German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

trackindog · Posted: 09/24/03, 4:32 pm Post subject: GWP girth

OK - I know this may sound like a weird question but never having had GWP's I'm not sure what the answer might be. Our male puppy Gunner is only 4 1/2 months old and I would like to order a tracking harness for him but have no idea what size to order as I would like it to also fit him as an adult. His mom and dad were normal GWP's, not large and not small. Does anyone have an idea what size girth an average GWP would be around the chest?

Ann

cheerio · Moderator Joined: 11 Mar 2003 Posts: 285 Location: Canada

If your pup is 4 1/2 month old, he probably would fit in the large adjustable harness sold by Wallmart. Because it is adjustable, it should still fit him once he is an adult. Have a look, it should work. And by the way, it appears that harnesses are much cheaper at Wallmart than anywhere else.

trackindog · Posted: 09/26/03, 1:45 pm Post subject:

Thanks Cheerio! The harness I am looking at offers a choice between two. One is for a girth of 30-35 inches and the other 30-40 inches. I have absolutely no clue what an adult wirehair is like in this aspect. He may never even fit in either size.

The reason I am looking at this specific harness is that is is especially made for tracking and offers padding where it may rub on the dog - especially a hard pulling dog (and he is - my back can attest to that!).

The first harness I bought for my westie was an adjustable one I got at a discount store and it had no padding. Plus it didn't offer as good of support and the specialized harnesses offer totally unrestricted airflow. I quickly ended up getting him a better harness and it made all the difference in the world.

Ann