This post is for everyone looking for a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon puppy. We continue to receive frequent calls for puppies. Knowing that there are many folks out there looking for Griff puppies has prompted us to offer these thoughts. You will likely not find anyone else offering this information.
- Griffs seem to be getting popular for reasons that we Griff owners completely understand, but with this popularity has come a lot of breeding without thought to the pedigrees of the dogs and the health issues of the parents. We know of dogs who have been bred who have had meningitiis or diabletes, and puppies in their litters have had these diseases and still they have re-bred those dogs! Please do your homework! Ask about the lineage of the parent dogs of the pup you are considering. Reputable breeders expect to be asked many questions.
- When you’re talking to a breeder about their puppies, ask these questions: How old was the female when she was first bred (and which health checks were done prior to her first breeding? And what were the results of those tests.) When was the female last bred? (We believe in an 18 mos. – 2 year break between litters.) Where do the parent dogs of the prospective litter live? Are they house dogs or is this a set-up where the dogs live primarily in kennels? Griffs are very people-oriented dogs and we believe they belong in the house with us when we’re home, not housed out in a kennel. It’s a question of how they’re treated – are they more like family members or like livestock?
- How often does the breeder you’re considering have a litter and how many dogs do they own or house? We’ll leave it to you to decide what number of females makes them a puppy “mill”. (Raising puppies well and caring for the mama dog is exhausting, and we’d say that more than two litters a year makes it a puppy mill.)
- Look for a breeder that asks you a lot of questions about your home and family, all aimed at evaluating how the life of the dog will be after they have sold it to you. A responsible breeder is not one who has puppies for all those that want them. Be wary of any breeder that fails to ask you a lot of questions.
- Ask the breeder why he/she breeds Griffs. The answer should be that they are looking to improve the breed and put out quality dogs. He/she should be able to describe to you the reason they are putting the parent dogs together. They should know their pedigrees and be willing to provide the pedigrees for you.
- Spend the time to go visit the breeder in person. You should be welcomed to see their set-up and meet all their dogs. You’ll learn a lot by visiting and your gut will likely tell you if this a place that you believe really cares about dogs or is mostly in the business of selling puppies.
- What health guarantees does the breeder offer and is there evidence that they stand behind their dogs?
- Show dogs may have great AKC credentials but the life of the top-winning show dogs is a life substantially spent in the show ring on the weekends and/or on the road getting to the next show during the week (often with their professional handlers.) Just because a dog is an AKC champion or grand champion doesn’t guarantee that it has the characteristics to be great in the field.
- Please, also ask yourself, why you are interested in a Griff? They are bred to be great versatile hunting dogs and do best with a lot of human companionship and plenty of outdoor time to follow their noses. If the dog you get will be left alone a lot and/or you don’t spend a lot of time outside, a Griff isn’t for you. Plain and simple as that.
OK, so we are opinionated. No apologies for this. We care about the breed and want to make sure that buyers keep breeders responsible. And we want to make sure that the puppies go to homes that are able to provide them the lives they deserve.
