Wirehaired Pointing Griffon - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Ancient ancestry
According to the FCI, the first mentions about Griffon dogs come from the year 500 before Christ from the writings of Greek historian Xenophon. It is almost certain, that Gauls, who lived in Europe from the 5th century B.C. to the 5th century A.D. used these old Griffons. But what is the exact place or time of origin or exact ancestry of those first Griffons is unclear.
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2) Eduard Korthals
The modern Wirehaired Pointing Griffon breed we know today was developed in the second half of the 19th century and the person who is credited for developing this breed is a Dutchman Eduard Karel Korthals. His breeding goal was to develop devoted, resiliant, endurant and versatile gundog and it is safe to say that he was succesful. Mr. Korthals is from Netherlands, but he developed this breed while working in Germany and later in France.

3) Versatility

It would be very hard to find more versatile breed than Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. They can easily hunt on all types of terrain, they tolerate both, cold and hot temperatures pretty well, they are very strong, endurant, sense of smell and they are amazing at pointing, but also at retrieving on dry land, in water or in marhes. This truly is an amazing versatile hunter.

4) Swimming

Majority of Wirehaired Pointing Griffons just love to swim and they are just made for it. They have water repelent coat, which protects them from chilly waters and webbed toes which helps them to swim. Overall this is pretty energetic breed who love outdoors and they definitely need daily longer outdoor walks full of sniffing and exploring. And if you will add some swimming to your walks, your dog will just love it.

5) Companion

But this is not only a hunter. The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon are very social dog and they need to live indoors around its family. They definitely hate to be ignored. This is an intelligent and eager to please dog which is highly trainable. They also have pretty soft and sensitive temperament, so they do not respond well to harsh training. Overall this is extremely people oriented dog who loves its all family, including kids. But just like with any dog breed, you should never leave them alone with very young child.

6) Size
This is a strong, athletic and medium sized dog breed with average height between 20-24 inch, which is 51-61 cm and weight is typically between 50-60 pounds, which is 22-28 kg. The females tend to be slightly smaller than males.

7) Coat

The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon has a practical double coat, which consists of harsh, wiry outer coat and a softer under coat. A variety of coat types may be found in the same litter ranging from soft to hard. Interesting fact is, that the coat will not fully develop until the dog is about 2 years old. And a great fact is, that this is pretty low shedding breed, which has potential to not trigger the allergies, but it is not guaranted, since there is no thing as 100% hypoallergenic dog. Most often, you can find this breed in steel gray color with brown markings.

8) Watchdogs

Majority of Wirehaired Pointing Griffons are pretty alert dogs and they will alert its family by barking when they will hear or see something suspicious. But because of their overall friendliness and gentleness they are not the best choice for guarding purposes.

9) Maintenance

As i already said earlier, this is very low shedding dog, but they still need some maintenance. The wiry coat must be combed and stripped approximately every week to stay in good shape. Its important to check the dogs ears and keep it clean and dry, because they can suffer from some ear problems. Also do not forget to check the dogs eyes, teeth and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health

This is usually a healthy dog breed with average lifespan between 12-13 years. Just like all dogs, even the Wirehaired Pointing griffon can suffer from some health issues, namely hip dysplasia, entropion or otitis externa.