Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. Nikki Moustaki

Wirehaired pointing griffon. I. Title.

      SF429.W57M68 2006

      636.752--dc22

      2006011590

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Photography by Philippe Roca

      with additional photos by:

      Paulette Braun, Callea, Alan and Sandy Carey Isabelle Français, Carol Ann Johnson, Bill Jonas, Chuck Tatham and Alice van Kempen.

       Illustrations by Patricia Peters.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, scanner, microfilm, xerography or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright owner.

      The word “griffon,” as a generic term, refers to a shaggy, rough-coated dog with a downy undercoat. Dogs of the griffon type have been known in Europe since the mid-1500s, hundreds of years before the advent of the versatile gundog that is the subject of this book. A French word, “griffon” appears in the names of a few American Kennel Club breeds, such as the Brussels Griffon, Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen and, of course, the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (WPG) for generations has inspired an unrivaled passion and devotion from its followers. A superb gundog, a loyal house dog and a gentle friend to the children of the family, the WPG is still little known to the dog layperson but has long been a versatile treasure to hunters all over the globe.

       Few dogs can compare to the WPG in terms of hunting skills, devotion to his owners and a gentle demeanor with all family members, including the children.

      Though the French lay claim to developing the “Griff,” the breed was actually started by a young Dutchman named Eduard K. Korthals (1851–1896). As the son of a wealthy banker and shipbuilder, Korthals had the time on his hands to develop a dog that suited his favorite pastime—hunting. His father bred cattle, so Korthals already understood something of selective breeding and genetics and sought to create an all-terrain, close-working, pointing and retrieving gundog that would be easy to care for and train. He was partial to the griffon, which occurred in many forms throughout Europe, and set out to find the perfect “type” (size, coat, temperament, etc.) in order to develop the ideal dog patterned in his mind. Since Korthals denied using anything other than griffons in his breeding lines, it’s difficult to ascertain which breeds or types of dog he incorporated into this new breed. Undoubtedly he used various spaniels and setters that were available to him in Holland and possibly the Barbet and Otterhound. Korthals actually did cross with a German Shorthaired Pointer but the results were disastrous, so he didn’t pursue it.

      The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, or the “Korthals Griffon,” as the WPG came to be known, began in earnest in 1874 when Korthals started his breeding program with a bitch named Mouche, a brown-and-gray griffon who was reported to be a good hunter in a variety of landscapes. The other original dogs, or “Korthals Patriarchs,” were Janus, Satan, Banco, Hector and Junon. The bitch Trouvee, a result of a breeding between Mouche and Janus, resulted in the type of coat that Korthals was looking for, and a mating between Trouvee and Banco produced Moustache I, Lina and Querida. The lineage of all true WPGs can be traced to these dogs.

       The Pudelpointer originated in Germany, where it was created in the late 1800s by Baron von Zedlitz by combining outstanding Pointers and Poodle-type dogs.

       Two German Wirehaired Pointers, distinguishable by their eyebrows, mustaches and beards.

       The German Longhaired Pointer is distinguishable by its wavy long coat and large size, standing up to 27.5 inches at the shoulder.

       The Griffon Bleu de Gascogne, one of the many wirehaired hunting dogs of France, may well be in the make-up of the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon.

       CANIS LUPUS

      “Grandma, what big teeth you have!” The gray wolf, a familiar figure in fairy tales and legends, has had its reputation tarnished and its population pummeled over the centuries. Yet it is the descendants of this much-feared creature to which we open our homes and hearts. Our beloved dog, Canis domesticus, derives directly from the gray wolf, a highly social canine that lives in elaborately structured packs. In the wild, the gray wolf can range from 60 to 175 pounds, standing between 25 and 40 inches in height.

      Korthals, who was then working as an advance agent for the French Duke of Penthièvre, attended many field events, praising the merits of his dogs and informing the hunting community of Europe about the concept of his ideal hunting dog. In 1877 Korthals was offered the use of a large kennel in Germany, owned by Prince Albrecht of Solms-Braunfels. He moved his dogs to Germany and dedicated the next 20 years to the development of his Korthals Griffon. During this time, he worked with over 600 dogs, keeping only 60 that he considered correct for his new breed. He did extensive line-breeding (mating dogs of the same family to a common ancestor); thus in some pedigrees one foundation dog will occur many times, sometimes in dozens of places.

      The breed became successful very early on, with Korthals competing the dogs in field trials and conformation shows. Though a fatal disease struck his kennel in 1882, killing 16 dogs, Korthals and his gundog friends all over Europe, particularly in France, were not daunted and continued developing the breed. Korthals died at 44 years of age on July 4, 1896, of laryngeal cancer.

       A Griff stands proudly in the field with a fellow talented gundog of Continental origin, the Spinone Italiano.

      Before Korthals’ untimely death, a split occurred among advocates of the breed. The Germans wanted a certain type of dog, and the French wanted another—both from the WPG. Once Korthals was gone, the rift opened even further. World War I, beginning in 1914, significantly hindered the breed’s progress in Germany, while French breeding took off and created what is essentially today a French dog with pan-European origins. Today the WPG exists mainly in France with about 14,000 dogs, while in Germany there are probably fewer than 600 breed members, about the same number in Italy and 200 to 300 dogs in each Holland and Belgium.

      It is not known whether the French fell in love with the breed for its adept hunting ability or its personality. German hunting dogs, like the German Shorthaired Pointer, are like machines in the field, working consistently and tirelessly. The WPG is more of an artist, sensitive and a little moody, though he can also be consistent and driven. He can take a field trial by storm or not perform at all, depending on how he is feeling that day. The French say that the Griff will “invent” birds in the field—they go places where the other dogs haven’t thought to look. The WPG is also a much softer dog and far more laid-back. According to Philippe Roca, vice president of the American Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Association, a trainer should be as laid-back as the dog. “When you train, you need to be very creative and make training fun for the dog. Appeal to your dog’s intelligence. Channel his drive. You can’t tell him what to do. You use the Griff’s instinctual drive and channel it where you want. You can’t train the dog like you train a robot.”

      The French school