should never have the sole responsibility for the dog.
Most of these dogs are very friendly, but some individuals do remain aloof. Often, this is an attraction point for owners. Instead of having a waggy, exuberant dog knocking things over in the house, they prefer a more laid-back individual, which can be found in this breed.
Puppies learn very quickly and will point as early as seven weeks old, though some individuals don’t learn the finer skills of hunting until they are older. Many owners profess that these dogs do not even need to be trained to hunt—they do it naturally. All dogs in the Sporting Group have basic hunting instincts. However, some methods of hunting need training, and the Griff is an eager student. Because of his intelligence, the Griff can be much harder to train at the highest level. If you push too hard, you break the dog, and if you don’t push hard enough, the dog won’t perform. You have to be a very apt, smart trainer to work with a WPG. This is not a dog for a novice.
Even though the WPG is a hunting dog, he doesn’t do well with kennel life. He prefers to be a house dog, living in close contact with his family. A Griff left in a kennel will pine for his favorite humans and may develop some nasty behavior issues. This dog also definitely needs a fenced yard where he can run, but not run away—he loves his humans, but he loves to run and hunt too.
Introducing a WPG pup to other animals in the house should be done as early as possible. The Griff has a strong prey drive, and an older dog that has not been socialized to cats and other swift-moving animals might hunt them and even kill them if you’re not there to intervene. Further, never trust a Griff around pet birds, hamsters and the like. Neighborhood cats and passing squirrels will definitely not be tolerated in the yard. While on the topic of animals to avoid, the Griff’s prey drive is so powerful that he won’t be deterred by a skunk or a porcupine, should he happen to run across one. You may find yourself having to “de-skunk” your dog or spend time pulling lots of quills out of his face.
TRAINABILITY
The WPG is a member of the American Kennel Club’s Sporting Group and the United Kennel Club’s Gundog Group. He loves to please his owner, as most sporting dogs do. He excels at obedience, agility, search and rescue and, of course, hunting. These dogs can learn to hunt just about any game, though they were bred to hunt upland fowl. Griffs will pursue boar and stag, will hunt with falcons and will track blood, as is common in Germany, and can even be trained to hunt bear. The keen senses of these dogs allow them to track, retrieve, hunt with humans on horseback and do just about anything else asked of them in the field. Some individuals can become gun-shy with poor training methods, though in no greater numbers than in any other breed. In other words, there’s no real temperament problem in the WPG, and this gun-shyness can be solved using desensitization methods.
Proper training will yield a top-notch hunting dog who will stop at nothing to please his owner. The WPG is poetry in motion in the field.
Training must be done with a light hand. Heavy-handed and rough training methods do not work with this dog and will only succeed in taxing the relationship between dog and owner. The Griff will hold a grudge and remember exactly the treatment afforded him. Someone who can’t control his temper should think of getting another breed or no dog at all. This breed is particularly intelligent and doesn’t need an extreme training protocol. It does require, however, a lot of positive reinforcement and praise.
Many breed enthusiasts seem to prefer females to males, finding them more eager to learn, less stubborn and more physically agile than males. But there’s no definitive way to choose a Griff puppy, male or female, that will be easily trainable or make a great hunter. Simply choose the sex of the puppy that you want and pick the one from the litter that most attracts you. You’re as likely to get a good dog or a fair one whether you use this method or sit around for days watching the pups. There are temperament tests, however, that might separate the slackers from the go-getters, but whether or not a puppy performs well during these tests has a lot to do with whether or not the pup is tired from playing in the morning, what it has eaten and several other factors. Many male hunters prefer to work with female pups and female hunters like to work with male pups, so this is also a factor in how people choose their new Griff.
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HIP DYSPLASIA?
X-ray of a dog with “Good” hips.
X-ray of a dog with “Moderate” dysplastic hips.
Hip dysplasia is a fairly common condition found in pure-bred dogs. When a dog has hip dysplasia, his hind leg has an incorrectly formed hip joint. By constant use of the hip joint, it becomes more and more loose, wears abnormally and may become arthritic.
Hip dysplasia can only be confirmed with an x-ray, but certain symptoms may indicate a problem. Your dog may have a hip dysplasia problem if he walks in a peculiar manner, hops instead of smoothly runs, uses his hind legs in unison (to keep the pressure off the weak joint), has trouble getting up from a prone position or always sits with both legs together on one side of his body.
As the dog matures, he may adapt well to life with a bad hip, but in a few years the arthritis develops and many dogs with hip dysplasia become crippled.
Hip dysplasia is considered an inherited disease and can be diagnosed definitively by x-ray only when the dog is two years old, although symptoms often appear earlier. Some experts claim that a special diet might help your puppy outgrow the bad hip, but the usual treatments are surgical. The removal of the pectineus muscle, the removal of the round part of the femur, reconstructing the pelvis and replacing the hip with an artificial one are all surgical interventions that are expensive, but they are usually very successful. Follow the advice of your veterinarian.
Training a pup or young dog for hunting includes socializing (introducing) him to all of the situations he will encounter, and potentially be afraid of or confused by, in the field. These include water, gunfire, different types of cover and terrain and, of course, birds and other game. Obviously, the pup also has to learn the recall (come) command and to retrieve as well as other basic obedience exercises.
Griff pups house-train very easily and will learn to do their “business” outside in a matter of two or three weeks. Settling down inside the house is another matter. A WPG pup is an energetic bundle of pure exploration, and an owner should take care that the tyke doesn’t get into anything he shouldn’t. Puppy-proofing a home is important when a Griff pup is present. Crate-training is great for this breed, although it is important to remember that the crate is not a prison but a comfortable place where the pup can go to relax.
OFA Hip Dysplasia Numbers* (1071 dogs tested)
| Excellent: | 21.8% |
| Good: | 60.7% |
| Fair: | 9.6% |
| Mild: | 3.6% |
| Moderate: | 3.0% |
| Severe: | 0.6% |
