Deutscher Wachtelhund

The Deutscher Wachtelhund is a versatile gundog used mainly to flush game from the underbrush. He was also bred to go in for the kill, making him ideal as a bird dog. He originated in Germany and his ancestry can be traced back to the Stober Dog. The Stober Dog was developed before the German Revolution in the 1600s. Royalty and aristocrats developed the Stober Dog as a pointer and flusher. After the German Revolution, commoners needed hunting dogs but could not afford to maintain a kennel stocked with various breeds of hunting dogs. The need for a versatile hunting dog arose and the Deutscher Wachtelhund was created as a versatile forest dog.  The German Kennel Club began directing dog clubs to establish breed standards and performance tests in 1900. Breed specific pedigrees were to also be established and maintained to trace ancestry. In 1903 the Verein fur Deutscher Wachtelhund (VWD) was established. Performance hunt measurement tests were established for the Deutscher Wachtelhund by 1908. The official breed standard was adopted and implemented by the VWD in 1910. Eleven Deutscher Wachtelhund were selected for registration and to be the breed representatives. There were four males and seven females chosen from across Germany. Now, all registered Deutscher Wachtelhund are traced back to these eleven dogs. Today, the Deutscher Wachtelhunds that are in Germany are still almost exclusively owned by professional hunters and foresters. He is still virtually unknown to most people who are not avid hunters. Buyers in Germany must have their Deutscher Wachtelhund entered into a juvenile hunt test prior to 18 months of age. He must then be entered into three other levels of hunt tests before he is given the German versatile hunt test. He must pass each test with a minimum score of five before he can be put in the German Wachtelhund Association’s breeding book. Only those dogs entered in the breeding book may be bred.