Short History of the Breed:
In the late 19th century a group of people came up with the idea of a versatile hunting companion. They wanted their dog to be able to search, point, track and retrieve feathered or furred game in the field and in water. The breed they created was the Deutsch Drahthaar, which means German Wirehair in English. Some of these people were breeders and decided that their dog will be similar to the old German Standard Poodle because it was good at retrieving and tracking and the English Pointer for its search of the field. Later, they added the Stichelhaar, the Griffon, the Foxhound, the Bloodhound, the Pudelpointer and the German Shorthaired Pointer. Their motto was "Through performance to type" and so they created special tests to ensure the dogs have the needed quality for breeding. That led to the Deutsch Drahthaar become the most popular hunting dog though it's club was formed so soon - in 1903. It was admitted by the German Kennel Club in 1928. In the 1920's the breed was first introduced to the US. There it received a new name - German Wirehaired Pointer but Americans didn't like it very much at first. It was recognized by the AKC in 1959.

Physical Description & Size:
The German Wirehaired Pointer is a medium-sized dog, with noble appearance. Size according to AKC: males - 24-26 inches at the withers; females - not less than 22 inches at the withers. The body has to be longer than the dog's height of the withers as 10 is to 9. The head is medium big and proportionate to the dog's body. The eyes are dark brown, with alert and lively expression, the nose - the same colour as the coat, the ears are medium in size, well-rounded and their side hang on the cheek. The jaws are strong and the teeth are evenly set in a complete scissors bite. The muzzle is as long as the skull and the stop is medium. The neck is strong, medium in length and slightly arched. There is no dewlap. The topline is straight and in the end, it slopes. The withers are slightly pronounced. The chest is deep, with the rib well-arched. The underline is elegantly curved towards the rear. The back is short, but strong. The loins are tight and slim. The croup is nicely rounded. The tail, usually docked at about 1/2 to 2/3 of its natural length, is carried as a continuation of the topline or slightly above that. The shoulders are laid-back. The forelegs are slim, strong, showing agility and the elbows are close to the chest. The paws are rounded with well-arched toes. The nails are strong and black in colour. The hind legs are well-angulated, with strong and muscular thighs and parallel hocks. The skin is closely-fitting. The coat, as the name says, is wiry. It protects the dog from bad wheather, water and thorns. In winter grows dense undercoat and in summer it's almost invisible. The outer coat is straigh, harsh and flat-lying, not very long, about 2-4 inches. On the legs and the skull, it's shorter. Around the shoulders and the tail, it's particularly dense. The eyebrows, the beard and the whiskers are of straight hairs. Short, smooth, soft, wooly or extremely long coat is a fault. The colour, according to the AKC standard, is liver and white, liver roan or solid liver. The ears are always liver. No black is allowed. The white hairs on liver roan dogs are usually longer than the liver ones. The gait is smooth, with good reach and driving power. The European German Wirehaired Pointer, known as Drahthaar, is a bit diffrent than the American one. The main differences are that the length of the body has to be as equal as the height at the withers. The body is allowed to be up to 3 centimetres longer than the height. Another difference is the colour - FCI allows drahthaars to be black, black with white patches or black roan. The last difference is the size - for males - 61 to 68 cm and 57-61 cm for females.

Temperament:
Sound and reliable temperament; aloof with strangers; loyal and affectionate pet. No shyness or agressiveness. It's alert and playful. The dog is eager to be trained but gets bored with many repetitions. That breed is suitable for active and dominant people. It's not suitable for first-time owners.

Needs (exercise, grooming, living conditions, diet):
The German Wirehaired Pointer is a very active dog. It needs lots of exercise, at least 1 hour walking daily. Obedience training is very important, too because it's a clever breed and easily finds out things like how to оpen doors. It's best owner if it goes to hunt, though, it lives happily without doing so. If not exercised properly, the German Wirehaired Pointer gets destructive - chewing, digging, jumping up, etc.
The coat needs regular brushing and trimming. Though it looks like terriers' coat it's very different. The GWP's undercoat sheds by itself. Also, the terrier's coat is called brokencoated.
The perfect owner of a German Wirehaired Pointer has a big yard with a secure fence - high enough so that the dog can't jump over it and put deeply in the ground so that it can't dig its way out. Also the doors must be lockable because the GWP may learn how to open it by watching you to open the door.

More information on Grooming...

Health Issues, Life Expectancy:
The German Wirehaired Pointer has few health problems. The most common one is hip displasia. Other less common diseases are elbow displasia, epilepsy and thyroid disease.
The life expectancy of the German Wirehaired Pointer breed is about 12-14 years.

AKC Group:
Sporting group

Links:
YourGerman OnlineWirehaired CommunityPointer for- Online PurebredCommunity Dogs!Community
http://www.akc.org/breeds/german_wirehaired_pointer/index.cfm - the AKC standard
http://www.gwpca.com/ - German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America
http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/discoverdogs/gundog/g799.htm - the KC standard
http://vdd-gna.org/ - Verein Deutsch Drahthaar - Group North America. There is a lot of useful information as well as many photos
http://www.dogbiz.com/dogs-grp1/pointer-german-wh/germ-wh.htm - a short description
http://www.fci.be/uploaded_files/098gb2002_en.doc - the FCI standard