Wirehaired pointing griffon Puppy coat. what to look for??

[Noreaster]

Im new to the group, and trying to do my research before selecting and getting a new gun dog, I am currently very interested in a wirehaired pointing griffon, in my research I have read, and correct me if im wrong, that a Griffs coat doesn’t fully develop until 2-3, and can vary greatly from pup to pup in a litter. But I have also read that some people say a pups coat at 2-3 weeks usually indicates what they will have as an adult. So my question is when I start looking at pups what am I looking for? What puppy coat will turn into what as an adult? I know everyone has their own opinion on what is best. I live in the north east and will be using the dog for grouse and hopefully a few ducks. Heat isn’t a big issue, but low maintenance would be nice.

Thanks in advance.

[Dmog]

Welcome to the Forum!
I would rely on your breeder to tell give you an idea of the range the coat would fall in. I found it difficult for me to tell when I was looking at Griffs and PP's for that matter as I do not look at a litter of pups that often. A breeder does and I think an honest breeder will tell you that their litters are pretty uniform but the range will be from this to that. My Griff's coat changed to increasingly wolly and dense until about 1.5 years old. Body is coarse but the legs and head are soft enough to make for quality time together after field hunts. Some claim at 3-4wks old they can tell in general by looking at the ear fringe. Maybe truth to that.

Good Luck.

[Noreaster]

I appreciate the info, im just the type that likes to do plenty of research before getting into anything. So that when I do start talking to breeder’s im not going in blind, I had read that coats can differ so much with in a litter, that im assuming I won’t be able to just go off the parents.

[SwitchGrassWPG]

Generally, yes, there is a wide range in coats within a litter. No, you can't necessarily tell what the litter will produce by the parents. You can get an idea what the adult coat may be like starting around 4-6 weeks. Yes, a WPG's coat doesn't fully mature until at least 2 years.

Let the breeder know what you're looking for and they'll steer you to the "right" pup.

Good luck on your search. Be diligent with your research on breeders and breedings. The breed's popularity has exploded the last 5-7 years and a lot of puppies are being produced.

Jay

[Meridiandave]

The biggest thing you want in a coat is to have a wirehair coat. If you really want to jave an idea what coat you are going to get, get a puppy from genetic tested dogs. Embarkvet has a great test, which I did for my Griff. Soft, curly and long coats are all recessive genes, so unless you have genetic testing it is impossible to totally know what your are getting.

In general, Brown ticked white coats tend to be shorter than the steel grey coats. For some reason the white grows longer. They key is to have a wirehair coat. The coat of one of the parents should never be soft.

[Noreaster]

Thank you. How can you tell at 6 weeks which pup will produce a strong wirehaired coat?

[SwitchGrassWPG]

You can get a general idea what type of coat; shorter and tighter vs. longer, but not what one will have a "strong wirehaired coat". Shorter, tighter doesn't always equal wiry...