The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon has its origins as a gun dog. As a result, this breed is high energy, affectionate, and eager to please. The combination of the desire to please and its readiness to take commands makes the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon exceedingly easy to train.
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How to Train a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is a dog that’s eager to please its master. This is not a breed that needs to be bought. It lives to make its master happy. As a result, it is quite easy to train. That being said, there are a few tips to make training your Wirehaired Pointing Griffon even easier.
Praise
Praise is the name of the game with the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. Its eagerness to please means it readily responds to intense praise. Whether you’re potty training a puppy or teaching an adopted dog basic commands, praise is what this breed lives for.
The intensity to which the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon responds to praise is also the intensity to which it responds to negative reinforcement. Don’t do it! You should never use negative reinforcement to train any dog, but that goes double for this breed. Over correction will do nothing to help train this soft-natured breed. In fact, it will serve to undermine training and result in a dog that is afraid of its master. That’s no Bueno.
Treats
Treats and praise go hand in hand. Although the main currency of the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is praise, you can reinforce the positive vibes even more with treats. Always reward your Griffon with intense, over the top, ridiculous praise as well as a few treats to get the point across to your dog about how awesome it is.
Consistency
The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is hard wired to want to please you, but even the most trainable dog will have trouble if training isn’t consistent. Always be consistent with training. If you’re potty training your pup, stick to a rigid schedule. Take you dog out after every meal and every hour between meals. Use the same command word at all times. The basic idea is to do the same thing at all times. This will cement the cause and effect of the sound of the command and the action you desire in your dog’s mind.
Love
One reason the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is so eager to please is because it absolutely loves its people. These dogs are intelligent and have sweet temperaments, so love is always a key factor with this breed. In addition to praising your dog like a mad man (or woman) when training, give them a ton of love in between training time. It builds a bond that creates both a well-trained and euphoric dog.
Exercise
The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon was bred as a hunting dog, and, consequently, it has a lot of energy. It’s hard for any dog to take commands when it’s wound up, so make sure your Griffon gets adequate exercise. A dog like this does best with a fenced in yard. If you don’t have a fenced yard, two to three vigorous walks a day will keep your dog on an even keel and more receptive to training.
The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is a Joy to Train
If you remain consistent, give it lots of love, and reward it generously, the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is a joy to train. This breed is practically born to respond to loving, reward-based training, and if you treat it well, the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon will respond readily. So give your pooch lots of love and affection, and you should have no problem training it.
