GSP or Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

F

fuller

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I am looking at getting a new hunting buddy. I have a German Shorthair who will be 10 next month and his health is starting to fail so its time to get him a little side kick. I have the luck of living in South Dakota and have access to hundreds of acres of wild birds whenever I want to go.

Harvey my GSP is not your normal shothair he comes in at 98 lbs and was a hunting machine and nothing stopped him from the first field to the last. He was non-stop and found birds other dogs would fly right by. But I have come to accept that Harvey has had his glory days in the field and its time to let him pass the torch on. I want to get a pointer again there is nothing like watching a pointer at work.

I was going to get another GSP until I was at the vet last week and a guy had a Wirehaired Pointing Griffion there, after talking to the owner and seeing the dog I am on the fence so wondering what kind of luck other have had with the 2 breeds and which would you get?

Thanks for your inputs
 
Greetings from a fellow South Dakotan. About 10-11 years ago when I was looking for a new dog I considered a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. I did some reading and research on them but decided to stay with a Brittany. Nothing wrong with the WPG, just stayed with what I had. From what I remember the WPG is a closer working dog than a GSP. From the ones I've seen they are sometimes difficult to tell from a German Wirehair Pointer. And as with the GWP, their coats can vary from quite bushy to almost slick. Not many WPG's in our area but there are some breeders in Wisconsin. I would suggest looking at the forum on the Versatile Dogs dot com web site. There are a lot of WPG owners on that site on that site. Regardless of which breed you choose make sure you do your due diligence in selecting a breeder. It's worth the extra money to get a well bred dog from a reputable breeder. A WPG is likely to cost you more than a GSP just because there are so many more GSP's available. But don't be deterred by the price as the money spent on the purchase is peanuts compared to the cost of owning a dog for 12 year or more, or all the other money we spend on our sport. Good luck!
 
I'm a straight GSP guy as I have three but like you I've wondered about the GWP and Griffon's. I think for me it's just their look. I've also considered a Viszla but they're hard to come by in the Texas Panhandle. Brittany's are great as well. Good luck on your choice but if it were me I would stay with at GSP.
 
I have an 18 month old WPG. I'm very impressed so far. Good nose and very easy to train. We are looking at maybe adding a second Griff to the family. The hardest part is finding a breeder and getting a pup! If you decide on a Griff make sure yo are willing to wait (and likely pay a premium). Having said that, I'm very impressed so far. Great in the field and excellent in the water. Swims much better than my previous Brit. Let me know if I can answer any specific questions. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but have a little experience and am willing to share!
 
Guys thanks for your reply's. Like mentioned Griffons are few and far between, not sure if I am willing to wait for a litter to come up in 6 mths to a year. GSP's are readily available but I want to make sure I am getting a top notch dog and I'm willing to pay extra if needed no matter what the breed.

thanks again for your advice
 
I’m a GSP guy, but admittedly not owned anything but labs and GSPs. My male is 55#, but just recently ran into a guy with a 10 year old 95# GSP. Man was that thing huge, and he could keep up with my 55#er. Was a neat thing to see. Best of luck with your choice, as I don’t believe you could go wrong with a bird dog of any kind.
 
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