Wirehaired Griffons

[David Thornton]

I think you need to be much more specific about what you hunt, how often, how will the dog be housed, can you train etc. I have a very close friend who is French and has a very nice line of Griff's, they are good enough woodcock dogs, but a bit soft for me and not nearly as good in the versatile category as the GSP or the Brit. Because of the small number of dogs being bred, it becomes much more critical that you be able to evaluate both parents as well as the pups. I have seen some become aggressive of other dogs or even children especially if they are allowed to place themselves ahead of the kids in the pack order. Much easier to find a quality Brit, or even a German wirehair if that is the look you are going for.
Range is a function of training and experience. I had an English Setter that you had to follow on horseback when we were out west hunting chickens but would be within bell range in the Appalachians where I live

[davidlpope]

I think you need to be much more specific about what you hunt, how often, how will the dog be housed, can you train etc.

Much easier to find a quality Brit, or even a German wirehair if that is the look you are going for.

Range is a function of training and experience. I had an English Setter that you had to follow on horseback when we were out west hunting chickens but would be within bell range in the Appalachians where I live

Agree.

I've hunted quail over Pointers and English Setters all my life here in North Carolina. Dad currently has a Brittany and a Boykin Spaniel, as well as the Pointers ans Setters, that he uses to retrieve doves.

I find that sometimes folks tend to look for "fancy" breeds, instead of going for tried and true breeds which are, admittedly, less exotic. Don't know exactly why this is. I've seen people choose Drathaars, Irish Setters, Labs, etc., and be frustrated with their dog's performance in the field, but remain unwilling to switch to a workhorse (Pointer or Setter) because they just "liked the way the dog looked".

So, what type of hunting will you be doing and how often? Do you plan to have the dog in the house with you? Is the dog primarily a hunting dog or really a house pet? This would help us to provide better advice.

David

[Lallans]

I will tell you that griffons are easy to house-train and are great with kids and other dogs, BUT they get bored easily and can wreck havoc if they so choose. [snip] If you get one, share a picture. I'd really like to see it. We miss Spike terribly. You'll get a good faithful friendly dog in a griffon.

I can take early retirement sometime next year, so I'm looking around for a dog for then. I know enough about sporting breeds to know they can't be left indoors for too long without major havoc resulting, and anyway don't want to leave any young puppy on its own all day as would be necessary now. Having said that, I guess I am counting on getting a puppy and not a proven dog- don't want to miss all the fun- but of course a rescue might come along any time after I'm in a position to adopt. That would almost certainly be a Brittany of course, due to the relative numbers. But I'm pretty fixed on a Griffon, haven't heard one bad thing about them. And when I do retire, I'll be able to post photos.

[Lallans]

Agree.

I've hunted quail over Pointers and English Setters all my life here in North Carolina. Dad currently has a Brittany and a Boykin Spaniel, as well as the Pointers ans Setters, that he uses to retrieve doves.

I find that sometimes folks tend to look for "fancy" breeds, instead of going for tried and true breeds which are, admittedly, less exotic. Don't know exactly why this is. I've seen people choose Drathaars, Irish Setters, Labs, etc., and be frustrated with their dog's performance in the field, but remain unwilling to switch to a workhorse (Pointer or Setter) because they just "liked the way the dog looked".

So, what type of hunting will you be doing and how often? Do you plan to have the dog in the house with you? Is the dog primarily a hunting dog or really a house pet? This would help us to provide better advice.

David

I'm looking for a versatile dog, wanted mostly for upland hunting but with some very occasional need for duck retreival duty. The big game bird here is the ruffed grouse, which are great for pointing dogs and also much needed, and the habitat is typically thick and thorny, meaning a wirehaired dog is best (I think). An advantage of the Griffon is that the local breeders are all field people and there is little to no danger of puppy farm or show dog genes creeping in as has ruined Irish Setters and Labs for field purposes, for instance. And as mentioned, I don't want a wide ranging breed that you need a horse to follow with, ie as with Pointers or Setters, if only because wide ranging dogs are at risk of getting themselves lost under local conditions. A lot of local bird hunters have in fact taken to putting those loud electronic beepers on their dogs, something that drives me batty because it's so industrial.

[davidlpope]

I'm looking for a versatile dog, wanted mostly for upland hunting but with some very occasional need for duck retreival duty. The big game bird here is the ruffed grouse, which are great for pointing dogs and also much needed, and the habitat is typically thick and thorny, meaning a wirehaired dog is best (I think). An advantage of the Griffon is that the local breeders are all field people and there is little to no danger of puppy farm or show dog genes creeping in as has ruined Irish Setters and Labs for field purposes, for instance.

This sounds promising.

And as mentioned, I don't want a wide ranging breed that you need a horse to follow with, ie as with Pointers or Setters, if only because wide ranging dogs are at risk of getting themselves lost under local conditions. A lot of local bird hunters have in fact taken to putting those loud electronic beepers on their dogs, something that drives me batty because it's so industrial.

Hunting down here is all on foot, although field trials can be mounted. I've had both Pointers and Setters that were as close-working as you'd ever want them to be but have seen some big-running Pointers. In every case the dog was responding to the way they had been trained, so I think you might be underestimating that aspect.

GSP, GWP, Visla, etc. are not used down here much because you can't see them in thick brush/woods. Most of the Pointers and Setters used show lots of white so that you can see your dog once they've pointed. Otherwise, your dog could be on point for thirty minutes before you can find them in thick woods. Some folks put bells on their dogs' collars, but I haven't had to do that.

Best of luck with your search!

[Lallans]

This sounds promising.



Hunting down here is all on foot, although field trials can be mounted. I've had both Pointers and Setters that were as close-working as you'd ever want them to be but have seen some big-running Pointers. In every case the dog was responding to the way they had been trained, so I think you might be underestimating that aspect.

GSP, GWP, Visla, etc. are not used down here much because you can't see them in thick brush/woods. Most of the Pointers and Setters used show lots of white so that you can see your dog once they've pointed. Otherwise, your dog could be on point for thirty minutes before you can find them in thick woods. Some folks put bells on their dogs' collars, but I haven't had to do that.

Best of luck with your search!

I've looked long and hard at GSPs and esp GWPs but they're just a bit larger than I want, also a little tough-natured for the urban environment I currently find myself in- mainly meaning that if I want to leave them with friends or family members those folks would resist having something that would sucessfully try to kill all the local cats and so on. The white hair feature is somewhat significant in my choosing; my S.O. has a slight thing about white hairs on her coat etc, and since my parents were Dalmation fans at one point, I know how those get around. Probably no dog is as bad in that regard as a Dalmation, but I have it in mind that some other colour is preferable.

[Arlen]

I have a Lab/Chesapeake cross, Betsy who is a great dog. She's a handful since she's a 110lbs or so puppy, but in a year or two when she mellows out I believe she'll be a great gun dog. (Even if she is larger than you've said you'd like.)
She's also a great compliment to our Mini-Australian Shepherd Cody. He's really serious about house security and is a DARN GOOD guard dog, but since he's small people think he's no threat. Betsy is incredibly friendly to everyone but since she's giant and black, when Cody barks and she responds, people are frightened of her.

I've heard some really great things about Gryphons, but the only experience I've ever had with one was a bad experience so I'd have to meet a few more before I could give you another opinion.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Standard poodles make excellent gun dogs, don't shed, and don't smell too bad in the wet.

[Lallans]

Standard poodles make excellent gun dogs, don't shed, and don't smell too bad in the wet.

I have a prejudice against any dog breed that gets shown a lot (something that really annoys some of my dog showing friends, ie, "really, you've told me many times that you want brains over beauty, so why are you asking for my advice on _____ ?" but that's based on first and second hand experience with dogs with breeder-induced congenital problems like epilepsy and deafness. A standard poodle MIGHT be great but a lot of the original qualities of the breed have been bred out without a second thought and they are such a show breed that I would fear getting some congenital medical problems as well. One big reason for wanting a griffon is that they are not at all popular with show dog people, and also their coat is plain homely by their standards and I don't expect the breed ever will become popular (I did see the one in the Westminster show but thankfully it lost Best In Show). As I say, show dog people do dislike my anti-show tendencies... we try to keep it impersonal, but- don't tell anyone I said so- their dogs are pretty stupid.

[Inchessi]

As a rabid waterfowler, the best dog I ever trained was a lab. That dog was so good, that I believed no other lab could match it. So I started training CBR's. I have met a few hunters with the Griffs. They all enjoyed their dogs, and all were multi-purpose, upland and waterfowl. That being said, I have a few friends that hunt over GSP with the same devotion. A good breeder will readily give you references and learn about you. They will also openly tell you if the breed is right for your lifestyle.

I have also hunted snows over Standard Poodles. They were phenomenal retrievers. One poodle retrieved 89 snows in a cornfield for four hours, didn't even slow down. I do not remember if the dogs worked upland. Don't discredit them.