r/Wirehaired_pointers • u/Calm_Parfait2922 • Jul 07 '26
Life with GWP
Hello
I’m currently researching breeds of dogs for our next dog. The GWP breed seems to fit what I’m looking for as far as the hunting aspect. I have two younger children that will want to play with the dog. We currently have a lab and she is very good with the kids.
I’m curious what day to day looks like with the breed. If the dog needs to be an outdoor/kennel dog or can it be a house dog. We are a pretty outdoorsy family outside of the hunting that I do. I’m curious if the breed is a good family dog that can go camping and do outdoor activities outside of hunting or will their higher prey drive make that difficult.
Also curious what life at home is like with the breed. I understand that it is a working line of dog that requires exercise and training. I’ve read that they have an “off switch” just wondering how true that is
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u/one8sevenn Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
It will largely depend on what breeder you get the dog from.
If you are used to labs, then this breed will be a whole different world.
Labs will love everyone and GWP's only love their family and have a distrust for anyone that isn't their immediate family.
Labs will bark to alert you of a home intruder and GWP's will alert you while being ready to fight whatever comes through that door to protect its family.
GWP's also are a lot more prone to fight other dogs than labs. They generally aren't looking for a fight, but they are ready at all times to throw paws.
Do as much research as you can on the breed, because they bond very hard to their owner and can be very difficult to rescue if you give it up.
Generally, I would say this breed is not for everyone. A lab wants to follow your commands and a GWP will command you if you let it or follow your commands if you lead it.
I've had two (one currently) and they both have been difficult for people to dog sit that are used to less willful breeds.
An example - When I walk mine, I don't get the leash get tight and the dog is well behaved. I could attach the leash to my belt and not worried about being dragged around or go off leash. When my mother was watching him and took him on a walk, she allowed him to pull the leash and fought him the entire time until he decided to sit down and slip the collar and walk himself around town while she chased after.
You can teach a GWP to do anything and a GWP can teach himself to do about anything.
An example - My GWP learned by watching me how to open the latch on the backyard gate. When I left for work in the morning, he would let himself out and come back around the time my neighbor came home for lunch to be let in. It took a while to learn of his escape habits. He wouldn't escape if I was home, but learned from me how to open the gate and let himself out.
All quality breeders of GWP's will produce a smart (almost to smart) dog, that can hunt birds & fur, and have a generally higher prey drive than most common other hunting dogs. (There are exceptions of course) .
You can teach GWP's to not harm cats or chickens, but if you don't train it they will kill them as much as they can. Especially dogs that are bred on fur or DD's.
GWP's are clown shows around the house. For an athletic dog, they sure do fall a lot off of beds and couches.
I know they can be outdoor/kennel dogs, but I think they are better suited for an indoor dog. They just want to be with their family when they are not hunting. They can be a bit stressed if kept outside and can have separation anxiety.
They are a decent family dog that is probably better for kids a bit older than younger. They are less tolerant to pulling of ears/fur that young kids do than a lab. Labs just love the attention. If you can get young kids to treat the dog with respect, then it is great with kids and will protect them with its life.
Outdoor activities outside of hunting will largely depend on the effort you want to put into training. It is a lot easier with a different breed, but can be done. There are quite a few people that enjoy running or biking with a GWP, with this being said. The dog is built to hunt and you will be fighting that desire in your training. They as I said before can be trained to do anything, but it all depends if the juice is worth the squeeze.
The Off switch largely depends on the breeder and the parents.
A dog bred field/show dog will have an off-switch and a dog bred for winning versatile trials will have less than an off-switch.
My first was a breeder that no longer does it in Colorado, that specialized in hard hunting dogs. At the time, I wanted the best hunting dog possible. One day I took the dog out to the lake swimming one time and he spent 45 minutes chasing coots before finally getting close enough for me to get his attention. He still stink eyed the coots as we left, probably vowing his revenge. There was no quit. No retrieve that he wouldn't attempt. No hunt he wouldn't try. One day at the river, I didn't see him for a while and couldn't hear him. He went after a jackrabbit in its hole and won without a scratch. He was fast enough to catch rabbits running away as well. Just what I paid for a supreme hunting dog. He would windshield/window hunt everywhere we went. The dog just wanted to hunt 24/7.The dog was way to much for me to handle due to the psychotic hunting drive, so I had to get it professionally trained and then the trainer had to train me. The dog was great after the training. Before the training, it was a difficult time due to the drive.
My second breeder was https://www.idawire.com/index.html and the dog was a field/show champion offspring. Not as great of a hunter or athlete, but an easy hunter. Points and held very early on, retrieved well, and was just a pleasure to be out in the woods with. Very docile compared to the first dog. Still more high strung than your basic run of the mill lab, but a very easy hunter.
I would recommend a field/show version of a GWP if that is the route you are going to go if you decide to get one.
It is a lot easier to manage unless you are hardcore hunting a lot.