Deutsche Drahthaar

I have become so very infatuated with the Deutsche Drahthaars. They are German registered German Wirehair Pointers. I know, long story.. but I'll tell you. When the DDs were imported way long ago, about 1930's or something, they eventually were accepted in the AKC as German Wirehair Pointer. That is a direct translation of Deutsche = German, Draht = Wire, Haar = hair. But the AKC does not regulate the breeding of these dogs and thus some GWPs were not developed for hunting abilities and a few lines have even become aggressive. DDs on the other hand, are very strictly regulated by the VDD. They are all rated for hunting abilities along with coat and conformation and a list of medical examinations and tests. Thus, DD = excellent hunting ability with great conformation with a clean medical background. What more could you ask for?

I'm very happy with the way the ratings are done. There are 3 - 6 tests a DD goes through for hunting and conformation. In order to be accepted in the breeding program, the dog and bitch must pass all tests with high standards which includes hunting qualities, coat and conformation, along with all the proper medical examinations before it can even be accepted in the breeding program. Their hips are examined with x-ray and must be examined by a qualified doctor in the US and then sent to Germany to be examined by a doctor there as well. How's that for strict. I not only really like this but I also feel that medical examinations for breeding should be the standard for any breed.

In the AKC, the breeders are left to regulate everything in breedings. There are no requirements, no standards, no limitation on the production of any breed. I think the only requirement is that both parents are registered with the AKC. The breeding specimens are not tested in hunting abilities, examined medically for genetic disorders or judged in conformation. For any breed, it is up to the buyer to research hunting and medical background. No certifications are required in order to be registered or bred. There are hunting tests and certifications available in the AKC, it's just not required. This is as far as I understand.

So, that's really the main difference. When you get a Drahthaar, it's a true hunting dog with rated abilities on the parents and medical varifications. A GWP may or may not be good a good hunting dog. If you want a GWP for hunting, you should get one from proven hunting parents.

Be careful of breeders calling their GWP as Drahthaars. There are very strict rules in the VDD to be a Deutsche Drahthaar. All Drahthaar puppies are registered and tattooed on the ear and have registration papers before they leave the breeders home. These are required to be done by each breeder to be registered in VDD. This is not done by the buyer as with the AKC. Only those specimens who pass the medical, hunting and conformation tests with qualifying results may be allowed in the breeding program.

I just really appreciate those regulations. It makes sense to me. Also, every breeder site for Drahthaars has been very impressive. They absolutely love their dogs and let the whole world know about it. The dogs are always honored in the hunts. There are so many pictures and video that show them off!

I can't wait to have mine but as regulations go, I must be a hunting home in order to even be approved. I really like that. So a hunting I will go! I am signed up for the Basic Hunting Course this February. Now, I need a shotgun. :)

"GWPs ARE GWPs by right of birth and registration. DDs are DDs by right of performance and physical evaluation. A DD can only be "born" of dogs that have been recognized by the club and met breeding status. ALL DDs are tested and qualified ONLY as versatile dogs. There is no other kind of competitive or standard method of evaluation. Testing is not competitive - it is an evaluation against a standard of performance or the physical standard for the breed, which differs in many ways from the GWP standard. GWP members are free to reinterpret their breed as they wish and can breed any dog they wish. DD owner's can't. That said, the variety of DD within the VDD registry is very large and the quality of the genepool extremely good.

Approximately 90% of the world adheres to the Drahthaar standard and guidelines as outlined by the FCI. The US, England, and a few other countries do not.The AKC is not recognized by the FCI and therefore the GWP is not recognized as a DD by the world breed federation of clubs. The VDD, and its members who agree to its guidelines, maintains the DD ONLY as a versatile dog intended for hunting."

Oh yeah. DDs Rock.

P.S.
I'm still getting Khan, my GSP puppy. He is both champion show lines with hunting lines. We are still going to go through the AKC and compete for conformation championships. We still plan on testing in field and tracking and also go through the NAVHDA tests. He's my potential Dual Champion versatile hunting dog. :)

I have a lot of learning and work to do. I don't know too much about all of the field trials. Khan is a GSP, German Shorthair pointer, which is the most popular versatile dog in America. Most popular for good reason. They were bred to do it all. I will be training him in versatile hunting which means point, retrieve and track. Those Germans really know what they are doing.

GSPs are awesome and so are Drahthaars. I lean more towards the DDs because I really love that goofy, hairy, scruffy look. At the flip of a switch they can also look mean, ferocious and Wolfie. Nothing anyone would want to mess with. I would love to be part of the VDD and breed DDs in the future. A Labrador, a GSP and a couple of DDs. We shall see what the future holds. :)

Scratch that, reverse it.

Scratch that, reverse it. I don't have a bone grinder. :( I wont be able to grind the meats with the bone in them for the calcium. My friend has been researching this for a while and showed me this company that does it all in conveniently packaged meals. Balanced meals ready to go. They will even do free delivery in the Seattle metro area. It's just a bit more than the current amount I'm spending now for dog food if I get the discounted deal so, I'm thinking that's a way better idea. I will jut need a freezer.

Oh, and Nadia says hi. Oh, and see my holiday decorations? I plugged in a very small tree that already had the lights wrapped in it. Easiest decor I've ever done. :)

Pet food home made.

Well guess what. I'm going to start making home cooked meals for my dogs and cat. I feed awesome dog food called Origen and Acana, both made in Canada with regional ingredients. Unfortunately the commercial dog food scare is really bothering me so, I'd like to explore new ground.

Hank is and has always done well on any of the foods I've given him. We started with Royal Canin for Labradors and even gone as low as Nutro (still better than most). He has done very well on any food. I've never had any problems. I simply want the best for him and now Khan. I think I'm going to embark on making our own dog foods. How hard could it be?

I'll need to find a great Veterinarian Nutritionist to help make sure we are on the right track with the food but aside from that, we can freeze the food so I can make it in batches, therefore, how hard could it be? I bet it comes out cheaper or about the same price as our current pet food cost. I spend about $60 a month on just Hank so with Khan I can expect to double that. I'll budget $120 a month on home made food for the pups. Now to find the vet nutritionist and some cool recipes.

40% Protein, 30% Grains, %30 Vegetables for the pups and 65% protien, 35% vegies for Nadia. Easy enough. Calcium and vitamin supplements and I think we are good to go. Make some doggy treats, maybe try out some cat treats and viola, complete!

Hunting?

How do I phrase this. Before I started to open my then narrow mind to hunting, my general idea on the subject regarding those who do not need to hunt for food, was that these people were probably only driven by blood lust or macho egos. I mean, think about it. Why kill beautiful animals when there's plenty of food available in the markets? That was that. I simply shut the door. I had no need to care. Oh, what a simple mind I have.

Another aspect of my self is my absolute LOVE for dogs. I currently have an English Yellow Labrador named Hank. I met him while working at a dog day care facility and I worked there to try and fill the gap in my life, reserved for dogs. I was going on 3 years after the loss of my first dog, Beaux (Bo). I could not decide on a breed, the age, wether to rescue or get a champion, etc. A dog is a HUGE responsibility so I didn't want to make the wrong choice.

I figured if I worked at a dog day care it would satisfy my desire to have one of my own. Well, that doesn't quite work, obviously. :) What it did allow is for me to observe dozens of different breeds, first hand. I highly recommend working in a dog day care. It is the funnest job and one of the most satisfying I had ever had and I have a long list of jobs I have done. Life is too short, I say. I wanted all sorts of experience.

Anyway, I started to narrow down my favorite breeds and had my favorite dog in each catagory. Hank was my top favorite in the Yellow Labradors. He has beautiful conformation for a non-show-quality, excellent attitude and an absolute joy to play with. The news that his owners needed a home for him was a shock but a much welcomed surprise for me! In less than 6 hours all concerned parties were contacted and I was finally the owner of my perfect companion. Best choice I made. Of course, my friends certainly helped encourage me to close the deal.

So here we are, 4 years later and he is 6 years old and still awesome. It is the perfect time for a second dog. Well, anytime is a perfect time for a second dog. I have been preparing for it for the past 2 years. Hank has a wonderful temperment, excellent with other dogs (thanks to the socialization at the daycare). I was really hoping that some of his qualities would transfer to my next dog. But, again, I came across the same questions: which breed, to rescue or not to rescue.. etc. Well, it really came down to my current situation. I am renting a house. It even has nice laminant (I think) hardwood floors, large back yard and I have a job that allows me to purchase from champion lines. This was the perfect situation for a show puppy. But now, which breed?

You would think it would be obvious seeing how much I love Hank but see, I also love the gladiator breeds. I had looked into the Amstaff, Dane, Dogue de Bordeaux, Dogo Argentino, and also the adorable Bulldogs and French Bulldogs. But I didn't want a dog just because they looked good and were protective. I don't need much protection and most dogs will protect anyway. I wanted a dog with more pupose. Well, Hank is a gundog, a sporting breed, the sport: Hunting. I had to face my hunting blocks. :)


So, I went to You Tube and searched for hunting videos to see what it was like. To my horror, it was exactly what I thought. People with guns using dogs to spook the birds in flight, then shoot them dead. Closed the door on that again. Ofcourse, Labs are more than just hunting dogs. They help the disabled, used for search and rescue and even bomb and drug search. Also.. oh, so cute! OK, back to Labs again and more on show quality goals, conformation. But this really wasn't enough. I didn't want a dog to just look good. I needed him to be utilize for a real purpose. I needed to find that balance and finding something that would allow me to work or play with my dogs. Back to the drawing board.


I tried again with the idea of hunting. What good purpose would it be for? I spoke with people about hunting, those who actually have hunted and lived in other parts of the country. To my surprise, hunting made sense. It controls the over population of certain species. It is very needed in a lot of areas. Wow, it took me this long to realize something that is so obvious. Thank god I didn't vote on anything that would prevent hunting or restrict gun ownership. See, people should not vote on things they have not researched. Leave those sections blank for the people who really did their research and know the best choice. Yeah, guns are good with me and hunting is good with me too. In fact, I think we should all be trained in combat.


So, you would think that I would go with a Labrador.. but I didn't. Labs shed a lot and if I'm going to be showing for the first time with a Labrador, I think I might quit early. My friend has a German Shorthair Pointer that she shows. I've gone with her on a few shows and was amazed at the grooming required. Almost nill to non-existant. A good bath, dry and that's it. Man, that's attractive. So, I did some research on the breed. These guys are phenominal. They are a versitle hunting dog used for waterfowl, upland birds and big game. German breeders know their stuff. A switch to the GSP was made. :) Now, to find the best of the best.






Well, that same weekend, my friend and I were at an all breed dog show in Monroe. That's were we met West Star Kennel's breeder and owner, Sarah. She had the best dogs at the show. She also had one of her top females ready to have a litter and that was that. I was lined up for second pick for a male pup. :) Khan will be here mid January. His full name will be WESTSTAR'S HURRIKAN KRIEG AUF VÖGELN.

So now, that litter of pups is about to hit the 6 week mark on Dec, 29th, 2008. Wow, I'll have Khan in about 2 weeks. :)

Hank trainable??

I think Hank might do just fine as a duck retriever. All he needs is a lot of training. He is stubborn but eventually he will do what you ask so I think if there was a senior hunting dog he would get competitive and do what he's supposed to and that's to sit tight, wait until it's his turn to retrieve the downed bird. Maybe I'm completely bias but I think he can do it. I think he can flush birds too. I'd really like to work with both of my dogs. I hope Khan is biddable and birdie. I'd really hate to loose my interest in hunting because I get frustrated with the training.

Hunting is a lot of work and costly. I can't wait to get into it and meet nice, down to earth people. I'd love to own hunting grounds and a training facility. I mean, seriously, I'd really like to have Khan and Hank work with as many birds as possible and I think using homing pegions is really the way to go. I'll have to find a way to train them. I'm not too sure how much work it would actually be to own hunting grounds and manage a training facility but maybe I'll meet others who will want to do the same thing and we could have a partnership.

I'd love to train dogs and prep them for responsible hunters. I want to breed the best conformation and hunting dogs and train them for work. I really want to develop and train English Labradors for upland bird hunting. I want them to point and flush, track and retrieve waterfowl and upland birds. I am really not that fond of the narrower labs. I've come across pointing labs and British labs and I don't like the look of either. I want the English Labs to do well in upland bird hunting and I believe they will do it just fine. Hmm.. ok, sure they will be fine but they are really not designed for upland hunting. They are duck dogs and that's what they are really good at. GSPs and GWPs or DDs are for all around game.

Hank is an English and I swear I've seen him point. It's really more of a pause and a creep which I think all dogs do. I just need to harness and develop it. Or, I could just let him live out the rest of his life playing with me and Khan.

One thing to remember in training, if the dog is not paying attention, I should be grateful for his focus. I should search for the right things that he's doing and work with that. Hank is a really good at quickly learning what I ask. He also quickly forgets. He really relies a lot on reaction so repetition is key.

I never thought he would stay in a sit position when I throw the ball but I tried it and after a few times he totally stayed and knew what I wanted him to do. Of course he will only do it if I clearly ask which is actually very smart of him. He will stay now until I say it's ok to go get the ball. He is totally trainable.

The next game I want to play with him is called the wagon wheel. It is to show him how to take left, right, back and forward direction from me in order for him to find the item to fetch. I'd like to get an English whistle too so that I can use it to communicate at a long distance. :) The challenge of the game is how far I can control him. The whistle will be a great tool.

He needs to be force fetch but I don't think I want to go through that. He drops the ball at me instead of giving it to my hand. There are times I'd like him to drop the ball and times I want him to fetch to hand. I guess I should get a bird like wobbly toy for the fetch to hand command and keep the tennis ball dropped to the ground for the chuck-it. He will know the difference. He's a smart dog.

He is also fully capable of using his nose. He's not trained to track and relies about 80% on his eyes but I know he can track and does do it to find his toy in the deep snow. I think with a lot of work he will be ready in a year or two. :) Less than a year for ducks but maybe we can hunt when he's 8. :) Ha ha.. even if we don't make it hunting, the training will be a lot of fun!

HUNTING VIDEOS GALORE!!

http://www.myoutdoortv.com/hunting-microsite/sporting-gun-dogs.html

Check out this website I found!! I've been searching the web for things that would help me learn all things hunting and WOW. This site is AWESOME! Feel free to share it with anyone interested! I'm a visual learner and there is so much that they offer (videos) for me to use in my learning and it's all for free!! So much obedience training to learn and practice and keep me excited!! It has so many tips on raising a puppy with good habits for the field and lots of actual bird dog training. :) The training will be so much fun!! I can't wait to start playing and working with my dogs (Hank too!).

The GSPs are truly beautiful in the field. They are like statues at point. I can't wait to have a finished hunting dog. I am also becoming more and more interested in breeding for the finest in show and field. It's really a long ways away but that's where I'm headed and I am excited about it. I am very interested in Labradors, GSPs and I am also becoming very interested in the GWPs. I just love their hair with their goofy look. Someday, I'd like to get a couple of imports from Germany. :) I can't wait to have my first phenomenal litter. I can't wait to be able to have a pack!

--

"We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare, and in return they give us their all."

Peace

I hope when I get a home that it is really nice. Simple, calm, peaceful and nice. I mean, situation wise and location too. Right now I live only 5 miles from work and I love it. Hardwood floors, lots of windows, easy for the work commute. But, even with all of that, I would really love to live out in the country. I'd love to have at least 5 acres someday maybe as much as 20 or more. I know that's a far reach for me right now but that's what I'd love and that's where I'm headed.

For now, anything would be good since I'm not currently in a home that I'm buying but eventually, I would really like more property than a nicer house. Property I can use. Quality, not quantity. I would be happy with a modest home to start and eventually get the property I'm dreaming about. I could start with vacant land and build from there if that's what it takes. Perhaps someday I'll have over 500 acres to hunt and train in. :) Room to run and stretch and hunt! There are also plenty of hunting ranches across the country to play in! I could have my own small place (5+ acres) and then travel to the hunting areas I'd like to play in!! Is that fun or what? Oh, I just can't wait.

I'd love to have a couple of horses and enough room to ride them. I'd love to hunt with horses. Someday it would be nice to breed champion dogs and horses for hunting and show. Seems like a really far away goal right now but it is possible. I'd love to have dual champion dogs in field and show (or triple champs with tracking). I'd love to have a hunt training facility with boarding for horses and dogs. :) I'm sure there are plenty of people willing to join me.

Hank could Hunt

So, Hank failed his hunting evaluations when he was a puppy. That's actually part of the reason why he became available. I was able to have him as my very own. He's a wonderful dog. Really great with kids and other animals. He is really the best dog ever. It's funny because his hunting evaluation really described him very well. He is easily distracted and does not rely on his nose. He's totally awesome though. He is a great companion. He's my best bud. I love both him and my cat Nadia.

I'm excited for Khan and I've got a lot of reading and practicing to do. I have to learn to show in conformation and teach Khan to be at his best. I hope I get to take home a great hunting dog too. I'm really excited about learning and competing in the field trials. I am so excited.

Fun at the dog show

Fun at the dog show! Beautiful dogs at their best. Champions and soon to be champs. I also can't wait to see the field trials and hunting tests. :) SOON!

Here is Gunnar and Abbie from West Star. That's Sarah in the blue jacket and her friend Angela in the tan jacket. Can you believe both Gunnar and Abbie won? Gunnar was Winner's dog and Abbie was Best of Opposite sex. They will get their championship soon.


West Star is where Khan is coming from. Sarah has been working towards the best GSPs for over 20 years and I think she's got it nailed. His dad is a champ, his grand-dam on this dad's side is a champ, his mom is a champ.. I really hope he does well in conformation and also in hunting. I really, really hope so. I really like Gunnar's hair. It's stiff, coarse, rough. I really like how dark Abbie's coat color is too. It wont be hard to decide, I don't think. Sarah will help me a lot. She really knows her stuff. I am very happy to be getting my pup from her kennel. I just hope the dog I'm looking for is in this litter and I get to take him home. I'm second pick for the males. I am just so, very excited!!!!!!! I wish I could see them.