Covey Rise — Live Wires

LIVE
WIRES
Wirehaired pointing griffons
have all heart for the
family—and for the field.
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS
BY NANCY ANISFIELD
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“That notable griffon
coat consists of a harsh,
coarse top layer with a
fine but dense undercoat.
It can take up to three
years for the adult coat
to fully come in.”
T
rying to describe the wirehaired pointing griffon
(usually shortened to simply “griffon”) is a flirtation
with paradox. The words “soft, cute, calm” come
out in the same breath as “desire, strength, energy.”
Never let a griffon fool you, though: This breed is far more than
a huggable tail-wagger with a shaggy face; griffons are driven
hunters with a ton of point in them and solid water skills.
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Andy Samara’s griffon, Nellie, is almost three years old. She
is intense on point, strong in the water, nimble on land, and
smart. She’s got her owner’s number, knowing that he puts the
fun of the hunt above the need for perfect behavior. When she
launches herself into the air for a retrieve and flies prone above
the tall grass, she knows Andy is enjoying watching her too
much to correct her when she drops the grouse short. He says
she’s soft. I’m thinking she reads him so well that she knows
what she can get away with. For Nellie, it’s about the scenting
and tracking, the sprint to fetch, and a genetically infused love
of the hunt—and sharing it all with her owner.
In the field, the griffon’s hunting style is geared toward the
on-foot hunter, adapting to varied terrain and cover. They are
not known to range as far as many of the other popular pointing breeds like the German shorthaired pointer or Brittany.
Most griffons work in gun range at medium speed. On point,
their tails are held level or slightly downward, backs straight.
While their heavy coats make hot-weather upland hunting challenging, griffons are well designed for grouse, woodcock, pheasant, partridge, and waterfowl.
Breeder Bill Jensen, who has owned griffons since 1966, says
they will do all the same work as German shorthairs and German wirehairs, but perhaps with “more cooperation, leaning
towards dependence.” At his Alder’s Edge Griffons in Minnesota, Bill’s breeding program concentrates on producing griffons
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PHOTOGRAPH BY MOISHE RAGIEME
with “stable temperament, medium size, shorter harsh coats,
athletic bodies, good pointing instinct, and independence without losing the team-player mentality.”
Similarly, Larry Woodward’s Aux Lake Kennels in Kansas
breeds for “drive and desire balanced with bidability and intelligence.” Griffon owners quickly point out that unlike most
other breeds, WPGs can have titles in several arenas—field trials, retriever trials, versatile hunting tests, and agility trials—all
within the same lines. Griffons are highly trainable and can
excel in those different venues with their owners as trainers and
handlers. Both Alder’s Edge and Aux Lake have numerous Versatile Champion, Master Hunter, and other titles in their lines,
but they always emphasize the equally important fact that the
wirehaired pointing griffon makes a sociable, loving family dog.
T
he term griffon was applied to European rough-coated
pointing dogs many decades ago without it specifying a particular breed. Around 1870, Dutch hunter Eduard Karel Korthals,
then living in Germany, set about creating an all-purpose gun dog.
Records show he bought 20 dogs over the span of a dozen years,
using griffons, spaniels, Braques, Barbets, retrievers, shorthairs,
and pointers in his breeding program. Since other wirehaired
pointing breeds such as the Spinone, German wirehaired pointer,
and pudelpointer are essentially griffons by that earliest definition,
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“Griffons are intense
on point, strong in
the water, nimble on
land, and smart....”
the name Korthals is often added to differentiate the breed. In
France and Quebec, the breed is called the griffon Korthals; in the
United States, it’s the wirehaired pointing griffon.
In North America, the American Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Association (AWPGA) is the official breed club currently
recognized by the American, United, and Canadian Kennel
Clubs and the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA). They retain an emphasis on hunting and
versatility, with pure breeding based on strong North American
lines and European imports. The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
Club of America (WPGCA) has taken another approach by
crossbreeding with Cesky Fousek lines to expand the gene pool.
The history of these clubs and their division is complicated,
often causing confusion to prospective griffon owners.
Dick Dilley’s Jessie, “Wet Acres Deep Throat,” was the
first dog inducted into the AWPGA Hall of Fame. Even
though the breed has become very popular in recent years
among hunters, Dick feels their performance has improved
significantly in the last 15 years, with much of the credit for
that going to the NAVHDA testing system.
Ted Gagnon, owner of Wet Acres Griffons in Massachusetts, concurs. “The breeding priorities at Wet Acres are threepronged: temperament, field ability, and conformation. The
rationale behind this program is that, first, no matter how
superior a hunter a dog may be, if he or she is unlivable, there
is no point to owning it. Second, desire, cooperation, and trainability should be embedded in a griffon-breeding program, and
the program should be evaluated on a regular basis. We use the
NAVHDA testing program for those evaluations.”
Griffons, like Samara’s dog Nellie, should have big heads
with more furniture (face covering) than a German wirehair,
particularly in the eyebrow department. Their body shape is
less defined—the chest is not as deep or the waist arch as high.
Females should weight 35 to 50 pounds, and males should range
between 50 and 70 pounds. While the breed’s early development
did not emphasize water ability, they are now solid waterfowl
retrievers with coats suited to any duck-hunter’s addiction.
That notable griffon coat consists of a harsh, coarse top
layer with a fine but dense undercoat. It can take up to three
years for the adult coat to fully come in. On the downside, the
griffon’s coat needs grooming; but on the upside, the dog does
not shed excessively. Colors vary and are acceptable by different registries’ standards, ranging from brown and brown/white/
gray to tri-color and orange-and-white. Black is not considered
standard, nor is a curly coat.
Unlike her high-spirited land performance, Nellie’s November water retrieve is a study in controlled concentration. Her
eyes stay riveted to the floating whistler as she waits for Andy’s
signal. On his word, she pushes through the thick cattails,
pitching into the cold pond without hesitation. Her strokes are
rhythmic and purposeful; her gaze never leaves the duck. Back
on land, having surrendered the duck to Andy, Nellie shakes,
revealing the griffon’s hidden secret: Underneath all that hair,
there is a dog—sturdy and well-built—but unapologetically
undignified-looking when that beautiful thick coat is soaking
wet. Ted Gagnon characterizes the breed well. “Notable are
the griff’s incredible intelligence and sense of humor. A griff
needs a job; he or she cannot be a couch potato. They are too
mischievous to be left to develop their own games. They will
choose one they love and their owners abhor! They are dogs
for experienced dog owners who will truly cherish them and
bring them to their full potential.”
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