Wirehaired pointing griffon

[barbarossa]

I m thinking about buying a wirehaired pointing griffon for birds and rabbits anyone have any experience with one?

[L_Kilkenny]

Buddy has one, Great Waterfowl and upland dog. Good pet too. Think wire haired pointer that hasn't been ruined by unscrupulous breeders.

[Marlin32]

There are definitely two "strains" one is more wire haired pointer, germanish, the other supposedly sticking to the "pure" genetics. Do your research, you will find what I am trying to say quickly.

Depending on what you are doing with it, there are better breeds out there.

[Dewight]

I own couple of them. Get one from a reputable breeder. Very smart, easy to train.

[86er]

A Griffon is different than the German Wirehair(ed) Pointer. The Griffon has some strong pointing instinct in a few lines in the U.S. Within those lines there are some that have a strong natural retrieving instinct. Most have a close working pattern of ranging out and back. I'd want a ton of references from the breeder and a field demo of at least one parent and a prodigy. If you find one you like I would be prepared to force break to retrieve or pay to have it done. I put them in the general foot hunting continental category. This includes Spinone, Gordon setters, French Brittanies among others. Most are mediocre hunters but within each breed there are a few that are exceptional. There are a lot of personality quirks among them too. A pointing lab, dratthsar, GSP or GW, or American Brittany could do what you want and come with a much higher success rate as far as train ability and overall performance. However, there's nothing wrong with trying a breed you have interest in. If you require that it must hunt, be prepared to find it a new home if it doesn't do it right. I see a lot of chances taken on this type of dog and the owner ends up with a house pet and no hunter, or two dogs (they didn't anticipate the 2nd). I wish you luck and happiness with whatever dog you decide.