8 weeks today!

8 weeks along and highly pregnant, Freja is still actively out digging in the garden! Breeder Sussi thinks 4 puppies, but a few others (including myself) think there are a few more puppies hiding in there. Within a week we should know the number for sure! Sussi told me that they are very active pups already, so I can only imagine the havoc that these little ones will make in the future. :)

For more info, pictures (even in English!) see here: http://stravharigataxarsblogg.skogsvettens.nu/#home

These will be the first puppies out of our boy J SEVCH Fallilou du Sangre Bleu (Freddie) and, needless to say, we are very excited to see what he produces! These pups are going to have a lot of hunting potential as both Freja and Freddie love to chase, love underground work, and have great noses. Furthermore, these pups have generations of working champions (above and below ground) behind them. Both parents have earned 1st prizes in open class blood tracking as well as 1st prize in underground testing. Freddie was also trained and tested in Denmark this year. The brown boy still has it and has crazy drive, but was unfortunately a bit too hot for the fox during the test. Ah well, let's see if we can get his jaktprov this year instead. ;)

For more information on Freddie (merit, parents, etc...) see HERE

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

Wirehaired Puppies expected October 13th!

Although it is still a bit early, day 26, we are cautiously optimistic that Freddie and Freja had a successful rendezvous. Freja is acting very pregnant, complete with "morning sickness" and extreme klingy-ness to her owner. It will be another couple of weeks before I can post belly pictures, but the expected due date of the pups is October 13th.

 

Below is a link to Skogsvetten's blog where you can read about how Freja's pregnancy is going (in Swedish).Freja's Pregnancy Update

This litter has a great combination of hunting lines, full of Swedish,Nordic, German, French Hunting champions and International hunting champions. Freja has several ancestors from the famous "Mariebergs" kennel in Sweden and Freddie is out of Kobeddus and de la Meute a Cheops lines, well known throughout Europe.

Freja is used practically at home for underground work and has been tested on badger (Kval 1) and blood tracking (2x 1st prize) in Sweden. Freddie (Fallilou du Sangre Bleu) has been tested throughout Europe (Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden) and has the following merits to his name:

SEVCH-Swedish Blood tracking champion

J- Jaktmerit (Hunting Merit)

BhFK/95-DE, BHKF95-IT (100pts), BHP1&2, Fbja (rrCACT), Grytanlagsprov (Kval 1)-SE, Grytapporteringsprov GK-SE, Gryteftersökhund GK, SchwhK/20, SchwhK/40 (CACT), Sfk, Sp (TS), Viltspår (3x1st prize)-SE, Approved for Den test in Denmark (test later this year).

For more information feel free to contact us or contact Skogsvettens Kennel (Who speak excellent English as well as Swedish).

Reflection on the EDS

Maybe I am a bit old fashioned... but shouldn't European style dogs that conform to the FCI standard win at the European Dog Show?

One would think. 

When I saw the online results for standard wirehaired dachshunds yesterday I was a bit shattered for a number of reasons:

1.) A very small showing of Standard wires... only 48 and some were absent. There are clubshows in Sweden that regularly have larger entries. The miniature AND kaninchen wires had more entries. I find that crazy. Was it due to the judge? Are people starting to shy away from the big shows? It has been a lot about faces and handlers in the past years...

2.) I expected to see some of the bigger name kennels... but many were seemingly absent. I don't know the reason for this, but I can say that I know I was not familiar with many of the judges names that I saw on dachshunds at EDS. Often, the international shows are opting out of breed specialists and trying to stretch their money by instead bringing in all-arounders. It is a sad reality and often the dogs that represent the standard best are overlooked, whether it be by handling,  "flashy-ness", or face.

3.) NONE of the winning dogs at the EDS this year were of full European blood. I actually did a double take when I saw the names of the winners... American and Brazilian lines and kennels dominated. 

As a lover of the old European style and firm believer that a dachshund isn't a dachshund without hunt, these results made me extremely sad. Admittedly, I do find myself ooo-ing and ahhh-ing sometimes over a dog with similar bloodlines to the winners, but the reality is, that is not what I strive for in my future breeding. I want a dog that will go to ground, track blood, and willingly and vocally chase hares and deer. Do I have the perfect dogs? No, far from it. They are excellent dogs in their own rights and I wish I could mix and match them all. Take the hunting drive from Fred, the looks from Bax, and the grace and movement from Liina. Who knows, years down the line I may have the opportunity to realize this dream. Do I strive for a World Winner Dog? Sure, who doesn't. The reality is that I want to stay true to my breed, whether or not they are the most beautiful dog in the world. I want a dog that hunts and, specifically, can maintain the courage and ability to hunt under ground and remains functional, without exaggerations. 

I fear that the dachshund may go the way of so many other dogs... labrador, german shepards, etc... and be ruined by the show ring. We don't need "show" dachshunds and "working" dachshunds. 

They should be one in the same.

*Note: The comments and posts are my personal opinion.*

Fingers crossed for small hunting puppies in October!

Late last week Freddie had a visitor. Frk-Fröjd's Freja came down to be mated. She is a very social girl with every bit the dachshund personality and great hunting instinct to boot. Both she and Freddie are crazy about the fox and badger. Additionally, her family uses her in practical hunting here in Sweden and she has received 1st prize in Swedish den test (grytprov) and blood tracking.

The matings seemed successful (and Freddie a natural) and now we will wait to see if there will be the pitter-patter of tiny paws up in Gävle area this October.

The COI for this mating is 0% and there are hunting dogs on both sides of the pedigree. Freddie is out of CIT CIB CH Kobeddus Effendi and Canaille de la Meute a Cheops and his pedigree is filled with German, French and international working champions. Freja has strong hunting lines stemming from the well known "Marieberg's" kennel in Sweden and also has several hunting champions in her pedigree. We expect these pups to have a lot of hunting drive in them, so active owners are encouraged.

This will be Freja's final litter and we hope it will be a good one! 

If interested in this combination you can contact me or visit Skogsvetten's page. The kennel page is only in Swedish, but I can assure you that the owner speaks excellent English. :)

Exciting news!

Just a brief update for everyone...

There will likely be pups from Freddie (CH Kobeddus Effendi x Canaille de la Meute a Cheops) AND Baxter (MultiCh/Winner Apollo della Val Vezzeno x MultiCh/winner Taxette's Isla Margarita) this autumn. <3

Both boys have "dates" coming up and we will keep you all posted regarding if, indeed, there will be the patter of puppy paws in the future. These would be the first litters for both of them.

Both boys have Ex1-CAC rating on show.

• Baxter is a MultiCh, Swedish Blood tracking Champion, and has additional working trials in Germany (Sfk, SP, BHP-G), Italy (SchwhK/40) and Switzerland (WaT). 
• Freddie is a Swedish blood tracking champion and amazing underground dog with working trials in Germany (Sfk, Sp, BhFK/95, BHP1&2), Italy (SchwhK, SchwhK/40 (CACT), Fbja (100pts-ResCACT), and BhfK95-100pts), and Sweden (GRYTPROV Kval1, Grytapportering godkänd/approved, Gryteftersök godkänd/approved) and hunts hare and deer (drev)

What I can say is that both females have outstanding pedigrees and the inbreeding coefficient (COI) in both cases will be virtually 0%.

 

Needless to say, we are proud and excited for our boys!

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.