A rough and rugged hunting dog might seem as if it wouldn't mesh well with other pets, but the German Wirehaired Pointer can be the exception to the rule. By nature, this dog is very affectionate and lovable, but most often, those emotions are directed towards its human companions. Because of the jealous and willful nature of the German Wirehaired Pointer, it will sometimes attempt to dominate other pets in the family. Mostly however, you will find this breed extremely amicable with other pets, or at the worst, tolerant.
One of the main reasons why your German Wirehaired Pointer will try to dominate other pets is because it did not socialize properly with its litter. If it has not had sufficient time to learnabout being a puppy from its mom and siblings, there will always be that need to exert its ego on other pets. If this is the case with your new German Wirehaired Pointer, you should socialize it with your other pets slowly. Give them supervised time together, so that you can monitor any aggression. This is something you will have to continue doing until all your pets can exist amiably together.
One of the defining characteristics of the German Wirehaired Pointer is its persistent desire to be around its owner. Its constant desire for your attention will make it oversensitive if it doesn't feel like it is your most important pet. If you show preference to other pets, the German Wirehaired Pointer will attempt to dominate them by showing aggression. The only real curefor this is to make sure that you are giving all your pets equal attention and playtime. The daily amount of exercise required by the German Wirehaired Pointer will give you more than an hour of playtime together, so you should stick to this daily routine.
If your German Wirehaired Pointer has been properly socialized before it arrives at its new home, no aggression should be present. However, even if it is not present, you will still have to continue monitoring its relationship with your other pets at least until all of them reach adulthood. It's not true that your German Wirehaired Pointer takes longer to socialize, but its attention-seeking behavior makes it more likely to exhibit aggression towards other animals. Your dog will try to dominate your other pets until you are able to convince it that you are all one big happy family.
Once the German Wirehaired Pointer learns that the other pets pose no threat, it will get along with them fine. The worst that you can expect is that your German Wirehaired Pointer will keep its distance and merely tolerate the other pets, but that's still better than trying to pick up a fight.
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