My wirehairs have all hunted close. I hunt everything from the various desert quail to Sage Grouse and waterfowl with them. I have hunted woodcock and ruffies with good success with both of them. To me they have been great for someone who lives somewhere you can hunt more than one species or hunts across the country. I have a Lab, English Pointer, and the two Wirehairs. If you want close work stick with a flusher or a pointer similar to mine such as a short hair. Be careful though with the short hair as some guys are trying to breed them like EPs to run bigger. Short hair does not always mean less shedding. The worst dog I have is the English Pointer.
I do not agree with the labradoodle thing. There is no consistency in breeding as you are essentially getting a high priced mutt IMO. A couple friends of mine have them. One is a good hunter but the others could care less to look at a bird. Any of the rarer breeds mentioned are good dogs as long as you find some good lines. There are some guys in my NAVHDA group that have Puddelpointers, Spiniones, Visilas, and Griffons that all are great dogs. They may not be as "out there" as some, but if you visit a NAVHDA group, you should be able to see and watch the various dog breeds work. From there you can determine which breed is for you. We are all biased and think ours is best lol.
