Thoughts on crossing labs and German Wirehaired pointers? Significant other wants a block-head lab, I want a GWP. She wants a lazy-ier, not high-strung house dog, I want a dog to grouse/pheasant/quail/shed hunt with. Is it possible to have the best of both worlds in one dog? Let's hear your thoughts!!
Not all labs are spazzes 
Yep, sooner or later they get too old to continue their Spazzy ways
I agree that in most cases trying to create a better breed is not a great idea. The dominate breed/personality usually trumps the hope of a perfect combo. Even though I did have a lab/black&tan duck dog that didn't bark much and could smell a duck ten feet under water
Of those mentioned I do think for upland hunting the wirehair should give you what you want. Although, so would a springer. For me anything with a lab gene is a water dog and not an upland dog. I've hunted upland with a few good labs, but most are too loud and bull rush to keep a hun or rooster laying tight. However, if you are wanting to hunt roosters in the baddest of bad arse blackberry briars a bull rush lab isn't the worst thing to have.
If the wife wants a pet and you want a hunting dog I do think there are two other breeds you might want to consider. Springer or Golden Retriever. Both require ten times the hair cleanup around the house compared to the wirehair, but they are fantastic family dogs and very universal bird dogs. I'd give the edge to the springer as far as smarts go, but both seem almost brain dead compared to any wirehair I've ever met.
