Dave Pepe with a delivered rooster and three excited Wachtelhunds.

One of the unique qualities of the Wachtelhund that separates the breed from spaniels and other flushers is their tendency to give tongue (bark) when trailing game. This trait was used for hunting in deep forests and thick brush and they will do so (give tongue) on feathered game, as a running pheasant, and on fur or hoofed game. Like all German hunting dogs, the Wachtelhund was bred to do many hunting tasks such as finding game; retrieving and recovering game; blood trailing wounded deer, red stag (elk) and boar.

In Germany they are used for hunting feathered game, including waterfowl, and all fur (hare, fox) and cloven hoof game such as wild boar. They are not pack hunters, but one-on-one hunters and will hold a wounded boar at bay, if necessary.

At the turn of the 20th century, the German Kennel Club directed each breed club to establish standards and performance tests if appropriate, and issue breed specific pedigrees. In 1903, the Verein Deutsche Wachtelhund (VDW) or German Wachtelhund Club was established. By 1908, the VDW had established performance hunt measurement tests and was conducting performance hunt tests throughout Germany for the Wachtelhund. In 1910, the VDW implemented its breed standard by selecting eleven Wachtelhunds, four males and seven females.

Basically, one Wachtelhund was selected from each region of Germany, with two coming from the Hanover region. All of today's registered Wachtelhunds were linebred from these 11 Wachtelhunds. The smallest was a female at 35 centimeters and the largest was a male at 53 centimeters. The initial breed standard established height at 35 to 50 centimeters.

Between 1972 and 1975, 1,000 Wachtelhunds were measured, thus establishing new standards. Males were 50 centimeters, plus or minus two centimeters; females were 48 centimeters, plus or minus two centimeters. More recently the standards were revised to 45 to 52 centimeters for females and 48 to 54 centimeters for males.

In Germany, buyers must enter their Wachtelhunds in a juvenile hunt test before the dogs are 18 months old. There are also three other levels of hunting tests applicable to the Wachtelhund. The juvenile hunt test focuses on trailing and giving tongue, steadiness and willingness to work in water and on land.

Juvenile Wachtelhunds are measured in 10 categories on a one to 10 scale and must obtain a minimum score of five in each category to be entered in the German Wachtelhund Association breeding book, equivalent to our studbooks.

In Europe, breeders wanting to breed their Wachtelhunds must first request permission from the association and provide X-rays of the sire's and dam's hips with a veterinarian's certification that they are free of hip dysplasia before the owners are allowed to breed their dogs. The association only resisters pups from dogs that have passed the juvenile hunt test and are free of hip dysplasia.

WACHTELHUNDS IN NORTH AMERICA
If you have been a long-time subscriber to this magazine you may remember reading something about these dogs in the August/September 1994 issue. At that time Bruce Ranta, a wildlife biologist from Ontario, wrote about his Wachtelhund, which he acquired from a German-owned bear-hunting lodge in Ontario. In 1994 there were only a handful of dogs that were known to be in North America and they were still registered in Germany.

In 1995 Dave Pepe bred his first litter from the sire and dam that he brought over from Germany and convinced the United Kennel Club (UKC) to recognize and register the breed in North America. Since that time there have been several more dogs brought over from Germany to diversify the gene pool and a few other breeders have had litters. The grand total of dogs in North America is now approximately 120.

Foxy retrieves a rooster.

With such a small number of dogs in North America we have not yet formed a formal club. Breeding and hunt testing have not been an issue to this point because all the dogs are direct German imports or descendants of direct imports and have therefore proven themselves under German standards. There is some discussion of starting a North American club and starting the hunt tests soon to ensure we do not lose any of the great traits that these dogs have.

One of the reasons that Wachtelhund owners have not readily fallen into other North American hunt tests is because the Wachtelhund does not fit into established categories. The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) does not recognize the Wachtelhund because they do not point. Retriever associations do not recognize them as a retriever and the hound groups do not recognize them as a hound.

NORTH AMERICAN WACHTELHUND REUNION
In January of this year a few Wachtelhund owners decided to have a late-season pheasant and quail hunt in Kansas, my home state. Dave Pepe of Wisconsin, Kraig Glazier of Montana and John Gliva of Alaska each brought his Wachtelhund.

Kraig, a fellow USDA employee, uses his dog Benelli on the job to find coyote dens, as a coyote decoy dog and to trail mountain lions. Benelli also retrieves waterfowl and bark-trails wild Montana pheasants. Kraig grew up a houndsman and a waterfowler and has had multiple breeds, but after owning a Wachtelhund for three years he is convinced the Wachtel can do it all.

John has a littermate to my dog Foxy and hunts grouse in Alaska. Dave brought Wischo, the father to my dog and John's. Between the four of us we had seven Wachtelhunds and as far as we know that was the largest gathering of Wachtelhunds in North America.

During the hunt we enjoyed watching the dogs try to outfox those late-season, extra-smart roosters. By the time the hunt was over we managed to bag some birds, talk about the future of the dogs and where our next pup might come from. If you are one of those people who have three or four dogs that specialize in different types of hunting and are thinking of downsizing, but do not want to sacrifice quality, perhaps the Wachtelhund is for you. I know they have found a place in my heart to stay!

For more information, contact: Chad Richardson at (785) 463-5848 or Dave Pepe at (715) 487-4024, or check out this website: www.deutscherwachtelhund.org.