The German Wirehaired Pointer was developed in the beginning of the 20th century in Germany from careful crosses of the German Pointer with many other breeds. Sources differ on the exact lineage, though the Wirehaired Griffon, Poodle-Pointer mixes, Foxhound and Bloodhound are all mentioned as possible contributors. This is a dog that can fully respond to the needs of its hunter.

Admirable breeders and trainers, the Germans demanded a great deal of their sporting dogs. They had no patience with specialists, preferring instead an extra-rugged hunter capable of working on any kind of game and on any terrain. In the German Wirehaired Pointer, this is exactly what they got, for they molded into the one breed the many distinctive traits. Through avenues of diversified accomplishment they created an all pupose dog approximating their ideal. He pointed and retrieved equally well on land and in water. He was keen nosed and constitutionally tough. What is more, he had the courage as well as the coat fit to brave any sort of cover.

Coat has always been emphasized throughout the development of this breed, as indicated by a statement made by members of the Drahthaar Club back in 1902, when they said: "The breeding of a correct wire coat is the most important feataure." There was ample reason for this emphasis on coat, considering the work that the German Wirehair was called upon to do. In short, he was designed as an all-weather as well as an all-purpose dog, and he had to negotiate underbrush that would have punished severely any dog not so characteristically armoured.

The coat is weather resisting in every sense of the term, and it is to large extent water repellent. It is straight, harsh, wiry and quite flat lying. One and one half to two inches in length, it is long enough to shield the body from rough cover, yet not so long as to hide the outline. A heavy growth on the brow guards the eyes from injury and a short beard and whiskers combine to save the foreface from laceration by brush and briar. A very dense undercoat insulates the body against the cold of winter, but it sheds out to such a degree as to be almost invisible in summertime.

As history is reckoned then, the German Wirehaired Pointer is a comparatively young breed. Developed in Germany from the middle of the previous century on, the dog was recognized as a breed in his native land in 1870, when in just a few short years he supplanted most other breeds of hunting dogs in that country. Essentially Pointer in type, he is sturdily built, energetic in action, intelligent and determined in expression. He is friendly but not overfriendly, in fact, he may be aloof to all but his own. He was brought to North America in 1920 and since that time has achieved considerable popularity.