Best dog food for a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
A Wirehaired Pointing Griffon was bred as an all-round hunting and pointing dog with real stamina, but what suits an individual dog's food depends far more on how active that particular dog actually is than on the breed's working reputation alone. A Griffon out in the field several days a week has very different energy needs to one living as a mostly sedentary family companion.
Feeding a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
A large breed
An adult Wirehaired Pointing Griffon typically weighs 23–27 kg, so a healthy Wirehaired Pointing Griffon eats a fair amount compared with other breeds. Every feeding guide on a bag is written per kilo of body weight, not per breed — start there, then adjust to the dog in front of you.
Life stage
A large breed is usually done growing at 15–18 months, which is roughly when a puppy food has finished its job. With a typical lifespan of 12–15 years, there is a long adult stretch in the middle; switch to a senior food when your vet thinks it is worth it rather than on a birthday.
A high-energy dog eats like one
Wirehaired Pointing Griffons sit at the top end for energy, and a dog working through an hour and a half of real exercise a day burns through the feeding guide faster than a dog on a short stroll. Feed to the dog's condition, not to the middle of the range on the bag.
Joint support is worth looking for
Their size and frame put more load through the joints than a smaller dog carries, so a food with joint support on the label is worth reading for — and keeping them lean does more for their joints than any supplement.
Weight matters more than usual here
A long back or a heavy frame makes every extra kilo count twice. Weigh portions rather than eyeballing a scoop, and reduce the food rather than the walks if the waist starts to disappear.
How much should a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon weigh?
Adult 23–27 kgfully grown at 15–18 months
| Age | Stage | Typical weight | Of adult size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | Just home | 2.6–3.1 kg | 11% |
| 3 months | Young puppy | 4.3–5 kg | 19% |
| 6 months | Growing fast | 8.5–10 kg | 37% |
| 12 months | Adolescent | 17.1–20.1 kg | 74% |
| 15–18 months | Fully grown | 23–27 kg | 100% |
A guide, from the same rule of thumb our puppy growth predictor uses — each age is that share of the way to maturity for a large breed. Puppies grow fastest early, so a real puppy usually sits a little above the middle rows. Weigh yours and ask your vet if the number worries you.
Complete dog foods that suit a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
Complete foods from our range, matched to a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon's size band and what the breed typically needs. Stock levels and delivery dates are live on each product.
Field & Trial Skinner S Field Trial Light Senior
A lower-fat dry food for older, overweight or less active dogs, including working breeds
From£9.85
Autarky Complete Grain Free Adult Turkey
Grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, with turkey and a marine-algae joint care package
£12.79
Autarky Grain Free Tasty White Fish & Potato Complete
Grain-free dry dog food built around white fish meal rather than poultry
£12.99
Lily's Kitchen Lily S Kitchen Dog Lovely Lamb
Complete lamb-led dry dog food offered in two practical bag sizes
From£25.15
Burns Adult Large/Giant Breed Chicken and Brown Rice
Complete large-breed dry dog food with 23% chicken and brown rice
£59.99
Burgess Greyhound and Lurcher Chicken
Complete adult dry food formulated for the specific build of greyhounds and lurchers
£35.35
Naturo Senior Rice Poultry Variety 6pk
Six 400g trays across three recipes for senior dogs, with glucosamine and chondroitin
£10.29
Naturo Senior Dog Turkey with Rice and Vegetables 7pk
Turkey at 65% in a senior wet tray, with brown rice, vegetables and added joint support
£11.99
Vitalin Adult Dog Pork with Apple
Complete dry food for adult dogs of any age, led by pork, with citrus extract for dental support
From£11.99
A breed built for endurance, not necessarily a fixed diet
This is a medium-to-large gundog breed, developed for long days of varied terrain work, and genuinely working Griffons benefit from a food with a higher protein and fat content designed to fuel sustained activity rather than a standard maintenance-level adult recipe. A working or active-dog formula is worth considering specifically for a dog doing real field work regularly.
The wiry double coat this breed is named for does not change their nutritional needs directly, but coat condition can reflect overall diet quality, so a food with good-quality protein sources tends to show in coat as well as energy levels.
Matching food to your actual dog, not the breed description
A Griffon kept primarily as a family pet with moderate daily walks does not need — and can genuinely gain unwanted weight on — the same calorie-dense working-dog food that suits a Griffon out hunting several times a week. An ordinary adult medium-to-large breed recipe, portioned to their real activity level, is usually the better fit for a companion dog of this breed.
Body condition, checked regularly by feel, is a more reliable guide than the breed's reputation for energy. A Griffon carrying visible extra weight needs less food or a lower-calorie recipe regardless of what the breed is generally known for.
What to watch as they mature
Like other medium-to-large breeds, a Griffon puppy benefits from a large-breed puppy formula that manages growth rate carefully, transitioning to an adult food once most skeletal growth is complete, typically somewhere in their second year. Adjust the recipe again later in life if activity levels drop, since an older, less active Griffon needs meaningfully fewer calories than the same dog did at the height of a working career.
The wiry, weather-resistant coat this breed carries needs relatively little from the diet directly, but a consistently good-quality protein source tends to support coat condition as a side effect of overall health, which is one more reason to judge a food on ingredient quality rather than on price or breed marketing alone.
Common questions
- Does a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon need a working-dog food?
- Only if the individual dog is genuinely doing regular, sustained field work. A Griffon kept mainly as a family companion with moderate exercise generally does better on an ordinary adult medium-to-large breed food, portioned to their actual activity level rather than the breed's working reputation.
- How much exercise does a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon need?
- This is a genuinely energetic breed bred for long days of varied work, and most individuals need substantial daily exercise to stay content and in good condition. How much directly affects how much food, and what type, actually suits them.
- Is a high-fat diet good for this breed?
- It suits a genuinely active, working Griffon, but the same diet can lead to unwanted weight gain in a less active companion dog of the same breed. Match the fat and calorie content to how much your individual dog actually does, rather than the breed on paper.
- What should I feed an older, less active Griffon?
- As activity drops with age, reduce the calorie density or portion accordingly, since a less active senior dog of this breed needs meaningfully less than the same dog did during a more active working life. A senior or lower-calorie adult recipe is worth discussing with your vet at that stage.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.