Excuse me. Just venting...

[deerhunter338mag]

That is a common refrain among some moose hunters - that you have to go through a number of dogs to find a good one. After a while though, when it always seems to be the same guys, you have to start to wonder who it is that has the problem......

Yep that’s right. I ran into a guy up the bush one time that had a GWP that he fully imported from Denmark. Was not a cheap excuse. He said he’s just got sick of the breeds and breeders out here and how the dogs are so aggressive and dumb. He’s dog was of good temperament and very much under effective control. He now has a very small group of guys that have done the same thing and they all breed together. I think to get into this group you might need to hand over $20k and then some.

Drathaars here are aggressive and dumb because some breeders here have made them that way. As has been described earlier in this thread "(chasing) too many dollars and not enough sense". Mine was neither aggressive, nor dumb, but that was before the gotta have one craze took off.

Yes your right there. They are the trendy dog atm. Theres a few Sambar hunters that live in Alpine areas that are doing really well with their dogs. It sure helps been in the zone. I like watch a guy on youtube atm that uses a weimaraner and he hunts with a bow as well as the rifle. He ex olympian and his wife was the champion Australian cyclists Amy Gillett that was killed in Germany. This guy has it down to a very fine art with is dog. Very enjoyable to watch.

[SauerNZ]

There’s a guy in the North Island of New Zealand who breeds Drahthaars from imported German bloodlines, and he sends his puppies to Australia.

I have one of his and he is a lovely dog - not a hint of aggression, but a very strong hunting drive that I have never seen in a dog before. The catch is that they are really bird hunting dogs - he is fascinated by them - but he loves to hunt deer too.

I know Jason sends his puppies to Australia as the rest of the litter from the one I bought went there, and he wasn’t anywhere near $20K, more like a tenth of that.

[deerhunter338mag]

There’s a guy in the North Island of New Zealand who breeds Drahthaars from imported German bloodlines, and he sends his puppies to Australia.

I have one of his and he is a lovely dog - not a hint of aggression, but a very strong hunting drive that I have never seen in a dog before. The catch is that they are really bird hunting dogs - he is fascinated by them - but he loves to hunt deer too.

I know Jason sends his puppies to Australia as the rest of the litter from the one I bought went there, and he wasn’t anywhere near $20K, more like a tenth of that.

The guy I met is a local in the Mansfield area and also owns a couple of restaurants at Mt Bulla. He did talk about how they went to NZ first then had the tails docked as its illegal in Australia now. I think that cost was to bring the dog to Australia at the start. These guys also breed their own bird fowl for private hunting. He did own a Blaser R93 Professional. I tried looking for the web site but no luck.

[sav338]

To bring a new bloodline into Australia from the US and EU not sure about NZ there is a substantial cost . Would be close to 20k most of it is with Quarantine, boarding ,vet and permits.

[SPEEDY]

It can be tough, I picked up an inbred albino farm breed runt for a pup.
She's a funny little thing, but for any problems she does have she is a hard little worker, she can find and follow but is being let down by my being away so much and covid 19 restrictions but she's young and and I don't expect the best out of her until after she is a year old anyway.
The right pup finds its way to you eventually if you keep your eyes, ears and mind open and pounce once you find one.

Good luck with the hunt.

[Vaughan]

There’s a guy in the North Island of New Zealand who breeds Drahthaars from imported German bloodlines, and he sends his puppies to Australia.

I have one of his and he is a lovely dog - not a hint of aggression, but a very strong hunting drive that I have never seen in a dog before. The catch is that they are really bird hunting dogs - he is fascinated by them - but he loves to hunt deer too.

I know Jason sends his puppies to Australia as the rest of the litter from the one I bought went there, and he wasn’t anywhere near $20K, more like a tenth of that.

There is a common misconception that GWPs are bird dogs. They're hunters, not pointers. They can and do point - and some are obsessed with birds to the near exclusion of all else. The big fellow I have is a fair hand on birds, OK on hare, is an excellent tracker for wounded game and is absolute murder on foxes and badgers (and cats). Our old bitch was good at "standing" adult moose even though she was otherwise a" hunting idiot" for birds. Lots of folks use them to hunt boar. They were bred to be versatile hunting dogs and the German lines usually retain that character more than most. They are also bred to be "sharp" and kill wounded game such as deer when they are set to track them. Fantastic dogs but that sharpness and territorial protectiveness (clearing small predators from their territory) needs to be appreciated or their apparent aggressiveness can be misunderstood. My fellow in his prime was 38kg and was quiet and calm and looked after my 5 y.o. niece with real tenderness but he was also capable of some of the most explosive violence I've ever seen in a dog. Foxes are not his friend. Nor was his brother, on occasion. Put that violence in the wrong place because the owner/breeder is a goose, and you can have a problem dog.

There is also a widely held belief they are hard in the head and difficult or stupid. They're neither. The ones I have experience with have been the most highly intelligent dogs and the most empathic I have ever encountered. They just don't take crap from some of the fools who own them.

[secondtry]

There is a common misconception that GWPs are bird dogs. They're hunters, not pointers. They can and do point - and some are obsessed with birds to the near exclusion of all else. The big fellow I have is a fair hand on birds, OK on hare, is an excellent tracker for wounded game and is absolute murder on foxes and badgers (and cats). Our old bitch was good at "standing" adult moose even though she was otherwise a" hunting idiot" for birds. Lots of folks use them to hunt boar. They were bred to be versatile hunting dogs and the German lines usually retain that character more than most. They are also bred to be "sharp" and kill wounded game such as deer when they are set to track them. Fantastic dogs but that sharpness and territorial protectiveness (clearing small predators from their territory) needs to be appreciated or their apparent aggressiveness can be misunderstood. My fellow in his prime was 38kg and was quiet and calm and looked after my 5 y.o. niece with real tenderness but he was also capable of some of the most explosive violence I've ever seen in a dog. Foxes are not his friend. Nor was his brother, on occasion. Put that violence in the wrong place because the owner/breeder is a goose, and you can have a problem dog.

There is also a widely held belief they are hard in the head and difficult or stupid. They're neither. The ones I have experience with have been the most highly intelligent dogs and the most empathic I have ever encountered. They just don't take crap from some of the fools who own them.

Excellent summary. Those extremes of death dealing violence and extraordinary gentleness are what have not been kept in balance in Aus. Your last para is also spot on, although I haven't met anyone who called them stupid.

European, particularly German, breeders are focused and ruthless in maintaining that balance. Too many dumb **** greedy Aus "breeders" would rather make more money (short term) than maintain the qualities, particularly the balance of qualities, that these dogs are so highly regarded for.

They are definitely different, and require an owner with their wits about them to give their best. I call drathaars post graduate dogs - not the best for beginners, particularly dumb beginners.

I learned a lot from mine, and I think I could do a much better job if I had another, but the passage of time has made it difficult for me to provide enough exposure and enough bush time to get the best from another one.

[Vaughan]

The first GWP we had was the smartest dog I've ever encountered. Never knew dogs could reason at least 3 steps ahead. She could track on scent in the air as well as on the ground and would point "up" for birds in trees as well as ahead for birds on the ground. Took me ages to figure out that she could do that. Damn she used to get angry with me...She taught me how to hunt birds. She loved me but she thought I was retarded, and really not worth hunting with...... It took me maybe 6 months to win her over, before she felt I had what it took to be HER pack leader. I miss her a lot. Folks like to sneer at dogs and call them dish-lickers. Such people have never earned the respect of a wirehair.

I shook hands on a new pup yesterday, likely my last. Should take me through to 3 decades of living with wirehairs. Young Ubbe will come home in 2 weeks. I'm looking forward to it but it is also a bit sad as it reminds me that we had to have Digger destroyed on Xmas morning and the old fella, Mirri, is getting a bit wobbly too. It is the way it goes but it is a bit rough sometimes.

[Rifletuner]

The first GWP we had was the smartest dog I've ever encountered. Never knew dogs could reason at least 3 steps ahead. She could track on scent in the air as well as on the ground and would point "up" for birds in trees as well as ahead for birds on the ground. Took me ages to figure out that she could do that. Damn she used to get angry with me...She taught me how to hunt birds. She loved me but she thought I was retarded, and really not worth hunting with...... It took me maybe 6 months to win her over, before she felt I had what it took to be HER pack leader. I miss her a lot. Folks like to sneer at dogs and call them dish-lickers. Such people have never earned the respect of a wirehair.

I shook hands on a new pup yesterday, likely my last. Should take me through to 3 decades of living with wirehairs. Young Ubbe will come home in 2 weeks. I'm looking forward to it but it is also a bit sad as it reminds me that we had to have Digger destroyed on Xmas morning and the old fella, Mirri, is getting a bit wobbly too. It is the way it goes but it is a bit rough sometimes.

Thanks. Makes me want a GWP. Though as stated, getting a good one is a bit of a lottery here.

[Vaughan]

The first GWP we had was the smartest dog I've ever encountered. Never knew dogs could reason at least 3 steps ahead. She could track on scent in the air as well as on the ground and would point "up" for birds in trees as well as ahead for birds on the ground. Took me ages to figure out that she could do that. Damn she used to get angry with me...She taught me how to hunt birds. She loved me but she thought I was retarded, and really not worth hunting with...... It took me maybe 6 months to win her over, before she felt I had what it took to be HER pack leader. I miss her a lot. Folks like to sneer at dogs and call them dish-lickers. Such people have never earned the respect of a wirehair.

I shook hands on a new pup yesterday, likely my last. Should take me through to 3 decades of living with wirehairs. Young Ubbe will come home in 2 weeks. I'm looking forward to it but it is also a bit sad as it reminds me that we had to have Digger destroyed on Xmas morning and the old fella, Mirri, is getting a bit wobbly too. It is the way it goes but it is a bit rough sometimes.

Thanks. Makes me want a GWP. Though as stated, getting a good one is a bit of a lottery here.

Yes, helps to have breeders you can trust. There are dickheads everywhere. Good luck with whichever pup you bring home!

[Gun Barrel Ecologist]

Anyone able to comment on the incident in 2018 with a child getting killed in the Vic high country by the families GWP?

[deerhunter338mag]

Anyone able to comment on the incident in 2018 with a child getting killed in the Vic high country by the families GWP?

There you go Brett.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-02/ ... n/10064818

[Gun Barrel Ecologist]

That’s the one, anyone know if the breeder was well known / established?

[sav338]

Fegus be very carefull might be better not getting a dog at all.

A woman in the United States has died after being mauled by her adopted pet french bulldog.

Lisa Urso, 52, was found dead on the back veranda of her Illinois home with extensive bite and scratch marks.

Police believe Ms Urso was attacked inside her home and escaped outside but succumbed to her injuries.

Fox Lake Police Chief Jimmy Lee told The Chicago Tribune the scene had been “gruesome”, with blood on Ms Urso’s dogs, two which are french bulldogs while the other is a border collie mix.

RELATED: Owner defends savage dog attack

It’s believed Ms Urso’s larger french bulldog Blue (pictured) was responsible for the attack. Picture: WGN 9
It’s believed Ms Urso’s larger french bulldog Blue (pictured) was responsible for the attack. Picture: WGN 9Source:Supplied

However it’s thought her larger french bulldog, Blue, is solely responsible for the attack as it had previously been taken away from Ms Urso by animal control after biting her boyfriend twice in April.

Ms Urso later requested to get the dog back in a step that would be her “fatal mistake,” Police Chief Lee said.

“The lady wanted her dog back and it attacked her viciously and killed her,

[caps]

Anyone able to comment on the incident in 2018 with a child getting killed in the Vic high country by the families GWP?

Yep, that media article is incorrect the dog was a cross breed between a GWP/bulldog (of sorts) and used for pulling down pigs. The tragedy happened in the kitchen when a food bowl was out and toddler was on the floor. RIP little one.