. Everone in SD has German Shorthairs so that is out. I have been around Brittneys that doesnt excite me too much. I think a Whinny will be a little big for the wife.... so that is why I am turning to this.. Unless you have any other ideas?

Anyone have any experience with them or know a good breeder?

 

[straight-shot]

PM griff. He has one.

 

[Spaarky]

thanks... ttt

 

[Bacon]

How about a Drahthaar.

 

[Gimpster]

Make a long story, short, I am ready to get a dog again. Actually I will have 3-4 by the time I am done...

I am looking at a Wirehaired Griffon. I want something a little different. Wife wants something smaller(smaller than our 85lb lab). Looks like they are good for upland and water.

I am sure it will come up so before anyone gives some advice. A pointing lab will be down the road. My best buddy has every Setter breed there is. Everone in SD has German Shorthairs so that is out. I have been around Brittneys that doesnt excite me too much. I think a Whinny will be a little big for the wife.... so that is why I am turning to this.. Unless you have any other ideas?

Anyone have any experience with them or know a good breeder?

I can't say I have ever hunted with one. I did a search on google. Good looking dog. Little more maintainance for the ear hair, no biggie. Our Schnauzer has that issue also. Pull ear hair inside at every trip to the trimmer. In dogs with ear hair issues, I suggest powdering them inside often. It keeps down build up from the extra hair and makes plucking easier. I like the fact that they really only need grooming a few times a year
If you get a pup, Outlaw, and put up pics, PM me when you do so I don't miss the thread.

----- Gimpster -----

 

[Yellow Sno]

Get a Spaniel. Who wants a dog that doesn't flush birds for you?

 

[Gimpster]

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/wirehairedpointinggriffon.htm

----- Gimpster -----

 

[finnpacoutdoors]

Griffon

http://www.gundogbreeders.com/

My favorite site...Just type in Wirehaired Griffon, and you should be able to find many breeders to chose from.

I'm a shorthair guy from MN.

 

[Sidehiller]

I can't say I have ever hunted with one. I did a search on google. Good looking dog. Little more maintainance for the ear hair, no biggie. Our Schnauzer has that issue also. Pull ear hair inside at every trip to the trimmer. In dogs with ear hair issues, I suggest powdering them inside often. It keeps down build up from the extra hair and makes plucking easier. I like the fact that they really only need grooming a few times a year
If you get a pup, Outlaw, and put up pics, PM me when you do so I don't miss the thread.

----- Gimpster -----

Not in need of another dog, but will your advice for the ear hair work on the ones that recently appeared in my ears? How about my nose?

 

[Spaarky]

How about a Drahthaar.

They look to be in the same "family". They really interest me too. I had never heard of them. I didnt notice, how big are they. I am trying to stay in the 40-50lb range.. projected range anyway.

Bacon..... how did you know about these?

I'm a shorthair guy from MN.

Hopefully you didnt take any offense to my short hair comment. I think my lack of love for short hairs comes more from a few owners then the dogs. One incident in particular, where my lab was chasing a cat out of a slough. He was 5ft. behind it and the guy with the shorthair shot at the cat. I was ticked, but couldnt say much because we were hunting on his dads property. Kinda funny though, cause when we got to the truck, my dog about layed him out. I had never seen him growl and show teeth at anyway. He walked right up to the guy, started barking and growling at him...

 

[finnpacoutdoors]

No worries buddy.....any a$$hole shoots at my dog, and i have more than few choice words as well.

Good luck finding a dog!

 

[Bacon]

They look to be in the same "family". They really interest me too. I had never heard of them. I didnt notice, how big are they. I am trying to stay in the 40-50lb range.. projected range anyway.

Bacon..... how did you know about these?


I have a buddy that hunts with them and I was seriously considering getting one myself. They are a hunting machine. It is a dog to get if you are a real hardcore hunter. Not if you go out a couple times a year. Kinda like having a sled with 250 hp and sitting at the bottom of the hill all day.

 

[Spaarky]

In college we pheasant hunted 5-6 days a week. We scheduled our classes around hunting. Thank God, South Dakota considers out of state students, residents.

Mariage, kids, and helping my father in law with harvest has slowed me down some. We are moving out to the farm now, so I am hoping that being right there gives me even more time. A lot easier to do a quick hour hunt everyday. Then jump back in the combine or tractor.

I have the Tashma Hall of dog kennels planned for our new place. I cant wait. Plus this will make working with them much, much easier.

Hunting for me isnt just shootin stuff. I love to watch the dogs work and work with them. I hunt with the dogs as much as possible. I have found no matter how much you train, there is nothing better for them to learn than hunting. Its kinda like that 250hp sled. Nobody who rides 2x a year can ride it to the potential. You can have an amazing dog, but if you only hunt 2x a year, he will never reach his potential.

I found a breader for the Drahthaar in Watertown, SD. I am considering these dogs, because they fit the profile of what I want.

 

[Spaarky]

Holy crap.... found video of a Drahtaar. Now I am scared it will mistake the wifes house cat for a wild boar and kill it. Plus, I would hope it wouldnt chase deer all the time. I suppose a little training would cure that...

this video takes forever to download, but it is kind of fun to watch.

http://www.drahthaar-trulyversatile.com/video/

 

[skilaris]

my first post after spending a lot of time on here

I've hunted with a lot of great hunting dogs over the years in ND. I grew up with an excellent irish setter (most people don't believe there is such a thing, but this was in the late seventies before the brains were bred out of them). Anyway, our neighbor got a griffon in the late eighties. Amos was his name and it fit him well. I had the opportunity to hunt with him quite a bit, because our setter had just been put down. He was a hunting machine, had a ton of natural ability, great nose, didn't range too far, was friendly, and was super melow. The cockleburs didn't stick to it's hair either. You can really appreciate that if you've had setters. In college, I had a professor that had several of them, and he was convinced that there was no other dog that compared. The only true drawback that I saw was their oily skin/hair. I've been around others since and they all seem the same. It's not foul or anything, but if the dog is going to spend much time indoors getting petted, it would take some getting used to. Because of Amos, my dad picked up a wirehair pointer, thinking it would be similar. This particular one wasn't, and my folks, myself, and sisters have been stuck on gordon setters since. Not saying they are better, we think they are a bit more attractive, and I think we know what to expect of them.

 

[Spaarky]

This particular one wasn't, and my folks, myself, and sisters have been stuck on gordon setters since. Not saying they are better, we think they are a bit more attractive, and I think we know what to expect of them.

I LOVE Gordon's... my buddy is on his second, along with every other Setter breed on the planet. I just want something different, plus I like the fact I can take them goose hunting too.

WELCOME!!!! Great first post! Unlike half the fruitcakes that their first post is what is the loudest can, I can find for my sled.