Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs Wirehaired Pointing Griffons

Starting to look at another dog for bird hunting. Griffons have caught my eye. Anyone care to comment on their experiences? I would be focused on Woodcock and Grouse and some stocked Pheasants. Do prefer a dog with a sense of humor and watchfulness around the house.

Griffons are stoic, but they do tend to protect home and family. They're an extremely versatile dog and are good retrievers for a pointing breed.

My experience with griffons goes back 60+ years.







ANCIENT SADIE...still here at 15, but a bit slow now.

They'll work the heaviest cover and have decent noses as a breed. They handle the cold well and are good swimmers; they have an undercoat and webbed feet.

They're a typical German breed...hard-headed but not difficult to train, and they are a reasonably intelligent breed. As a house dog, they have a distinct odor. If you give them frequent baths don't send them into cold water. That odor is from oils that insulate them.

Griffs are NOT a German breed, they're Dutch. The best Griff couldn't compare to the worst Drathaar.

have to disagree

Just spent the past mont hunting with various labs, gsp's, gwp's, various setters, brits and my griff did just as well if not better in many cases on ducks and upland.

For a versatile breed that works closer and more methodically and can do ducks, forest grouse, woodcock occassional rabbit and get along in house would pick griff.

For pure hunting ability the draht probably beats a griff in most cases

I like drahts but for a house dog would pick a griff. I seen my share of drahts kill neighbors' cats, chickens, small dogs.

Have not noiticed a strong odor when she is wet.
Great watch dog- very tuned into environment, , intelligent and always doing something funny. She is a bit hard headed but eager to please.

my grif has incredible prey drive, birds, rabbits, squirrels and has tracked wounded game.

the difference i see between griffs and drahts is i can control my dog and call her off. just experienced this with a porcupine. the draht went to the vet my griff not one quill
IMO

ford vs toyota deal

BULLSCHIDT!

The breeder was a Dutchman who developed the breed over a twenty year period in GERMANY! They were further developed as a breed in Germany, France and The Netherlands.

I've had Drats, also, and they were no better or worse than the Griffons.

Ribka and Luv have it.

Though I to have noticed no smell.

If I was looking for a hardcore big runner, I'd likely go drat/GWP. For an all around buddy/hunting dog, my Griff is as good as it gets(IMO). Great with my kid. Will put on a show if someone comes in the yard or gets close to the truck, but is far from out of control or aggressive.

She earned a Prize I perfect score in her Navhda NA test, has a great nose, is a swimming fool, and has great drive to search. My dogs coat is a bit on the soft side though. Have to strip her fairly regular and even then she can be a mess of burrs after running through some cover. Doesn't bother her in the least, and I don't mind spending a 15-20 minutes after the hunt getting her cleaned up

My advice would be go to a local NAVHDA event and watch some dogs, talk to some folks.

Hell, my chickens get out, I tell Catfish to go get'em and she'll track them down and bring them back unharmed. She'd likely eventually kill them if I wasn't there though.

It's pretty funny.

I love my griff but he has been mostly a family pet. Great personality and fun to have around. Reasonable at barking when alarmed but not too much. No odor I can notice and doesn't shed much at all. Downside for a serious hunter depending on what is growing in your hunting area is that dog collects burrs like no ones business.

Once I retire might go with a draht as I will have more time to hunt and like the fact they can track big game as well for recovery purposes.

if you get a griff from a good hunting line will have more than a house dog imo

I don't really know the difference between a drat. and a griff., regardless my family had one that looked like the pictures above, about 35 years ago. Unbeliveable dog, in all ways. For pheasants no equal. Only problem the dog was too smart for its own good and was meaner than hell. Loved the family, strangers not so much. Tried to kill the paper boy, the cleaners, the mail man, anyone else who happened to knock on the door. Dog would hunt everything, rabbits, would retrieve ducks, squirls, wood chucks, house cats, and deer if you let it. Hard headed yes. Our dog, a female about 55 pounds, was one bad ass, and would try to kill everything it could, unfortunately other dogs too, would fight with dogs much bigger than her and mostly win before we would break them up.
It was a certified house cat exterminator and had that down to an art. Big ones, small ones, what ever, if a cat got in our fenced in yard it was over, she would rush in through the claws and grab the neck and a few shakes, it was over. She would scrap with some big tom barn cats and I'll tell you it was no contest. You could not have a dog like this anymore, too much liability. A good shock collar would have gone a long way, except they were not around then.

Although I have heard the breed has softened quite a bit since then, these dogs seem to be similar to Chessies, when they are good they are incredible, but can be frought with issues.

Ours nevers smelled, except when she got wet and had that great "wet gun dog smell".

Some day when I have more time, I intend to get one for grouse hunting and maybe a few ducks.

Good Luck.

I just lost Sadie this morning. She declined fast and was still chewing out delivery men here last Sunday.

Sadie was rescued from the pound at 6 months old, and I rescued her an hour before she was due to be killed. From that day 15 years ago she has been my loyal and loving companion. She was a real character and very talkative. She was a good bird dog but nothing special in that regard. She was a good watch dog but nothing special in that regard.

She was a good companion and was very special in that regard. Tears have taken over, and I need to go cry a lot more. God I loved that screwball dog.

Sorry to hear- quite a bio on her

Good you got her out in the field

Screwball dogs with character are the best

Condolences

Any WPG and Drat guys have breeders to recommend? I am in the hunt for a pup too.

Very sorry to hear about Sadie. I lost my own Sadie (Boykin) several years ago. Hit me like a hammer too. You were lucky to have such a great dog.

Condolences about Sadie. Lost my hunting Airedale two months ago and still think about him especially when I'm on my deer stand like this morning.

Don't know your local, but in the PNW for a Griff, I would talk to:

Frank Puccio/Hun Hill Kennels Weiser ID
John and Laurie Kohnke in Centralia WA
Katie Steuhm/ Griffonpoint Kennels

I spoke with a bunch of folks before I picked a pup, including those above. Frank had a litter ready when I was so that's where I went.

Katie was great and I've heard nothing but good things about her dogs.
John is a bird hunting guide and hunts his dogs a TON, as well as being a trainer and NAVHDA judge. He and Laurie are super people that know hunting dogs. I'd happily get a dog from any of them, or Frank again.

Only GWP folks I personally know of are Bonepoint Kennels in Baker City. Though I'm sure there are lots of good ones out there, they are the only ones I've had first hand accounts of.

First thing I'd do is check out your local/closest NAVHDA chapter and see some dogs run.

Marquis Kennels in Mississippi has 2 litters on the ground - 22 dogs.
I spoke to her last week and she is quite busy. I was referred to her from a club member who knows her well and purchased a dog two years ago.
Also Linda Gagnon from WET ACRES Kennel in Massachusetts is breeding in the spring.

Thanks all.

I am in Maine so Linda Gagnon of Wet Acres is close enough to visit when she has pups available. I'll also look into the NAVHDA chapter that is just down the coast from me.

luv2safari,

Sorry to hear of Sadie's passing, the loss of a great companion is never easy. Cherish the time and years spent together and the great memories you made together. If dogs don't go to heaven I want to go were they go...