vom Fuchsfluesschen - Deutsch Drahthaars

Fuchsfluesschen kennels is committed to producing the most complete hunting dog possible. We strive to maintain a balance between a dog that will wear you out in the field and one that will be a calm social companion in the home. Our breeding is carried out using the Verein Deutsch Drahthaar (VDD) foundation because we have found there is no better starting point. The Breeder is guaranteed freedom of breeding within the framework of the VDD Breeding Regulations. Through the 100+ years of the VDD, the Deutsch Drahthaar (DD) has grown to become the most successful hunting breed in all of Europe. “From Performance to Type” was and still is the motto of DD breeding.

The Deutsch-Drahthaar is bred with the goal of providing hunters with a versatile pointing dog for sportsmanlike use in all areas of hunting, before and after the shot. The DD is a versatile hunting dog. The word Versatile is defined as: 1. Capable of turning easily from one thing to another. 2. Having many uses or applications. This versatility manifests itself in the ability to start the day with an early morning waterfowl hunt, followed by an afternoon of upland birds and rabbits, perhaps even blood tracking a wounded deer in the evening. In every instance the DD successfully executes on your behalf. No other dog offers that versatility.

In addition to their versatility, the DD is a “mentally tough” breed. Mental toughness in the canine world refers to a dog’s ability to handle a variety of challenging situations successfully. To demonstrate this trait, the German testing system conducts a test known as the VGP. This test subjects the dogs to two grueling days of testing in every aspect of hunting you could possibly encounter. The VDD breeding regulations do not require testing through the VGP level before a dog may be certified for breeding. It is the opinion of this kennel that it is crucial to test this aspect of the dog. That is why at Fuchsfluesschen each and every female dog is run through a VGP prior to being bred! A dog capable of completing a VGP is a strong, well-balanced animal that can handle pressure situations and a dog that will perform consistently during a hunt.

At times we may feel one of our females is not breed quality (even if they have met the VDD requirements). This has no reflection on the dog’s ability to perform in the field. For this reason we have the dogs spayed and placed with owners searching for an exceptional hunting companion. The dogs have never failed to exceed their new owners' expectations.

Once it is determined that one of our dogs is going to fit into our breeding program, the research begins on the selection of the perfect stud dog. We willingly invest in travel expenses to send a female to the stud. The cost associated with the breeding is never a deciding factor. Our goal is to produce the finest hunting dogs possible. We do not breed on the convenience of a stud dog's location and never will. Spending time researching Ahnentafels (pedigrees) of stud dogs and contacting people who personally know the dog (if I do not myself) are very important to us and a crucial part in our selection of the proper mate.

The selection of the stud must answer many questions and is dependent on what we are attempting to produce with a given litter. We weigh both the positives and negatives of each parent, grandparent and related dogs even further back in the ancestry. By using in-breeding coefficients to determine which ancestors have the most influence on the litter, we can determine how closely or distantly related the projected litter would be. This long, methodical process is the key to predicting the outcome of the breeding.

There is no such thing as the perfect dog. As a breeder you must be completely honest with your results whether they be good or less than you had hoped for. A strong breeding is a mixture of a solid knowledge of the breed and a great deal of time and effort. At Fuchsfluesschen we are 100% committed to making the extra effort to insure that each and every dog that leaves our kennel achieves or exceeds the expectations of the owner.