Drahthaar coats and burrs

[Jimmy Lipper]

I’ve ran a Springer Spaniel for the last few years but am strongly considering getting a Drahthaar. I love the Springer but am getting sick of picking burrs out of her coat after every hunt. In addition, my kids are getting to the age where they will be hunting behind this dog and a pointing dog would be nice. I’ve also began hunting a lot more Chukar and it’s hard to chase the Springer uphill.

I need a dog with good retrieving instincts so that is why I’m considering a Drahthaar. I’m also considering a wirehair but they are harder to find in the Ogden area.

I was curious if any owners of Drahthaars can tell me how they do with burrs.

How hard is it to take care of their coats? Do I need to strip their coats and how much do they typically shed?

Thanks for your help.

[gdog]

It all depends on the coat of the particular dog and they all shed a fair amount.

[toasty]

I had a german wirehair pointer and it was absolutely awful for picking up burs. I spent more than 2 hours after one pheasant hunt pulling out the prickly balls. The outer coat was OK, but that inner soft coat picked up everything. Despite having an insanely good nose, that is one of the couple reasons I sold this dog.

[Dexter]

I currently own a wire hair and love the breed. I've always owned mostly labs and Brittany spaniels. Hated the Burr's in the spaniels, loved the breed. I have never had a burr that was hard to remove from my GWP(yet), sometimes he will pick up the small hitch hikers but they pull right out. Now his coat is not long and curly, only his beard. I have a friend that has a GWP that is the sister to mine that is ready to have pups anytime here soon(great nose). The male is Drahthaar out of South Dakota I believe. The owner of the female lives in Ogden.