Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs Wire Haired Pointing Griffon?

Thinking of an upland bird dog for pheasant and grouse. We've been without one for five years - just very hard to get over it when they leave.
So what do Griff owners have to say? Just the wife and I with plentiful trails right out the back door.

Good choice, find a reputable breeder and go for it!

I'm 73 and had griffons around since I was 3. They're sturdy hunters and love their families. They're naturally birdy, will point and retrieve, and most are good water dogs.

My little Rosie doesn't like water, but she is bird crazy. She's ready to go get more sagehen!




Old Rocky pointed this blue grouse, and Rosie located the downed crippled bird after it had crawled into a thick bush.

I could easily like a WPG as I'm partial to the "ugly", bearded breeds. Good luck on your search.

That said, there are a couple of pudelpointer breeders listed on the breeders alliance webpage from Minnesota...
https://www.pudelpointer-alliance.com/breederlist

Based on what I've seen in some friend's dogs, WPGs can be fine hunting dogs and great companions.
IMO, what I quoted above is the most important part of getting any pup.
Good luck with your search. Here's a link that might help: https://www.awpga.com/

another griff fan. I just picked a puppy from mountain grouse kennels in White fish,

my Rosie agrees.

Love my Griff. Works closer than most other versatile breeds such as Shorthairs. Also a burr magnet unlike Shorthairs. Be sure to check credentials of breeder and the Lines NAVHDA NA scores which are important IMHO.

mine gets sprayed good with this if we're hunting thick cover

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=4DDBE867-F4FD-4871-8689-AA673E4513D2

She's Beeeauuutifuuulll!!


Thanks for the tip on the Mane n Tail. I'm heading to the feed store today to get some, the 32oz size for these parts.

THANKS

I carry a good comb hunting and I brush my griff out if I start to see burrs asap instead of letting them get matted end of day. Seems to help

My new griff I just picked up

Evening, you are in for some reeeel entertainment!!!! They are great pals, & have amazing personalities!!! They will intentionally do stuff to make you laugh and are so naturally birdy it's amazing. Need little to no training, so natural it's uncanny!!! Talk about cute, wow, girl or boy??? Bill out. 🐾👣🐾👣🐾👣🇨🇦

AWWWWWWWWWwwwwwwww.....

Cute

My wife looked at this and said we need a boyfriend for Rosie. She wants a puppy. She's been telling me no new dogs for a while. "A while" didn't last long, lol.

if interested he is going to breed again this summer . really strong lines

Thanks to all for your advice.

Good dogs to go on hikes. Great companions at home with a lot of personality

I just hiked 4 miles today in the snow with mine

I need to try some of that stuff. Hank is somewhat finer coated and will bring home lots of seeds.

We have 2 female Griffs, 14yr & 8yrs old. They are great hunting dogs that seem to want to work with you to cover an area. Ours have hunted huns, sharptail & ruffed grouse, pheasant & quail, and have blood tracked, locating archery killed deer. Ours hunt slower, closer and more methodically than some of the other bigger running dogs (GSP/WP, setters, English pointers) The Griffs I have been around all have had pretty even temperaments. Ours doesn't do well with harsh or any physical discipline. A little scolding goes a very long way with most of them that I have seen. They hunting draw backs - They are deer trackers, rabbit chasers, cat killers and coon chasers, its just the breed. Our oldest has been skunked 2x & porkied 3x, and she would do it again tomorrow. Their coat. There are so many more AWPG breeders now than there were just 14yrs ago. A lot of Walmart puppies are being bred as Griffs seems to have become the popular dog to have now. Most are not bred for hunting and have the "French", cute, fluffy, look. My oldest picks up every bur in the field, she's like velcro. The other has a harsher coat, its not as big of a problem. Ours gets Mane and tail or we just shave her before the hunting season. If you want one for hunting, find a breeder that recognizes how important a harsh wirey coat is when you are in the hunting field.

I can't say enough about how great they are as at home companions too. They are sweet and loving. They are not kennel dogs and need social interaction. They are smart. They need exercise daily or they will drive you nuts. They do great in then house, but, despite what you may have heard, they will shed some. Our 14yr old hunted her last season this past fall, I am on the list for another Griff pup in '22. Good luck to you.

Mine is five now. Smartest dog I've ever had and the most head strong. Personality plus and is a character. Good guard dog until she knows you. Great hunting dog and family dog. Loves to eat cat crap!! Would get another one in a heart beat. Came from Windmill Kennels in Idaho

Sorry for the delay in answering. Rosie sure is interested.

let me know. Grouse mountain griffs in Whitefish MT






He just pointed a blue grouse at 12 weeks



getting along ok now

MY SON’S BUD HAS ONE. GREAT DOG IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY. We have a PUDELPOINTER and she is terrific but the Griff is calm and collective.

Had one growing up, best hunting dog ever. Tried to kill everything including some dumb people. No one will be getting in your house if you have one from that line. Like stated above, they like to kill stuff: cats, coons, other dogs, deer. They used to need good training, which we as kids and my absent father never provided, but boy did we shoot allot of stuff. The breed is supposed to be much nicer now than 40 years ago. My wife doesn't know it, but we are getting one in a couple of years when I am fully retired, har har.

The breeders have bred out for the most part the desire to kill everything like a DD ( nothing wrong with that if that's what you want) if you locate a good established breeder. Decent watch dogs and will alert on movements, strange sounds and people approaching their area. but based on my experience won't attack people. Just an alert bark and then some sniffing and tale wagging.

Like all breeds socialization, training are required

My love of Griffons goes waaaaayyyyy back.

1954


1957

Can't say enough positive things. Ours is out of Idaho, and does not mind the water. Very much a family dog and not a "kennel" breed. GSP is a better hunting machine, but WHG are superior the other 99% of the time.

very cool pics! You sure have a lot of time with the breed

Gents, thanks for sharing some really great photos.

Bruce, I so apologize for not keeping up with you, I hope you are well!

I love my Griff. Great family dog, great hunting dog. She loves to hunt. Good retrieves and a great nose.

I hunt most years with a guy and his drathaars. His drats are great dogs in their own right but I really enjoy the way my dog works a bit closer and a bit slower. She doesn't miss much.

Mine is out of Hun Hill, Frank Puccio. Haven't spoke with him in some years but I believe he still breeds and trains hunting dogs.

Had 2 WPG's and 2 GWP's (currently Emma).

Second what MadMooner said.

Griffs are sometimes referred to as "bootlickers" because they hunt so close. That doesn't suit everyone's style, which is fine, but for folks who aren't looking for dogs that run to the next county, griffs are awesome. Griffs will range out to 75-100 yards and check back often. I've also had a draat, my first GWP (a blackie!). Ty was a hunting machine, but definitely german.

There are few breeds which compete with griffs as family dogs. They need to be with their family. All. The. Time. And they're clownish! Boy, are they full of personality.

What was the question :-P

Great dogs. My son’s buddy has one, he is a good hunter, family dog and one big LUG!

My first dog is a Griff, Bailey is 2.5 now and she is a great family dog. I'm looking forward to my next one in 3-4 yrs so I can avoid the situation the OP is in with regards to mourning the loss of your hunting buddy. I joined my local Navhda chapter and I think their breed registry database is a great tool to help you find the breeders that are producing strong hunting litters. As others have said there is a lot of coat variation in the breed. Bailey's sire was a smooth head with furnishings like a GWP and her dam was a more typical wooly mop head. I ended up with well defined furnishings and a pretty flat lying coat which I like. I will also second that they are indoor family dogs, they crave their people time, not well suited for a kennel.