German wirehaired pointers were bred in Germany in the late 1800s to be hardy, versatile gun dogs that could scent, point and retrieve in the harshest of climates.
They descended from a variety of breeds, one of which is a dog known as the pudelpointer (an early mixture of pointer type dogs and poodle or barbet type dogs). Other dogs in the German wirehaired pointer's background are thought to include the wirehaired pointing griffon, stichelhaar, Polish water dogs and early German shorthairs. According to one source, bloodhounds and foxhounds might also be in the background of the breed.
Today, the German wirehaired pointer is one of the most popular dogs in Germany, where it is known as the Drahthaar. It came to America in the 1920s and achieved AKC recognition in 1959; however, the breed has attained only modest popularity in America.