North American Teckel Club
Reading, Pennsylvania
June 12-16 2013
by Patricia Nance
Anticipation
I had been looking forward to these NATC events for awhile! I wanted to get a DTK conformation evaluation on Taya as I am planning on a litter from her early next year. I also wanted to put her in the gun steadiness test since passing this test is a requirement for entering future hunting tests. Taya turned 12 months old on Memorial Day. This would be her first participation in such activities.
I had planned to leave very early Wednesday morning, the 12th, and arrive in time for the seminar for JGHV judges which began at noon.
About 2 am Wednesday, however, a strong storm descended on the region where I live. At one point, I thought the tin roof was going to blow off my tractor shed. But the noise that I was hearing turned out to be a low and continuous rumble of thunder in the distance. The thunder rumbled without pause for so long that I hadn't known what it was. The deluge of rain kept me from packing the remainder of my stuff and my dogs into the car and heading out. Then I decided not to leave later in the day either, which meant that I would not be there to observe the 40 hour blood tracking test on Thursday. I decided to leave on Friday.
I had planned to leave very early Wednesday morning, the 12th, and arrive in time for the seminar for JGHV judges which began at noon.
About 2 am Wednesday, however, a strong storm descended on the region where I live. At one point, I thought the tin roof was going to blow off my tractor shed. But the noise that I was hearing turned out to be a low and continuous rumble of thunder in the distance. The thunder rumbled without pause for so long that I hadn't known what it was. The deluge of rain kept me from packing the remainder of my stuff and my dogs into the car and heading out. Then I decided not to leave later in the day either, which meant that I would not be there to observe the 40 hour blood tracking test on Thursday. I decided to leave on Friday.
40 Hour Blood Tracking Test
Unfortunately, sustained and heavy rains negatively impacted the dogs' performances on Thursday's 1000 meter, 40 hour old blood tracks. Four experienced teams attempted this challenge and, though none successfully completed their track, all deserve a big KUDOS!
Friday Brought Great Traveling Weather
I made the seven hour drive without incident and, in fact, a lot of pleasure. My car is a very high-mileage vehicle and I am a bit concerned about it, but I love to drive and I enjoy participating in these kinds of events. (My car, a Honda CRV, turned 362,000 on the trip east. It has been an awesome vehicle for me!)
Our Host
NATC was hosted this time by member Andy Bensing who owns Peacock Bridge Kennels, a beautiful boarding and training facility. I don’t think that one can pull up to many homes and kennels and see peacocks strutting around but Andy’s place is an exception!
Anschuss Seminar
Saturday morning, there was an “anschuss” (“hit site”) evaluation seminar. It was attended by a number of hunters who had no affiliation with NATC which was great to see. To one not highly educated in the art and science of tracking wounded deer, it is truly amazing how much knowledge can be gleaned from a thorough evaluation of the area where the animal was shot and the subsequent trail. Examination of the hit site is both a hunter's responsibility and a hunter's 'online' source of very valuable information! The workshop was labor-intensive, as you will see from some of the photos. It was all superbly well done, and the instruction was very well received.
Gun Steadiness Test
Mid-afternoon Saturday was the gun steadiness test. This test is conducted with each dog being brought individually into the field, let off lead, and encouraged to leave the handler. In fact, the shots will not be fired from the shotgun until the dog is at least 30 meters away from the handler. When the distance is sufficient, the judge raises his arm and signals the gunner who is nearby. The gunner fires a shot and the dog’s reaction is observed. There is a brief pause, then the scenario is repeated so that the dog is tested with two shots from the shotgun. There were something like seven or eight dogs entered this time and nearly all the dogs passed with flying colors. This included Taya but I had had no doubts. I have never seen Taya flinch at any noise, loud and percussive or otherwise.
Water Test
From the field at Andy’s place, several vehicles caravanned 15 minutes or so to a public lake for the water test. I had decided, rather impulsively, to enter Viljo in this test. We had not practiced for it, in fact Viljo had not been swimming since we’d been at the Knolls place in southern Mississippi a year ago. But he had shown a really great passion for swimming and retrieving from water and I knew that the gunshots would not bother him. So I decided to give it a go.
Unfortunately, the air temperature was quite warm when we arrived at the lake and I had to stay with my car. This was because I had all four dogs with me and it was a public parking area very close to the main road. I could not very well take all four dogs down the path to the water, especially with Viljo being entered in the test. I couldn’t leave the windows down and the hatch open in such a public place. And I certainly couldn’t shut the car up with the dogs inside. So I stayed with the car while the others went to let their dogs get into the water a bit. It was one of those situations where it was frustrating not to have someone along to help out. It wasn’t long, though, before Carrie Hamilton walked back, told me to go ahead and take Viljo down to the lake, and she stayed in the parking lot.
I grabbed a retrieve bumper and took a happy Viljo to the water. We got one short retrieve in to get Viljo’s belly wet but that’s all the time I had. They decided to test Viljo first because of my dogs in the car. The dead duck was thrown as two shots were fired and Viljo went chest-deep into the water and stood there, tail wagging, and barked. And barked! With his deep loud voice and enthusiastic use of it, Viljo, as usual, made me smile big even when his actions were not exactly what I was looking for. As it turned out, Viljo proved to be the happiest non-retriever there!
So now we had a duck dead in the water who was not coming to shore despite vehement insistence from Viljo. A couple of other dogs were encouraged to bring it in but they said no they didn’t think so. So I went to get Owl who, while not oblivious to gunshots like my other dogs, tolerates them because they signal an opportunity to retrieve. And any day that Owl gets to retrieve from water is a great day in his book! I have seen Owl, when nothing else presented itself, swim until he spied a leaf on the water. Whereupon he retrieved the leaf!
Unfortunately, one after the other, the dogs being tested failed to retrieve the duck. This was rather unusual. But since when is anything predictable when it comes to dogs and dog events! The gladdest one in attendance must have been Owl. He got to retrieve half a dozen times in succession which he did with quick aplomb.
Then – hallelujah – the last dog tested, the young standard wire male Theo, heeded the direction and encouragement of owner Darren Doran and went out and passed the test! And because he was the only dog that did, there was more cheering from the rest of us than usual! It was great, too, because Darren entered Theo basically because he was encouraged by Sherry Ruggieri to do so. Theo’s retrieve was nice to see. He is a nice dog in a number of ways.
As I was leaving the muddy bank, I spied a cactus leaf lying there. Just a leaf with a couple of small buds, lying on the ground. I picked it up and thought, wow, this looks just like one of the cacti my mother grew in her garden when we lived in Westerville. I wasn't sure how to propagate it, but I decided to take it home with me. It has since grown roots and bloomed!
I grabbed a retrieve bumper and took a happy Viljo to the water. We got one short retrieve in to get Viljo’s belly wet but that’s all the time I had. They decided to test Viljo first because of my dogs in the car. The dead duck was thrown as two shots were fired and Viljo went chest-deep into the water and stood there, tail wagging, and barked. And barked! With his deep loud voice and enthusiastic use of it, Viljo, as usual, made me smile big even when his actions were not exactly what I was looking for. As it turned out, Viljo proved to be the happiest non-retriever there!
So now we had a duck dead in the water who was not coming to shore despite vehement insistence from Viljo. A couple of other dogs were encouraged to bring it in but they said no they didn’t think so. So I went to get Owl who, while not oblivious to gunshots like my other dogs, tolerates them because they signal an opportunity to retrieve. And any day that Owl gets to retrieve from water is a great day in his book! I have seen Owl, when nothing else presented itself, swim until he spied a leaf on the water. Whereupon he retrieved the leaf!
Unfortunately, one after the other, the dogs being tested failed to retrieve the duck. This was rather unusual. But since when is anything predictable when it comes to dogs and dog events! The gladdest one in attendance must have been Owl. He got to retrieve half a dozen times in succession which he did with quick aplomb.
Then – hallelujah – the last dog tested, the young standard wire male Theo, heeded the direction and encouragement of owner Darren Doran and went out and passed the test! And because he was the only dog that did, there was more cheering from the rest of us than usual! It was great, too, because Darren entered Theo basically because he was encouraged by Sherry Ruggieri to do so. Theo’s retrieve was nice to see. He is a nice dog in a number of ways.
As I was leaving the muddy bank, I spied a cactus leaf lying there. Just a leaf with a couple of small buds, lying on the ground. I picked it up and thought, wow, this looks just like one of the cacti my mother grew in her garden when we lived in Westerville. I wasn't sure how to propagate it, but I decided to take it home with me. It has since grown roots and bloomed!
Owl after his retrieving session, still highly focused and ready to go, as always
BHP (Obedience) Tests
There were no entries for the Begleithunde Prüfung / Companion Dog tests this time.
Zuchtschau
Sunday morning and we were back at Andy’s field for the zuchtschau (breed show). Wolfgang Trumpfheller, an avid hunter and show and hunting test judge from Odenwald, Germany was officiating. Herr Trumpfheller had judged an NATC zuchtschau for us before.10 years previously, in September, 2003, he had rated 18 month old Nexus “Vorzuglich” (Excellent) and had said of Nexus, “absolutely correct.” Nexus’ brother Nick is Taya’s maternal grandfather. There is a good amount of resemblance and it was another reason for my confidence that Taya would be V-rated, too.
NATC member and DTK liaison Anke Masters was in her usual position as translator at this show. Anke is very good at this job which is not the easiest to do.
It was great that the sun stayed behind clouds for us, otherwise it would have been very warm in the open field. The sky threatened rain on and off all day, sometimes seriously threatening. But we were very fortunate in that it never actually rained.
There were 25 dogs entered in the zuchtschau. One at a time, each dog was evaluated according to the FCI Standard for the Teckel. First, teeth were all accounted for and the bite examined. Then tails were handled vertebrae by vertebrae to feel for any kinks in the bony structure of the tail. Every dog was weighed on a digital scale. And every dog’s chest circumference was measured with a measuring tape.
Then the dogs were moved around and around the ring as the judge made verbal remarks which Anke noted accordingly on the dog’s evaluation form. Occasionally, Herr Trumpfheller would ask the handler to stop the dog temporarily before moving around again. Sometimes he would approach a dog and bend to feel a certain aspect of conformation. There was never any stacking, never any handlers on their knees, and no dog was heavily groomed. Early on as I watched, I remarked to Teddy Moritz sitting next to me, that the judge appeared to be direct, firm, and fair in his actions and evaluations. I said that I do not mind no-nonsense judging; in fact I appreciate it.
It was great that the sun stayed behind clouds for us, otherwise it would have been very warm in the open field. The sky threatened rain on and off all day, sometimes seriously threatening. But we were very fortunate in that it never actually rained.
There were 25 dogs entered in the zuchtschau. One at a time, each dog was evaluated according to the FCI Standard for the Teckel. First, teeth were all accounted for and the bite examined. Then tails were handled vertebrae by vertebrae to feel for any kinks in the bony structure of the tail. Every dog was weighed on a digital scale. And every dog’s chest circumference was measured with a measuring tape.
Then the dogs were moved around and around the ring as the judge made verbal remarks which Anke noted accordingly on the dog’s evaluation form. Occasionally, Herr Trumpfheller would ask the handler to stop the dog temporarily before moving around again. Sometimes he would approach a dog and bend to feel a certain aspect of conformation. There was never any stacking, never any handlers on their knees, and no dog was heavily groomed. Early on as I watched, I remarked to Teddy Moritz sitting next to me, that the judge appeared to be direct, firm, and fair in his actions and evaluations. I said that I do not mind no-nonsense judging; in fact I appreciate it.
Taya's number was 22. As #19 went into the ring, I got Taya out of the car, walked her to relieve herself, ran a comb through her feathering, and put a show lead on her for the first time. I had no qualms about that either. Taya is in tune and responsive and I knew she’d know what I wanted in two minutes or less. That’s how long I moved her in grass on the show lead and then it was our turn in the ring. Before we went in, I handed Stephanie Ponelli a sheet of paper and a pen and asked her to transcribe the judge’s verbal critique for me. The dogs are critiqued by the judge out loud for the owner and those at ringside to hear. However, these critiques are not recorded and I have learned to ask someone to jot down what the judges say. I like to have this information for my own benefit, otherwise I would not remember half of it.
The evaluation started off with Taya proving to have full dentition and a correct bite. We had practiced at home several times having her mouth handled and teeth examined in what dogs must perceive as a very intrusive manner. She did great with this. She also moved and presented herself very well. Afterward, Taya was not required to do the temperament test since she had passed the gun test the day before.
The temperament test portion of a DTK show evaluation requires the dog to be taken out of the ring and let off lead in an area without other people and dogs. There, a judge’s assistant hits metal with metal (for example a large spoon on a pot), and the judge observes the dog's reaction.
The notations on Taya's Bewertung or Evaluation Form are as follows, with my comments in brackets [ ]:
6/16/13 Catalog # 22
Bitch Std Long
Age: 1 yr Color: red
Weight: 9.3 kg [20.4 lbs] Chest Circumference: 44 cm [17 inches]
Missing teeth: [no notation]
Bite: correct
Coat: age appropriate
Behavior: friendly, self-assured
Head/Eyes/Ears/Neck: fits proportional
Tail: correct
Forequarters: correct
Hindquarters: correct
Comments [written on Evaluation Form]: topline still soft, slightly overweight, otherwise appealing
And following are comments verbalized aloud in Herr Trumpfheller’s critique of Taya, as translated by Anke, and recorded by Stephanie: “Very appealing standard bitch. Large frame. Very good front. Topline slightly soft. Too much weight. Outstanding temperament. Topline slightly inclining. Needs to lose a tad more weight. She gets a Very Good.”
To say that I was astonished by this lesser rating is an understatement. With nothing noted to be negative other than a slightly soft topline and he thought she was a bit heavy – Taya was knocked down from an Excellent rating to a Very Good? I cannot say that I understood this. I do not understand it now!
I certainly think that Herr Trumpfheller believed he had good reason. I just do not know what it was.
Along that line, I have to say that my all-positive perspective regarding verbal critiques by judges took a hit at this show. It appears that one can experience a conformation evaluation with verbal critique that is just as confusing as one with no critique.
Looking forward, it seems that I have three choices of how to handle this now official rating with regard to Taya and her first litter.
1. Have the litter next spring and dual-register it as planned. This means that Taya will be listed SG (sehr gut, instead of V) on the DTK pedigree that will be issued for every puppy.
2. Get on a plane to Oregon for the NATC zuchtschau in September in hopes of obtaining a V rating there. It will be the only other zuchtschau in the US in the next 12 months.
3. Do not dual-register the upcoming litter with the DTK but make it an AKC-only litter.
Not presently inclined toward options 1 or 2, I am left holding option 3. It is not the scenario that I envisioned but…
Have I mentioned that nothing is predictable when it comes to dogs and dog events?!
Big THANKS to Jolanta Jeanneney for all the good photos of Taya at the zuchtschau:
The evaluation started off with Taya proving to have full dentition and a correct bite. We had practiced at home several times having her mouth handled and teeth examined in what dogs must perceive as a very intrusive manner. She did great with this. She also moved and presented herself very well. Afterward, Taya was not required to do the temperament test since she had passed the gun test the day before.
The temperament test portion of a DTK show evaluation requires the dog to be taken out of the ring and let off lead in an area without other people and dogs. There, a judge’s assistant hits metal with metal (for example a large spoon on a pot), and the judge observes the dog's reaction.
The notations on Taya's Bewertung or Evaluation Form are as follows, with my comments in brackets [ ]:
6/16/13 Catalog # 22
Bitch Std Long
Age: 1 yr Color: red
Weight: 9.3 kg [20.4 lbs] Chest Circumference: 44 cm [17 inches]
Missing teeth: [no notation]
Bite: correct
Coat: age appropriate
Behavior: friendly, self-assured
Head/Eyes/Ears/Neck: fits proportional
Tail: correct
Forequarters: correct
Hindquarters: correct
Comments [written on Evaluation Form]: topline still soft, slightly overweight, otherwise appealing
And following are comments verbalized aloud in Herr Trumpfheller’s critique of Taya, as translated by Anke, and recorded by Stephanie: “Very appealing standard bitch. Large frame. Very good front. Topline slightly soft. Too much weight. Outstanding temperament. Topline slightly inclining. Needs to lose a tad more weight. She gets a Very Good.”
To say that I was astonished by this lesser rating is an understatement. With nothing noted to be negative other than a slightly soft topline and he thought she was a bit heavy – Taya was knocked down from an Excellent rating to a Very Good? I cannot say that I understood this. I do not understand it now!
I certainly think that Herr Trumpfheller believed he had good reason. I just do not know what it was.
Along that line, I have to say that my all-positive perspective regarding verbal critiques by judges took a hit at this show. It appears that one can experience a conformation evaluation with verbal critique that is just as confusing as one with no critique.
Looking forward, it seems that I have three choices of how to handle this now official rating with regard to Taya and her first litter.
1. Have the litter next spring and dual-register it as planned. This means that Taya will be listed SG (sehr gut, instead of V) on the DTK pedigree that will be issued for every puppy.
2. Get on a plane to Oregon for the NATC zuchtschau in September in hopes of obtaining a V rating there. It will be the only other zuchtschau in the US in the next 12 months.
3. Do not dual-register the upcoming litter with the DTK but make it an AKC-only litter.
Not presently inclined toward options 1 or 2, I am left holding option 3. It is not the scenario that I envisioned but…
Have I mentioned that nothing is predictable when it comes to dogs and dog events?!
Big THANKS to Jolanta Jeanneney for all the good photos of Taya at the zuchtschau:
Conclusion
Late afternoon, after the show, and after most people had gone, Anke and Carrie remained busy finishing up paperwork and obtaining samples on dogs whose owners were submitting them for DNA profiling. The DTK requires blood samples for DNA profiles (unlike the AKC DNA profiles which are done on cheek swabs.) So Taya had her gum nicked with a little lancet like what people use on their fingers to check their blood glucose. And I forked over another $50 to DTK in addition to the $30 that I paid AKC for essentially the same thing.
It is true that I occasionally ask myself why I do these things! The answer remains the same and it is simple. I do it because I whole-heartedly endorse the efforts of the NATC – anyone, really - who does more than pay lip service to the dachshund as a hunting dog.
It is true that I occasionally ask myself why I do these things! The answer remains the same and it is simple. I do it because I whole-heartedly endorse the efforts of the NATC – anyone, really - who does more than pay lip service to the dachshund as a hunting dog.
Many thanks, Andy and Helga, for your time, for hosting us, and for everything else! And thank you to everyone who participated in these NATC events.
