Count down to puppies

Less than 2 weeks until Freddie and Freja's puppies are here! Needless to say we are all excited. Freja already has a rather big stomach and Sussi (the breeder) thinks there are at least 4 puppies.

The Skogsvettens' website has gotten a facelift and Sussi has added some nice videos of Freja and Freddie working- both in gryt/underground training and permodjur (animal reaction tests).

See more here: http://skogsvettens.nu/valpar%20v%C3%A4ntas/index.html

Freddie and his stick as a 5 month old pup

Working hard

Pretty dogs can work too! Here is Baxter coming out to greet me after working hard an a gryt apportering training. It took Bax a while to realize that the fox staring him in the face was dead, but once he had, he started moving it. The fox used was FAR too heavy (about 2x heavier than it should have been), but regardless, Bax got it about 1.5m down the tube before I called him out. The fox was so large it was getting caught in the tunnel. He was tired and the training was a huge positive as he kept returning to the tunnel to work, even when I hadn't asked him.

I am so very proud of this boy. 

Liina also did a great job in anlagsprov training. She is still not convinced that the tunnels are so fun to enter, but she is working the badger in an excellent way. Maybe it is hormones as her heat should start soon or maybe she is just tired from a lot of travel, but it's ok. She is still a relatively young dog and just the fact that she is so good working the badger and that she *will* move in the tunnels is enough for me right now.

The negative of all these trainings, is that they are few and far between. It is hard to practice well with a dog if you only go once every 2 weeks. Plus, training is now finished for the summer... already. I'm super disappointed. Ah well, there is always next year.

Working Championships in Sweden

So, I realized that I have never really written a comprehensive post about the hunting test which are performed in Sweden.


While there are many tests that a dog can do: Rally, Eftersök, BPH, Viltsvin, Viltspår, Gryt, Drev, Mantrailing, Agility- I will focus this post on the most common hunting tests that Dachshunds do here in Sweden and what it takes to become a Champion.

Let's start with Gryt Champion (Underground/den work):

In theory, this Championship sounds relatively easy to achieve, but very few dachshunds nowadays participate in Gryt here in Sweden as compared to Germany, Denmark, or Finland where den work still seems quite popular and many tests are performed each year.

The Swedish GrytChampion-SEJ(G)CH- is made up of 2 parts:
1.) Passing the Grytanlagsprov (den aptitude test) with a Kvalitet 1/1st Prize
2.) Passing the Grytjaktprov (basically the BhN (D or F) as in Germany- den hunting in the field) in 1st prize
In addition, the dog must be rated "Good" or better in exhibition.

To me, the underground aptitude test is something that I want my dogs to have. It proves to me that they can do something that the breed was originally bred to do: go into dark, tight areas, and be interested in working a badger or fox. Plus, a dog being able to fit into the artificial den puts a limit on the size of the dog. Neither of my boys are particularly small, but they are determined and agile enough to still squeeze themselves through a 13 x 17 cm space (5.1 x 6.7 inches). The Swedish den also contains a middle arm with a 60cm (almost 2 feet) vertical jump that both of the boys jumped up an explored during practice. For more information about the den set up here in Sweden, please check out this post: http://whdackel.blogspot.se/2014/06/training-with-badger.html

According to Taxen- the magazine of the Swedish Dachshund Club-in 2012  there were a reported 36 dogs that participated in the Grytanlagsprov and only 3 which went on to take the Grytjaktprov. There was a slight rise in 2013, with 51 dogs participating in the aptitude test and 6 in the den hunting trial. Now mind you I say "participating," just because you participate does not mean you pass. Indeed, at out trial this year only 5 of the 7 tested dogs passed their exams. This year only 4 of the 20 clubs hosted a Gryt test. It is a surprisingly low number, but den tests are in danger of being abolished all over Europe by activists, so I don't really expect to see an increase in the coming years. Hopefully den tests will continue and Dachshunds will continue to participate.

Next let's move onto Viltspår (Bloodtracking) Champion:

To become a Swedish Viltspår Champion-SEVCH- a dog must:
1.) Passing a Anlagstest
2.) Receive 3x 1st prize in Open class tracking exams
No exhibition score is currently needed as I believe even castrated dogs are allowed to participate in blood tracking trials.

An Anlagstest is basically an aptitude test to see if your dog is interested in blood tracking. The picture above gives a description/ gives you an idea of how the test is set up. 2 dl (200 ml) of cows blood is used on the track and "Blodupphåll" is a bloodless stretch and the track is left to age for 2-5 hrs. For the length of the test a deer hoof is dragged along with laying a blood track so the dog can technically follow the smell of a deer hoof as well as blood.

The judge takes the dog to the starting point and the dog is given a maximum of 30 min to work out the track with a deer hoof at the end. The judge looks for interest, the dog's working ability, tempo, and accuracy and in the end that dog either Passes or Fails. If the dog passes, it can then move onto the more difficult open class tracking exams.

The open class exams are a bit different from the aptitude test. The length of the track, amount of blood laid and hoof dragged is the same, but the time and how the track is set up is different. First off, the track is to be allowed to age for at least 12 hours (overnight) and be at least 600 m (650 yards) long. Instead of a clear mark to start the track, the dogs must search a 25 x 25 m "box" for the starting point. The judge brings the dog and handler to the edge of the "starting box" and tells them where the boundaries are and the dog must find the start and continue with the track. There are several bloodless stretches on the track, including at least 1 corner and a "back track" area (återgång) where blood is laid, then only the hoof is dragged back to the line/no blood, then after about 20 m the blood trail continues. Finally, 50-100m before the end of the track, the judge fires a shot to test that the dog does not react (similar to German Schussfestigkeit).  The dog is allowed 45 min to track and again the judge is looking for working ability, tempo, and that they are not bothered by gunshots.

Now a big part of the test is that it is performed in an area that is rich in wildlife. Here in Skåne that means several types of deer, wild boar, moose, fox, badger, hares, etc... We have seen all these animals, or tracks of these animals, while out blood tracking. Simon has encountered a herd of deer and a very large boar during his tracking exams. These are definitely distracting and for some dogs more than others. For us, getting Baxter to focus on the track more than the animals was a huge challenge as he much rather explore the forest and chase after all the animals, then follow a silly, old cow blood trail. 

In Sweden last year 1140 dachshunds participated in blood tracking exams, which accounts for roughly 50% of the dogs taking blood tracking exams in Sweden. It is a HUGE number. Blood tracking is by far one of the most popular activity being done with dachshunds in our area. I commend the Swedes for their forward thinking of allowing everyone to work with their dogs and not just those with hunting licenses. I know many people that have gotten their dogs 1st and their hunting licenses later. I will definitely be in that group and am excited to have well trained partners to hunt with me. Blood tracking is a great way to learn more about the dog and work as a team, plus it gets you out in nature! What more could you want? 

The last of hunting championships that a dachshund can get in Sweden is the Drevprov-literally translated "Drive test." This is the test that I know the least about at the moment, but the Drev season is starting now, so I hope to be able to write more about this in the future.

For more on Drev and dogs used for that purpose, I would highly suggest checking out the blog from Kennel Jaktvallens here in Sweden.

Swedish J(D)Champion
A dog must:
1.) Receive 3x 1st prize in a Drev exam
2.) Receive a rating of at least "Good" at an exhibition.
In order to get 1st prize a dog must:
Run/trail a hare or rabbit for 45 min or a fox, roe deer, or crown deer for 60 min or 2x 45 min.

The dog is judged on criteria such as searching ability, hunting ability, hunting drive, voice, etc...
From what I can gather, this test is a combination of the German "Stöber/Waldsuche" test and a very long spurlaut/sichtlaut type of test. Either way, it will be exciting to see and finally understand what is involved in this test.

This is a much more popular test than Gryt, but not nearly as popular as blood tracking. According to Taxen, 625 drev-tests were performed in Sweden last year. Sorry for my lack of pictures of dachshunds decked out in Drev gear!

One reason that I think there are so many trials performed in Sweden has to do with exhibition grades and championships. For example, to enter working class in a Swedish exhibition, one must pass an anlagstest. If you then get 3x CK (Certificate Quality) in hunting class, you qualify for a Swedish Show champion. To become a champion from a class other than hunting class, the dog must essentially be BOB or BOS at 3 shows, which is much more difficult. Though even if you get the CERTs or CKs, you still need a result. To be a Swedish show champion as a dachshund, the dog must also get either: 1st prize in Grytanlagstest  (G) or 1st prize in Open class blood tracking  (V) or 2nd prize Drevprov (D) or pass anlagstests in both blood tracking and 2nd prize grytprov (KoV). So being pretty isn't the only thing, the dog has to be able to work as well.

Well, that is my (more or less) comprehensive guide to what I know thus far about Swedish dachshund-related hunting tests. Even though the nordic countries all do very similar hunting tests, each are a bit different, with different rules or ratings or requirements, therefore I won't get into them now. Maybe another day...

Italian trip 2013

This year we decided to make our trip to Italy slightly earlier this year to ensure that we would be able to get in some tracking trials. We signed Freddie up for tracking as well as fox trials and with Baxter we focused on tracking.
We went down a few days earlier this year in order to do a Saupr. practice as well as try our little dog on the fox. We couldn't have picked a prettier day to drive down. Please enjoy some of Switzerland's gorgeous views. :)

Driving through the Vierwaldstättersee in Central Switzerland 

Simon is from this area and I have to say, I'm jealous I didn't have this view growing up

A view of the Alps 

Our last sunny view before the Gotthard tunnel

  

Ticino was cloudy, but the hanging clouds are beautiful

Getting closer!

This region of Italy is often quite foggy

A little sun to end the day

We were extremely happy with the extra private practice at the Palladini's house. Antonio and Barbara are really some of the nicest people that I have met. Antonio was more than willing and happy to allow us to try Baxter in the artificial fox den and pit both dogs against the boars. Success in both practices and maybe we will try the small one on these trials in another year or so, but we didn't want to overwhelm him this time.

The boys were ready to go! Freddie spent much of the time in the front seat "driving" the car while we were waiting for our start times. Baxter occasionally jumped to the front, but preferred sitting on top on the wine that we picked up.

Waiting for our tracking trial

My team

Success! Great track guys!

Picking up our awards for tracking

All I can say is success! Freddie is really coming into his own as a hunter and I really need to get my hunting license ASAP so I can continue with this talented dog. Not only did he ace his 40 hr tracking trial with 100 pts and a CAC (a certificate towards an Italian working certificate), but he once again was a maniac on fox. In both trials offered (BHFK95 and FBJA) he received 100 pts, 1st prize and 1 RRCAC(2nd reserve) in FBJA. The Fbja competition came down to how quickly the dogs made it to the fox. Amazingly, there was a standard long that was amazingly fast at 15 sec from the entry to the fox. Just for reference, the fastest kanninchen dachshund in an earlier trial made the trek in 9 secs, so this longhair was quick! Fred took what seemed like the longest path possible (which included a dip/incline) and took 26 sec, putting him in 3rd place of the 4 top dogs. For the BHFK95 he did amazing and pushed the fox like a champ, but did the trial in 4 min 13 sec and he would have needed to complete it in 4 min for the CAC. Oh well, no worries! Still a great job!

Atta boy Fred!

Our haul

Additionally, Baxter did amazing on his tracking exam. Both Simon and the judge were amazed at how meticulous and focused the small dog was on the trail. He just needs a bit more practice on corners as he tends to overshoot, then back track and start again. We are planning to continue with tracking practice this autumn since it is great exercise for the dogs and for me! Hopefully we can continue to get better and better. Next year's goals include finishing Freddie's Italian working championship, tracking and hunting tests in Germany with the boys, and hopefully partaking in working trials in the Nordic countries. Of course at least one of these goals require me to follow up in my goal to complete my hunting license/exam! Let's see what next year brings!

Finnish Fox Trials

So we returned from a busy weekend in the North, only to find that the 10˚C (50˚F) weather that we left in Basel has long since disappeared. It seems that the snow followed us home. <Sigh> So much for spring! So aside from meeting and fussing over my new god-daughter, I was lucky enough to join my friend at a fox trial in Finland. I figured that this would be a good learning experience and an opportunity to compare trials from Germany, Italy, and Finland.

Although the weather in Finland was cold (-20˚C/-4˚F at night and -5˚C/23˚F during the day) and snowy, the skies were nearly always sunny and clear blue. The surroundings in Finland remind me a lot of Northern Wisconsin; pine and birch trees everywhere, small lakes, stony outcroppings, rolling hills, and sparsely populated. I really enjoy the feeling of a home away from home.

Anyhow, back to the Fox trial. The first difference between the German and Italian trials was the location. We arrived at this beautiful little barn and country house, but as you can see, there was a LOT of snow. So how do you have a artificial den test when you can't see the ground you ask? Easy. You put it in the barn! The second story of the barn was more or less dedicated to the trial set up. The boxes, compared to the German test was much smaller in scale and even a bit smaller than the Italian set up.

 

Unlike the previous tests that I have observed, this test wasn't limited to dachshunds. There were a variety of dogs there that day-12 dogs in all- including a smooth dachdhund, a wirehaired dachshund, a few parson and jack russel terriers, border terriers and a couple German Jagdterriers. Each dog is allotted 20 minutes for the test, but based on it's skill, the test time could last as little as 10 minutes. 

How the test runs:

Here is how the set up looks from above. I can't remember the exact dimensions, but the idea is similar to what I have encountered in other countries.

The luolakoirien taipumuskokeessa(LUT), aka underground trial, as I experienced it/was explained it has different levels: LUT D-B and LUT A.  LUT A, being the most advanced. I will talk about this a bit more later.

First, all dogs are put through the empty den to check for Baulaut (voicing in an empty den with no quarry). After the dog has successfully completed the Baulaut portion, the test can begin. The fox is released into the cave and separated by bars (the blue entry way). By the way, these foxes weren't the red foxes I was used to. They were beautiful, fuzzy grey foxes, which are still a form of red fox (Vulpes vulpes), but the coloration is different. The fox is then allowed to run to the first holding box. The dog is then released (left tunnel with the green run). Unlike in the German test, this green block represents the "small" part of the tunnel and the dog must do it right away. Also, unlike the German test, the tunnel does not narrow in width (height staying the same), but the width stays the same and the height becomes much lower.

Very basic schematic of the dog's side of the tunnel. The green is the shallowest part at ~6 inches (15cm). It may be slightly more, but I remembered my friend saying it was similar in size to the German test.

In order for the dog to go through this part, it literally needs to crawl through on it's side... at least the dachshunds need to because of their large chests.

After the dog is inside and past the narrow part, the dog must pursue the fox as that fox is moved from box to box, much like in the German exam.  It must bark and put pressure on the fox for a few minutes. I believe it is at this point that determines the B, C or D grade of the exam. On the overview above, you will see that the right hand tunnel of the figure 8 has yellow stars. The dog is graded on how close it gets to the fox, while giving pressure. I believe the markings are put something like 10, 25 and 50 cm away. The closer the dog gets and barks and pressures the fox, the higher the rating.

To end the trial, the fox and dog are put in contact with each other. All of the boards separating them are removed and the dog is allowed to pursue the fox as it would underground. The foxes of course can fight back, so this really determines the courage of the dog. The judge and veterinarian have to keep a close eye on the going on so that they have the opportunity to separate the animals by bars before anything can happen. In one case, there was a dog that was snapped at by the fox and did not want to pursue it any further. The test was stopped and the dog failed, not physically injured, but mentally unable to continue.

The LUT A exam is more difficult than the LUT D-B because of a further obstacle: sand. In the LUT A, there is a pile of sand that the dog must dig through in order to continue with the test. I was surprised at the amount of sand added. The blue trapezoid below is a fairly accurate representation of the added sand amount. Once the dog has dug himself through, the exam continues similar to before.

Sand has been added after the first box as an additional barrier

In Finland you can gain working championships through most hunting trials. To become a working champion on fox in Finland, a dog must pass LUT B 2x and LUT A 1x.  I hope that I got most of the test details correct. I spent a lot of the day babysitting and not as much watching the dogs, not that there is so much to watch besides some small flags flapping to show the location of the animals. It was a wonderful, amazing sound to be underneath the trial set up though! The dogs and foxes running through the wooden boxes above your head and the barking...Wow. I'd love to try our dogs on a test like this, but I think that this is a wish for the future.

Just a quick update

So tonight will be a short post as we just got home and everyone is tired.

Due to really crap weather, all of the tracking was cancelled. Bummer. This left us with the entire Saturday to eat, drink, and sight see around the beautiful countryside. We visited a local castle and gave the dogs a nice walk around in the town.

As Baxter is 2 weeks too young to compete, Freddie was our working dog. This worked out fine as Baxter would have only been tracking anyhow.  Anyway, Freddie has really found his forte in the fox hole. He did 2 fox trials:
Prova in tana artificiale su volpe (Fbja:Fuchsbodenjagdarbeit)
Prova in tana artificiale su volpe DTK/FCI (BhFK/95:Eignungsbewertung fur die Bodenjagd)

I'll explain more about them later.  Anyhow, to our delight, Freddie received 94 points (1st prize) in each trial and was the second best dog in Fbja which got him this pretty little trinket:

The fox hunter taking a well deserved nap

It's not a CACT, but we had a great time and look forward to going back next year.