Friendly German wirehaired pointer

Sadly, I need to rehome Wilf due to moving home for work reasons to a place which does not accept dogs. I have had him since he was 6 months old. At first he was a complete ball of energy, but he has calmed down a lot since then, relatively speaking.

What follows is an honest description so you can make an informed choice if you think Wilf is the right dog for you. When we meet I will also make an decision to see if you are the right owner for Wilf as he isn't for everyone.

Wilf is a every bit a German Wirehaired Pointer - ticking all of the boxes you might expect from his breed. A short summary would be to say he is 'a lot of dog'. He doesn't just curl up in the corner out of sight and mind.

Wilf is extremely friendly with both people (including children) and other dogs, there has never been even a hint of aggression towards either. He could easily join a home with other dogs, or a family home, but I wouldn't recommend very young children, simply because Wilf is very energetic. He has a very strong hunting instinct, so any other small animals would not be suitable in the house. He wouldn't be able to live with cats or rabbits etc, although large farm animals would be fine.

Wilf is a great outdoors dog. He can be let off lead, and has very good recall. He has loads of energy, and recently climbed Snowdon, looking like he wanted to carry on for more once we returned to the base of the mountain. When Wilf is off lead he loves to try and catch squirrels (although he's never caught one) and will try and make everyone - including stangers - play throwing games with him (I would advise against it though as he becomes too obsessed). He is happy in cold weather and loves to go swimming.

Be aware that if you have Wilf, he needs at least an hour of high quality exercise a day, but he will be happy with much more. He would be ideal if you have lots of land or if you want a dog to go on runs, or long walks with. He is also a very clever dog, so you can give him mental exercise by making him wait while you hide things. He will spend 5-10 minutes patiently looking for until until its found.

Wilf is house trained and has never had an accident in the house since I had him at 6 months old. He does need lots of space though, and would only suit someone with a relaxed attitude to the house. He has a lot of energy and will jump/lie on settees and carry around soft items such as shoes and pillows (Although he is not at all destructive). If you leave his own soft toys around, this is seldom an issue. You will need to have a garden if you want Wilf.

Wilf does not like being left and will bark when you close a door behind him. He will try and get through the closed door. Within a minute or two he will calm down and go to sleep. He is normally fine if, when you leave, you leave him with some food. I have a piece of clear PVC on the door to stop it getting scratched and it does the trick.

When I first had him as a puppy, Wilf had a quite serious autoimmune disease of the joints which became systemic (IMPA). This was triggered just after receiving his vaccines, which is why I haven't given him boosters since. He was put on steroids and has been fine for the last couple of years without any medication. He does still have some minor immune system problems: an itchy tummy and every now and then he will have a slight limp. Despite the occasional limp he is always ready to go and never looks in any distress. As previously mentioned, he recently climbed Mount Snowdon with no problem.

Wilf eats a raw food diet at present.

Wilf is not at all afraid of travelling in the car, but he is very reactive in the car and will chew and make lots of noise in his frustration when taking off, or when people get in and out. If you plan on taking him on car journeys you would need to put a crate in the car if you don't want your car boot to get mouthed.

Along with Wilf, you will receive everything you would need to look after him: Beds, towels, bowels, toys, leads, high-quality harness, dog bags, hundreds of pounds worth of healthy dog treats.