- [Narrator] Dogumentary TV,
producing the best breed documentaries on YouTube.
(dog barks)
(upbeat music)
- A German Wirehair Pointer
is a great, versatile hunting dog.
It's one of the best upland game dogs there is.
It can be a close-ranging dog or a far-ranging dog
depending on your circumstances and needs.
It also makes a great water dog, it has a double coat,
so it can stand more extreme temperatures
than a lot of the pointing breeds.
I'm Cathie Magoon,
I've been breeding German Wirehair Pointers for 20 years
under the name of Cynister Wires.
The German Wirehair is originally part Pudelpointer,
and German Shorthair,
and some Wirehair Pointing Griffons.
They were originally introduced in the United States in 1953
and became recognized in AKC in 1959.
So, they are still noted as a rare breed.
There are not that many of them around, but, again,
they're getting more all the time.
Drahthaar and a German Wirehair Pointer are,
DNA-wise, the same dog.
They're genetically the same.
The philosophy on training and breeding
are totally different between the two dogs.
The Drahthaar, they have to pass individual tests
in breeding and performance before they're certified
so they can be bred.
In United States, the German Wirehair Pointer
is bred according to the standards of the parent club
and the ethics of the breeder.
The standard for the German Wirehair Pointer female
is 22 to 24 inches, around 50 to 60 pounds, on the average,
with a one and a half to two inch-long coat,
solid liver head, maybe you have a blaze,
with solid liver ears,
and a combination of patterns or ticking.
They come in liver and white, white and liver,
and solid liver.
The male German Wirehair Pointer
is anywhere from 24 to 26 inches,
anywhere from 60 to 70 pounds, average,
with the same body coloring.
You want a broad head, not too big of a stop,
nice tail set off the back.
You want a good strong front,
good front assembly, so the dog can run good.
If the dog is too short-backed
and doesn't use his front efficiently,
it is not a very efficient runner.
You want a moderate amount of angle,
again, that is a personal preference.
You don't want a dog that is too straight in the rear,
nor do you want too over-angulated
because it'll click its front feet when it runs
with its rear feet, or run sideways,
and that is most important in the show ring.
In the field, not so much.
With the German Wirehair, you want a good quality coat.
The Wire's coat is double-coated,
it has outer guard hairs,
with an inner down coating, for insulation,
that's what makes 'em good in the snow, for hunting,
and also, for water.
The German Shorthairs do not have that kind of a coat
and they'll get colder easier.
German Wirehair is webbed-footed,
making it a very efficient swimmer.
You want a dog that doesn't fight in the water,
but can use its strength to be able to propel itself
in there, and also to break ice.
(upbeat music)
In Germany, the Wirehair is used
as a fur and feather type of a dog.
They hunt everything, from anything that flies,
to anything that runs,
squirrels, rabbits, fox, whatever they want it to.
German Wirehairs are very versatile,
you know, a lot of people just want to do duck,
some people will hunt deer,
I've got dogs I've sold that are doing tracking,
search and rescue, bomb dogs, narcotics dogs.
They have a good nose.
They can stand the temperatures and the training.
If a person is just going to hunt with their dog,
as a personal hunting dog,
they don't want anything that they have to use a horse for,
'cause most people just don't have a horse
and they won't be able to find their birds.
So, the dogs traditionally run out into the brush,
flush whatever's out there,
it takes to wing,
the hunter shoots it,
the dog goes and gets it and brings it back,
all without munching it to death,
and it will give it to the hunter.
In a field trial, they're much more trained.
They go out, they find their bird,
they point it, they hold that point,
that bird is then flushed,
takes to wing,
the hunter shoots it,
the dog is released on a verbal command,
goes and retrieves that bird,
they have to mark where it goes down
and bring it back to hand.
You do not want your German Wirehair Pointer
to kill all of your birds, or crush them,
because you can't eat what they squash.
So, they really frown on it.
We prefer, obviously, a soft-mouth dog.
German Wirehairs make a good pet,
they're very versatile in their behaviors
and the things that you can do with them.
Hunting, they are companions for backpacking, dog beach,
any number of things that a family would do.
We picked the dog because it would play ball,
it had a good temperament,
had a decent coat that we didn't have to groom,
that we could take everywhere.
All dogs have a potential of being good pets,
it's the owners that make them that way.
You also have to have good foundation stock.
A lot of time and effort is put into our Wires
to make sure that they're friendly,
get along with people, and are not aggressive.
We treat them as family members.
They are born in my house
and stay in there until they're old enough to go outside
with their first shots.
German Wirehairs can have hip dysplasia,
that is the number one thing,
all of the breeders would test for that.
Any large dog can get hip dysplasia.
We always test and x-ray at two years of age
to make sure that we can do the very best we can.
As far as other things,
they can have seizures,
be diabetic, you know, but not really much in this breed.
I very seldom have to take my dogs to the vet.
With the proper shots, and nutrition, and care,
they are very, pretty much, a good, healthy breed.
I haven't had much trouble
in over the 20 years I've been doing this.
(upbeat music)
The first dog that you saw is a male,
he's 18 months old, he's a champion,
his name is Champion Idawire's Vacation.
He has not been trained for the field yet,
he is too young to be broke.
He will be broke at two years of age.
He is very good, he places as Select at the Nationals.
The second dog you saw is a five month old puppy
named Cynister's Murdock.
Both of Murdock's parents are champions in the show
and one is in the field, both.
So one is a dual champion and one is just a show champion,
working on his Master Hunter.
We have great expectations for Murdock.
He has great structure, good texture in his coat,
a nice, dark pigment, and good eye color.
He has shown great promise in the field
and we can't wait to see him run.
The third dog you saw is a female.
Her name is Idawire Cynister's Along Came Polly.
She is 11 months old and this was her second field trial.
She received a third place today.
She has great drive in the field, a strong nose,
beautiful, stylish point,
and we can't wait to see her as she progresses and matures.
Anybody that would like to own a German Wirehair Pointer
should have a backyard.
If they don't have a backyard,
or they can be raised in a condo,
you must take them for walks daily.
A dog that is bored will destroy some things.
They like to go to the dog park,
but they have to have exercise.
So please, think seriously before you consider
a German Wirehair Pointer for your home.
Cynister Wires
is a family affair.
Without my kids and grandchildren,
I would not be able to continue doing what I so love.
With my friends helping me, we show
and do field trials,
hunt tests, and generally have a good time.
The dogs, for me,
is more than a hobby.
They're family.
Wires, for us, are the glue that binds us together.
We love our dogs and can't imagine not having them.
For me, I would be devastated to not be able to continue.
This is a legacy that my husband and I started together,
and even though he's no longer here,
every time we do something,
we remember the way Dad would have done it.
(upbeat music)