German Wirehaired Pointer vs Bisben - Breed Comparison

There is a lot of mystery surrounding this large herding dog said to come out of the Himalaya Mountains of Asia. The belief is that sheepdogs were crossed with wolves toward the end of the 18th century, but his origin is basically unknown. They are both herding dogs and guard dogs. Others theorize that rather than a wolf, the breed arose from the Mastif family. Still others claim that the Bisben is not a breed at all but rather a “landrace”. A landrace is an animal group that is only found to exist in the local area or is bred locally for a specific reason, while a breed is developed intentionally and from a select purebred with pedigree. The Bisben may be a landrace since it is very popular in India but hardly known anywhere else. What is known is that the Brisben was in existence at the end of the 1700’s and its job was to protect and herd livestock. There are three main theories about the origin of the Bisben. They are, in no particular order:

1. The Bisben was developed by mixing several different Himalayan and Indian Sheepdogs with wolves. The wolf population in the Himalayas and in India live in very close proximity to dogs and people and this population is quite large. These Tibetan and Indian wolves are known to be smaller, more comfortable with people and less aggressive than wolves from other parts of the world.

2. The Bisben was developed by mixing local sheep herding dogs with the Tibetan Mastiff. This gave the breed its protective nature and its large size according to this theory.

3. The Bisben was developed by mixing local dogs with the ones the British, Portuguese and French imported to the India subcontinent.

There is a fourth theory as well and it combines all three of these, supposing that the Bisben is a product of crossing local dogs with wolves, Tibetan Mastiffs and European dogs.

Regardless of their origins, the Bisben grew into one of the most respected animals in the Southern Himalayas. Their assistance to the shepherds of the area was unquestioned and irreplaceable. They were touch enough to herd flocks of goats or sheep across several treacherous and unstable mountain passes. The environment in which these dogs worked when herding is one of the harshest environments on the face of the earth. Temperatures were dangerously cold, altitudes dangerously high and the terrain just plain dangerous. Many deadly large predators live there as well. This included tigers, Asiatic black bears, golden eagles, Himalayan brown bears, snow leopards, fox, dholes, wolves, and small cats. The Bisben had to be able to fight off all of these predators. In addition to these herding and protecting duties, the Bisben was also known throughout the region as an excellent hunting dog. They are capable to this day of hunting large prey such as antelope or deer. They are equally comfortable hunting alone or in a pack. He has grown into one of the most popular hunting dogs in all of India.

The Himalayas, being so rugged and treacherous, were inaccessible to most of India for many centuries and the Brisben was unknown as well. Through the British imperialist expansion across all of the Indian subcontinent, the lowlands people were connected to the highlands and mountain people for the first time. This also meant that the Brisben was no longer unknown. The entire country began to appreciate the dog for its protection and herding of livestock, as well as a companion animal who would protect its owner and family as well. As India continues to grow the popularity of the Brisben grows as well and its numbers increase regularly. The breed, if it is a breed, remains an Indian secret. They have migrated to the countries around India, but their number are small. It is only in India that they are revered and prosper. They are not present in any great numbers in Europe, North America, Japan, or most of Asia.

Whether or not the Bisben becomes a recognized breed depends upon those who own and fancy them. Most Bisbens are bred to only other Bisbens in an effort to purify the breed. However, few dogs have pedigrees and the practice of breeding the Brisben to other breeds and mixed breed to acquire specific characteristics continues to this day. It is unlikely that the Bisben will ever be a purebred dog. It is quite variable in how it looks depending upon what the breeding line of the individual dog actually is. Does it look like a wolf? Does it look like a larger version of a local or European dog? There will always be these questions around the Bisben. Is it a breed or a landrace?

Medium to large sized, the German Wirehaired Pointer is a griffon type dog breed hailing from Germany and developed for hunting purposes in the 19th century.

Known as the Drahthaar in Germany, the dog is a mix of griffon, Deutscher Stichelhaar, German Shorthaired Pointer, Deutscher Kurzhaar as well as the Pudelpointer.

He was imported into the United States in the 1920s, and it was in 1953 that the German Drahthaar Club of America was formed.

As mentioned in the previous section the appearance of the Brisban can vary greatly from one dog to another based on the individual dogs’ ancestry. Breed or landrace, the Brisban breeding line is not very pure. Therefore, appearance can vary greatly from what is described here and there is no standard by which to measure the Brisban. Most are distinctly large animals, being as tall as the European mountain dogs – the Newfoundland or the Bernese Mountain Dog, Swiss Mountain Dog. St. Bernard and Great Pyrenees. Reports are that it is perhaps the largest dog in India. At least it is one of the largest dogs in India. The Bisben is said by some to be a large, bulky, husky dog while others claim it to be tall and athletic, leaner than the Mastiff bred. Again, there is disagreement on the size and shape of the Bisben’s head with some claiming it is massively square like a Mastiff while others say the head is long and like that of a wolf not a Mastiff. The long hair of the Bisben and its confusing heritage may be the cause. They are most often black but might also be found to be tricolor, tan and “wolf-color” or brown, grey, shades of sable and black. No matter how it looks, this is a dog that was designed to work in the harshest conditions known and their physical appearance should make that abundantly clear.

Well muscled, this is a medium to large sized dog standing at between 57 and 68cm in height and weighing between 27 and 32kg.

He has a weather resistant wiry coat which is of medium length and which is wiry and harsh. Coat color is liver and white as well as black flecked.The undercoat provides insulation against the cold.

He has quite a bit of facial hair in terms of eyebrows, beard and whiskers.He has webbed feet, typical of German Pointers. His tail is docked to about two-fifths of its natural length, but these days it is often left long.

Temperament:

Lively, playful, affectionate and intelligent, the German Wirehaired Pointer is easy to teach. He becomes wonderfully obedient with training and socialization and responds well to instructions to sit, come and stay.

He is an active dog and likes to be involved in the activities that his human family are involved in. He becomes bored and frustrated when he doesn’t get the exercise and attention he craves.

He isn’t suited to life in the city where the premises are small as he needs plenty of vigorous exercise every day. They do well in the country where they have plenty of place to run and where their hunting skills come into action.

The Bisben was so important to the people of the Indian subcontinent because of her temperament. He is a loyal, productive and courageous worker who took care of her flocks, her family and her pack. They are devoted to their family and if raised with children will care for them as well. He is suspicious of strangers. They are territorial and great watchdogs. They can take on any large challenger if need be to protect what they consider to be theirs. They can be highly dog aggressive and must be socialized as a puppy. Do not mix them with strange, unknown animals as the Bisben might attempt to kill them. If he sees them as his “pack” he will love and protect them, but not if he does not know them. Take as much time as you need to introduce him to a new animal and do not leave them unsupervised. They are not easy to train as they are stubborn, intelligent, want to be dominant and is a problem solver. If he doesn’t want to learn something forget it – he won’t. You can still train them. It just takes time and patience.

German Wirehaired Pointers make awesome pets as they’re lively, playful, social and loving. They particularly suit living in a home where the people are active, outdoor types.

They make superb jogging- or cycling companions and will thrive on sharing these activities with a family member. He is a dog who has a need to be loved and included in all that his family gets up to. He wants lots of pats and stroking to show him that you care.

Give him the love and care he craves and you’re guaranteed to have the most wonderful loving pet.

Because he is not a purebred and is probably a land range, there have not been a lot of health studies done and written up on the Brisban. It is believed that the Bisben is for all practical purposes a healthy working dog. As long as the breeding practices are not compromised it should remain a healthy line. It is bred for temperament and work not for appearance and showmanship. Some problems that plague large dogs have been noted in the Bisben. These conditions include hip and elbow dysplasia; optical issues such as Entropion, Ectropion and cataracts; ear infections; and Demadex and Demodectic mange. Most of these conditions can be tested for either in DNA or early in a pup’s life and should be tested for by the breeder before a puppy is sold

German Wirehairs are generally healthy, and when you look after them well they can reach 12, 13 or 14 years of age. Also, if both German Wirehaired Pointer parents have certificates proving they were tested and cleared of hip dysplasia, hereditary eye diseases and blood-clotting disease, then your pet will have less risk of developing these conditions.

Your pet isn’t likely to get sick, but like all breeds of dogs, they're prone to certain diseases and conditions. Hip Dysplasia is something that can be noticed when your pet is still a puppy.

Hip Dysplasia:

This is a heritable condition where the thigh bone doesn't fit properly into the hip joint. Your dog can battle with pain so that he no longer wants to play, he battles to get up after lying down and he may even begin to show signs of lameness. Arthritis can develop too.

Cataracts:

You’ll notice cloudiness on the eye lens that can grow over time. Not all cataracts impair vision, although there are some instances where vision loss is experienced. Cataracts can sometimes be surgically removed with good results.

The Bisben is a large working dog that needs a lot of calories if you are keeping him busy. Do not let him get overweight. The Bisben should not be free fed but rather given two controlled portion meals per day.

Health issues

As previously mentioned, the Bison was developed with the harshest of conditions in mind and long hours of hard work. It is a healthy breed that is however prone to any of the issues that any large dog is prone to including dysplasia and mange and well as optical issues.

Exercise and games

The Bisben needs a lot of exercise as the breed is developed for hard work. Walks are essential but if you have more than one dog, pack walks are even better and pack time at the dog park or in a fenced yard is great. The Bison was bred to hunt in packs as well as alone and they love to play in packs. In any respect they need at least an hour of strong exercise daily. If they don’t get enough exercise, they can become aggressive, destructive and fearful. This could result in destructive activity, barking and excess excitability. They are not very happy in the city and thrive in the countryside.

Your German Wirehaired Pointer isn’t a heavy shedder so brushing his coat twice a week will be ideal for him to rid the coat of loose hairs.

Diet:

Your German Wirehaired Pointer is an active dog and this has to be taken into account when looking at diet. He will require a diet with quality protein. You’ve also got to look at things such as whether your dog is neutered or spayed as they require less calories. On the other hand there are dogs that will require more calories because of their activity levels.

Make sure your German Wirehaired Pointer eats a top quality dog food. Add in some homemade food such as cooked brown rice, chicken and vegetables from time to time as well as some raw meat. You have to constantly remember that your dog’s health depends on the nutrition you provide.