German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

[maryg]

Hi All,
I am a dog trainer, with a gwp in a basic class. She is 4yo, and recently has been moved from a rural location with all the freedom, to an urban neighborhood which requires use of leash for walks.....

My problem is motivation. She is not food motivated, doesn't seem to play with toys. She acts aloof even with her owners and I am just to be ignored. Other dogs are just not there. Yes, she is a very unhappy camper.

I train using positive motivation, with a good dose of discipline worked in. Owners MUST be the Pack Leader.

From reading some of these past messages, there are some good gwp people out there. Any suggestions?

Thanks, Mary

[cmmilach]

Hi,

Unfornately, if a wire does not want to be someplace than it can be very hard to get them to work. My 4 yr old female is not food motivated, loves her toys (if they make noise) & lives for her frisbee. I have found that if you just give them praise and find a toy they love they usually come around.

I do obedience, Rally, Agility, confirmation & field work so I have had some experience motivating a wire.

You will be ignored since their feelings are "If I don't know you, there is no reason to know you".

Good Luck,

Cathy M.

[dualgwp]

Boy, Cathy did you nail that one!

I've seen Wires that love food and treats, walk away if they were used as bribes. Same for toys. Even birds!

We had a dog we were showing who would not bait in the ring, would just stand there looking bored. So we took a live quail, put it in a sock and tried that as bait. Dog looked at us ...... Yea, ok, it's a bird in a sock, what do you want me to do with THAT? He still didn't want to play!

It's not a breed that can be bribed....just continue with the lessons, but don't expect unbridled enthusiasm.. it's not a Golden, or Border Collie!

Bernee

[maryg]

Well, thanks to both of you....It sounds like these guys make my rotties seem like real soft touches. I also have an eskimo that I just got CGC'd - that was a chore, so I didn't think I would have so much trouble with this girl. After years of BIG stubborn dogs, and terrier stubborn dogs, I thought I pretty well understood stubborn. Well, another class on Wed, so we shall see. I'll just keep plugging along. Thanks again.

Mary

[dualgwp]

Now don't get us wrong, Wires are very trainable, they just won't react the same as a Golden, Lab or any other type of dog that just lives for your approval!

My suggestion is to mix it up constantly, never do anything repetitive, especially if they do it right the first time you ask them. If you try to do something over and over and over again, they tend to invent things.

But, when you do ask them to do something, you have to make sure you get it done. If not, they will figure out how to get out of doing everything you ask. And, they are wonderful actors! They will make you think you have tried to kill them with a simple collar pop. Don't be fooled by the theactrics, calm, consistent training works best with this breed.

No reason on this earth a Wire shouldn't be able to pass a CGC test! Sometimes, ya just gotta be smarter than they are!!!!

Keep us posted.

[walltentwire]

Sorry, looks to me like this dog wants to HUNT, not mince around an agility course....

I'll bet knocking a few roosters down over its head, and a few chase-control/kill excercises would focus some energy and get some zap out of this dog!

I'm very happy that lots of members on these forums provide homes and love to wirehairs, but experience has shown me that only those who really HUNT these dogs understand what the breed is all about. Personally I would not own a wire if i could not hunt it.

These dogs need to feel the predatory instinct to really get interested.

Sorry, veggie-crowd, you're just way-off on this hippie-no-fur-no-meat-no-fun-no-4X4 thing. Wirehair owners should all listen to Hank Williams records and frequent Honky-Tonks in Rooster Country... this is their natural habitat.... Pity the Urban-Leash-Slave-Wires..... Envy the wire with an OCEAN of American CRP in front of his nose..., May he dream of smelly birds in his mouth at the end of the day.... twitching and squeaking near a hot stove, utterly exhausted, with the faint howls of coyotes drifting throught the tent walls...This is the dream life of a working wirehair.
This is the life of my wirehair.

[Jay-Mar's GWP's]

as a trainer for 20 years and a breeder of GWP's, I must comment on one thing you wrote.
There is a huge difference in stubborn vs aloof. You have to use different methods on an aloof dog. If you train it as you would a stubborn dog, all you will get is more shutting down from the dog and it will turn into a viciuos cycle. If you'd like some ideas on how to work around the aloofness, feel free to e-mail me
Nikki