Drathaar's

[happygilmore]

Does anyone have any experience with Drathaar dogs? Are they as good an allround dog as people say? If you have one where did you get it from?

[Ian F.]

He may be hard to get ahold of right now as he's about to move west, But zaconb can answer all your questions. A true drathaar is rare in North America and wonderful dogs, not going to win a beauty contest, but in the field they excel in the multipurpose arena.

Very best,

Ian

[riflebuilder]

i have raised them and they are in my opinion one of the best bird dogs. the best hunting dogs that I ever had were actually a short hair cross. they were hunting fools fron day one.

[Buck]

Hi There is a Drathaar forum here http://p088.ezboard.com/bdrahthaar Im new to this so i hope it works.I am also, looking at Drathaars.

[Buck]

Hi Happy i just got my Drahthaar pup I will post as to how she is coming along

[happygilmore]

Sounds great can't wait for pics, where did you get it? info?

[RyanGSP]

Drahthaars truly due Kick @$$. They are a little weaker on their pointing compared to say the DK or Pudelpointer being these dogs main use was tracking larger game as well as being able to hunt upland, waterfowl, and small game.

Nothing wrong with the breed of dog and there are some great dogs out there. A DK or PP would be a better bet if you wernt going to use it for bigger game. I recommend the other 2 because of their speed compared to the DD and recommend the PP over the other 2 if you are hunting in colder weather.

For a Drahthaar check out Ken's dog at Vom Willowrock for DK's check out Phil's dogs at Vom Rotten Erde and for a Pudelpointer look at a dog from Bob Farris.

I have a shorthair right now but will be looking at one of the 3 breeds above I cant make up my mind (leaning towards a PP) but need something with a thicker coat.

[huntingfamily]

A couple of good sites to get more info on this awesome breed:

http://www.vdd-canada.ca/

http://www.vdd-gna.org/

Cheers!

[zaconb]

I’ve been extremely fortunate to be raised in a dog family, and at 12 years old my grandfather and father thought if I was going to be in field and marsh so much I should be following someone who can teach me about the species I chose to hunt, that someone was a hard running Brittany. Since that time I’m proud to say I’ve been owned by several dogs including Labs, Springer’s, Brittany’s, Gsp’s and now a DD which will be a breed that for the rest of my hunting career will occupy our house or at least that’s what my wife tells me.
Though those are the breeds I’ve owned I’ve been lucky enough to train with, hunt with, or compete against every versatile breed imaginable.
Here’s my $.02

They are a little weaker on their pointing compared to say the DK or Pudelpointer ...

Absolutely not! DD’s are extremity strong pointers, it’s an individual trait as with lots of breeds some are stronger than others with-in the same litter. I’ve seen English pointers that were extremely weak and would point with a flat tail, and at present my oldest GSP Conner will point weakly or with no style at all 9 times out of 10 but he is a bird finding machine. If you want to see a strong point come see my DD point floating pigeon feathers in our boat house, bird crazy. (LOL)
The fact you’re looking at a DD a member of the versatile breeds means that you want to add variety to your game bag, well brother the DD is the dog. If you want range and style go with an English pointer, an upland specialist go with an English setter, if you want the most versatile, bird crazy, unstoppable hunting dog on the planet look no further than a DD! The versatility of the DD also lends itself to the house; it’s almost unbelievable that this 75lb, laid back, couch potato, explodes in both field and water!

Nothing wrong with the breed of dog and there are some great dogs out there.

Actually the one greatest point about getting a VDD-GNA, VDD group Canada pup is you are almost guaranteed a great dog as long as you do your part

As for big game it’s true the DD is extremely suited for tracking wounded big game and is an asset to a big game hunter. Something you should not tell your big game hunting friends or you’ll see a lot of your season slip by due to tracking lost game for them! (LOL) This tracking ability is directed to all game species and you will not lose a wounded bird with one of these dogs in the field as long as it is physically possible for them to be retrieved. And actually most DD’s will put themselves in harms way to make a retrieve!

An example of the retrieving tracking ability of these dogs happened last week end when I was scouting a local marsh for the up coming duck season and casting for bass. While I was involved in this Chas my young DD amused himself by doing a 45 minute swim-about, something he does regularly. The dog ramp was out so I knew he would return to the boat when he was ready and he did, I paid him no attention. A few minutes later I did notice he was not bugging me on the casting deck which he normally does. I turned to check on him and here he was sitting with a drake mallard in his mouth, the duck had a partially rotted wing that smelled to high heaven. Now most people would be surprised or shocked at this achievement but for a DD it’s just part of life. They will apply the same tenacity on a wing tipped fast running pheasant.

Chas my young DD at 5 months with first water retrieve.

[RyanGSP]

In case you didnt read my message right I said compared to the DK and PudelPointer these dogs are weaker. I have talked with many breeders and seen hundreds of DD's and I can honestly say there are individuals out there that really have some intensity to them but most of them cannot compare with the other 2 breeds.

Also the way a dog holds its tail is not a factor of how intense it is on point. Its a style passed down from the parents and grandparents.

You are also gaurenteed a good dog with any breed if "you do your part". The nice thing about the VDD DKV and other organizations from Germany is that the dogs are proven before they are bred so there is very little to no "riff raff" breedings going on like here in North America. Seems as long as 2 hunters with dogs that show any willingness to hunt have the greatest dog in the world.

I also wouldnt call the DD or any German dog "laid back" the DD especially is very sharp on his game and protective of his family. They may be calm in the house but laid back they are not.