German Wire-haired Pointing Dog (Deutsch Drahthaar)

Print my Pet · 20. October 2026 · 3 min. leestijd·Bijgewerkt 21.10.2026

Deutsch Drahthaar als Wandbild im Stil Royal mit Uniform, Raum: Lesezimmer

“From performance to type”: the FCI standard describes this as the principle behind the German Wire-haired Pointing Dog. The aim was a hunting dog for every task in field, woodland and water, before and after the shot, rather than a particular appearance. The standard still measures the breed against that purpose, requiring a working trial.

FCI	Group 7 (Pointing Dogs), Section 1.1 Continental Pointing Dogs, Standard No. 98, with working trial
Country of origin	Germany
Size (height at the withers)	males 61 to 68 cm, females 57 to 64 cm
Weight	not specified in the FCI standard
Life expectancy	median 13.0 years in a UK analysis of 584,734 dogs (McMillan et al. 2024), grouped with German Long-haired Pointing Dog and Deutsch Stichelhaar
Coat	harsh, close-fitting, dense wire coat, outer hair around 2 to 4 cm, dense water-repellent undercoat, beard and pronounced eyebrows
Colours in the standard	brown roan or black roan, each with or without patches, brown with or without a white chest mark, light roan

Origins

The standard dates the breeding beginnings to the late 19th century. Following the ideas of “Hegewald”, Sigismund Freiherr von Zedlitz und Neukirch, the best rough-coated types, Pudelpointer, Korthals Griffon and Deutsch Stichelhaar, were combined with the German Short-haired Pointing Dog to produce a weather-resistant, versatile working gundog within a short time.

Temperament

Firm, controlled and balanced, unafraid of game, neither gun-shy nor shy or aggressive: the standard’s requirements, with temperament weaknesses disqualifying. In daily life, a serious, willing worker closely bonded to their person, needing clear guidance and a real task.

Exercise and activity

One long daily walk is insufficient. The dog needs to use nose, stamina and enthusiasm for water through hunting, retrieving, tracking or dummy work. Without a task, they find one, often in the nearest woodland.

Grooming

The standard calls for a harsh, dense coat protecting against weather and injury. Everyday care is straightforward: brushing, occasional plucking of dead hair and keeping the beard clean. After fieldwork, check feet, ears and skin for grass awns and ticks. The standard describes a suitably shortened tail for hunting, allowing a natural tail where docking is prohibited. In Germany, docking is generally prohibited under Section 6 of the German Animal Welfare Act; exceptions apply only in individual cases.

Health

The median of 13.0 years in McMillan and colleagues’ UK analysis exceeded 12.0 for crossbreeds. However, the study grouped wire-haired, long-haired and Stichelhaar dogs together. Type 2 von Willebrand disease, a severe clotting disorder, is characteristic of the breed. Among 1,855 tested European dogs, 7.8 percent were carriers and 0.4 percent affected; a genetic test is available (Gavazza et al. 2012). Craniomandibular osteopathy, a jaw and skull bone disease, is inherited too: all 16 studied cases shared an ancestor (Vagt and Distl 2018). A UK breeder survey placed the breed among the ten with the highest proportion of caesarean births (Evans and Adams 2010).

Who is a German Wire-haired Pointing Dog right for?

Hunters and very active people regularly providing real scent and water work, with time for thorough training.

Who should look elsewhere?

First-time owners without a hunting or dog-sport plan, city flats with brief walks and homes with freely roaming cats or small animals.

Assess whether a pointing dog fits your life through the breed quiz and in detail through our book “Which Dog REALLY Suits You?” (book in German). For early puppyhood, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack. Bring that bearded face to the wall through our dog portraits or as a poster in a wooden frame.