Great Pyrenees vs German Wirehaired Pointer - Breed Comparison

Medium to large sized, the German Wirehaired Pointer is a griffon type dog breed hailing from Germany and developed for hunting purposes in the 19th century.

Known as the Drahthaar in Germany, the dog is a mix of griffon, Deutscher Stichelhaar, German Shorthaired Pointer, Deutscher Kurzhaar as well as the Pudelpointer.

He was imported into the United States in the 1920s, and it was in 1953 that the German Drahthaar Club of America was formed.

The Great Pyrenees could be from Spain or France because the dog hails from the Pyrenees Mountains, which spans both France and Spain.

The dog was used to defend flocks from predators but its lineage goes a long way back, thousands of years in fact. It is thought that they only arrived in Europe about 5,000 years ago. The dog was adopted into the court of Louis the XIV as a royal dog.

During the mid 1600s, the dog's numbers dwindled but the French developed kennel clubs where the dog could be bred and its numbers restored. It was in 1933 that the Great Pyrenees received American Kennel Club recognition.

Well muscled, this is a medium to large sized dog standing at between 57 and 68cm in height and weighing between 27 and 32kg.

He has a weather resistant wiry coat which is of medium length and which is wiry and harsh. Coat color is liver and white as well as black flecked.The undercoat provides insulation against the cold.

He has quite a bit of facial hair in terms of eyebrows, beard and whiskers.He has webbed feet, typical of German Pointers. His tail is docked to about two-fifths of its natural length, but these days it is often left long.

Temperament:

Lively, playful, affectionate and intelligent, the German Wirehaired Pointer is easy to teach. He becomes wonderfully obedient with training and socialization and responds well to instructions to sit, come and stay.

He is an active dog and likes to be involved in the activities that his human family are involved in. He becomes bored and frustrated when he doesn’t get the exercise and attention he craves.

He isn’t suited to life in the city where the premises are small as he needs plenty of vigorous exercise every day. They do well in the country where they have plenty of place to run and where their hunting skills come into action.

This is a beautiful dog, noticeable by the essentially white coat and his overall size, standing at 70 to 82cm and weighing between 40 to 54 kg.

The double coat is medium to long, coarse and straight or wavy and and it can be solid white, cream or white with patches of light tan or grey.

The nose is black, the eyes brown, the ears of medium length and floppy and the tail long and plumed.

Temperament:

The Great Pyrenees is an intelligent, strong willed dog with a mind of his own so he will be able to be trained and socialized successfully.

His huge size will require that he be trained because when he is indoors he can knock things over and he must be able to respond to you telling him to lie down.

As a large dog, he isn’t suited for tiny homes, as he requires lots of space even though he doesn’t require a lot of exercise. Not only that, he takes his watchdog duties seriously and he is inclined to bark a lot, and in a small place, you’ll be getting constant complaints from the neighbors.

When trained and socialized, your big dog is social, active and loving. He gets on well with children, the elderly and with pets in the home. He isn’t that overly active and will happily make himself at home on your couch and bed.

German Wirehaired Pointers make awesome pets as they’re lively, playful, social and loving. They particularly suit living in a home where the people are active, outdoor types.

They make superb jogging- or cycling companions and will thrive on sharing these activities with a family member. He is a dog who has a need to be loved and included in all that his family gets up to. He wants lots of pats and stroking to show him that you care.

Give him the love and care he craves and you’re guaranteed to have the most wonderful loving pet.

The Great Pyrenees is such a calm, independent, serious, well-mannered dog who loves to be around his human family and to please them. He is gentle and knows how to behave well around children, the elderly as well as with any pets in the home.

He makes a wonderful companion and although he loves indoor life as much as outdoor life, he is much happier settling into life in the country or the suburbs as opposed to life in the city and a tiny property.

Give your big white coated pet all the love he thrives on, and you'll enjoy a wonderful relationship with this large, amicable dog.

German Wirehairs are generally healthy, and when you look after them well they can reach 12, 13 or 14 years of age. Also, if both German Wirehaired Pointer parents have certificates proving they were tested and cleared of hip dysplasia, hereditary eye diseases and blood-clotting disease, then your pet will have less risk of developing these conditions.

Your pet isn’t likely to get sick, but like all breeds of dogs, they're prone to certain diseases and conditions. Hip Dysplasia is something that can be noticed when your pet is still a puppy.

Hip Dysplasia:

This is a heritable condition where the thigh bone doesn't fit properly into the hip joint. Your dog can battle with pain so that he no longer wants to play, he battles to get up after lying down and he may even begin to show signs of lameness. Arthritis can develop too.

Cataracts:

You’ll notice cloudiness on the eye lens that can grow over time. Not all cataracts impair vision, although there are some instances where vision loss is experienced. Cataracts can sometimes be surgically removed with good results.

Your Great Pyrenees is a big dog with an average lifespan of 10 to 12 years. His large size means you will need to look out for typical 'big dog' ailments such as hip dysplasia.

This problem can cause your pet to be in pain and he can also become lame, battling to walk and play and battling to get up after lying down.

Also, look out for bone cancer with your pet and as mentioned previously, bloat, which is a life threatening disease where the stomach of the dog swells up.

Your German Wirehaired Pointer isn’t a heavy shedder so brushing his coat twice a week will be ideal for him to rid the coat of loose hairs.

Diet:

Your German Wirehaired Pointer is an active dog and this has to be taken into account when looking at diet. He will require a diet with quality protein. You’ve also got to look at things such as whether your dog is neutered or spayed as they require less calories. On the other hand there are dogs that will require more calories because of their activity levels.

Make sure your German Wirehaired Pointer eats a top quality dog food. Add in some homemade food such as cooked brown rice, chicken and vegetables from time to time as well as some raw meat. You have to constantly remember that your dog’s health depends on the nutrition you provide.

Exercise:

Your Great Pyrenees isn't going to be a dog leaping around you demanding a game or walk like what you get from some energetic dogs. He certainly doesn't require strenuous exercise but will require a nice, brisk walk every day. Give him some ball or rope games too. He's territorial and likes large grounds to walk around and guard and this constant guarding is a good form of exercise too.

Grooming:

With two layers, the coat of the Great Pyrenees will need to be brushed twice a week to prevent burrs attaching to the fur and to prevent it from matting, It also gets rid of loose hair during shedding.

He tends to drool so it's handy keeping a damp cloth close by just to give his face area a wipe down. Your dog's ears will need to be cleaned with special ear-cleaning lotion and his nails will also need to be trimmed.

Socialization and Training:

Socialize your Great Pyrenees with other dogs and people from a young age. Without proper socialization, this breed can become territorial and possessive of his family, which could lead to aggression. He bonds with his family but tends to be wary of strangers.

Diet:

It is far better to feed your Great Pyrenees smaller meals throughout the day as opposed to 2 large meals a day. A large dog like him can develop bloat from gulping down a large amount of food too quickly.

If you feed your Great Pyrenees commercially manufactured food, make sure it is high in omega 3 and 6 to keep his thick white coat luxurious.

Your dog will need a dog food targeted at a large breed. Remember to include some raw meat as well as cooked chicken, vegetables and brown rice into his kibble and always ensure fresh, cool water is available.