NADKC News Articles

Road to DK

A new member’s story of introduction to Deutsch Kurzhaar–Part 3

By John Kreuscher, Gothenburg, Nebraska

Part One of my "Road to DK" started with my search for a new German Shorthair puppy. Part Two was about my DK breed education and DK testing orientation. Part Three is my story of attending my first NAKP and the excitement of acquiring my new DK puppy.

The timing was perfect for the 2006 NAKP in Tama, Iowa. The vom Herzenland "A" litter was four weeks old. On my way to the NAKP, I stopped by to see the pups, Eve vom Beaver Creeks, their dam, and Dave Wyner, their breeder. I was excited that the litter looked so great. All the pups were active and very affectionate and loveable.

There wasn’t a pup in the litter that I wouldn’t have taken, but I was glad that there were enough male puppies for me to get a male. My original "Puppy Guidelines" had stated "male" and "Dark liver & white or black & white with slight preference to black & white". I had later learned that color should be a low priority. I recently saw a friend make a mistake by selecting his new Lab puppy on color because his previous Lab was chocolate. Two of the male pups were black and white. It was exciting to know that I could get one of those pups.

First NAKP

The NAKP experience was more than I had expected. Bob Gerstner brought VC Hooch vom Riverwoods with him. Hooch is the sire of the vom Herzenland litter. It was a wonderful experience to get to talk to Bob and see Hooch in person. Hooch has great abilities and a wonderful temperament. One of the male pups will look very similar to Hooch. I wondered, "Could this be the pup that I get?"

I also got to meet Butch Grover, the breeder of Eve vom Beaver Creeks, and watch Dale York test Axel vom Beaver Creeks, a littermate of Eve's dam. I enjoyed watching Axel at the NAKP and was excited that he received a Prize I.

I got to see Craig Jones' DK, Intensity vom Beaver Creeks. This pup's dam is Ariel vom Beaver Creeks, Eve's dam and his sire is Hooch vom Riverwoods. At the NAKP, many Club members talked about Chance KS vom Riverwood. Chance was the top DK at the 2004 NAKP and he left a strong impression. Chance was Eve's sire. Wow! How many new DK puppy owners get to see so many of their pup’s relatives in action? I could only be impressed and hope that I can be a good enough owner and trainer to be a credit to one of the pups.

The NAKP was the first DK test that I have attended. It was a wonder event. It was great to meet people and see their Kurzhaars. I'm in awe of the ability of these DKs and handlers. Congratulation to everyone that tested!

I was very impressed with the judges I got to meet at the NAKP. These judges have a lot of knowledge about dogs, the DK standards and the DKV testing rules. Margitta Albertsen from Germany said something that greatly impressed me when she was discussing the Zuchtschau. She said that her underlying question while evaluating any DK is whether or not she would want to hunt behind that DK. Wow—she absolutely nailed the philosophy of our breed and our club’s testing in just a few brief words: The Kurzhaar is for hunters! DK testing is designed to help hunters have the kind of dogs that hunters want and need!

Jim Smith and Steve Waters did a tremendous amount of work to prepare for and host the NAKP. They even managed to provide the perfect weather and conditions. I had been worried about rain. I have been to a NADKC training day, NAVHDA test and a VDD meeting during the year. It rained on me at each of these events! This was not the case at the 2006 Iowa NAKP, thank goodness—everything was beautiful.

The NAKP information said that the winery was off-limits to non-winery alcohol. I enjoyed the John Ernest wines, but I prefer beer. Several NADKC members befriended the winery owners with beer and there were lots of enjoyable social time at the NAKP.

I would like to attend the next NAKP in 2008 and encourage members to attend. I hope that many qualified DKs will enter the next NAKP. In my opinion, Rob Engelking provides excellent leadership for our Club, and is a great PR asset to NADKC members. The presentations and awards from the NAKP were very special to watch.

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Photo slideshow - "Road to DK" by John Kreushcer

Photo Slideshow "Axel" - Click to stop or start.

Axel Comes Home

Our family drove to Des Moines on October 22nd for our pup. I had been counting down the days. Dave Wyner had decided on one of the black and white males for us. The Ahnentafel name is Aspen vom Herzenland. We have a goddaughter named Aspen. I gave our nine year son a list of possible "A" names and he really liked "Axel", which is the name of a Drahthaar that Aaron admires for his love of water. Dale York’s dog is also named "Axel". It is a very traditional German Kurzhaar name. So, "Axel" it is. We now have an Aaron, an Andrew and an Axel at the Kreuscher house!

Axel did great on the long trip back to our home in Gothenburg, Nebraska and his nights have gone very well so far. Axel is bold in new situations and loud noises do not bother him at all. For a puppy of his age, his calm personality has impressed me.

Axel had some great experiences when Rick Hartle and his DK Cali vom Rahe stopped by after the Perry, Oklahoma Solms. (Congratulations to Cali and Rick on their Prize I there). Cali was great to hunt behind and Rick was great to hunt with. Cali’s field search was outstanding, and Axel benefited from his interactions with Cali. I set out a pheasant from our hunt, and young Axel found it right away. He tried twice to pick it up and then he finally got a grip on the rooster and carried it around proudly. He was as happy about carrying that pheasant as I was to see him do it. Why didn't I bring the camera?! He was 11 weeks old at the time.

Axel has enjoyed retrieving play since we brought him home. I wanted to show this off to Rick while he was there, but of course, Axel had different ideas. (Darn kids never want to perform for company! I had to wonder: "Is he going to do that to me on test day, too?") Easy to see, now, the importance of training the forced retrieve!

Family Trip To The Farm

Axel's first trip to our farm was on Thanksgiving Day. Axel, Aaron and I went to the last field that I had hunted with Dutch, my late GSP. Axel thrived on working in the field. He was just 12 weeks old. What a joy that we found a group of pheasants so he could experience the bird scent in the field. Axel then found several nesting places during our walk. The pictures are from this Thanksgiving Day trip.

I am thankful that I had the opportunity to own and hunt over Dutch and I am very thankful that while looking for a replacement for him, I found "The Road to DK"...

Email Postscript

Axel wasn't sure of the duck at first. He circled, he was cautious, his tail was down. That was less than 1 minute. Attached are pictures after he realized that this was a bird and he is bird dog. He was on top of the world! After I removed the mallard, Axel kept searching the yard with his nose.

Axel has now had five trips to our farm. I have kept to 30-40 minutes because of the colder temperatures. He finds pheasant nests each time. We found a hen pheasant last night.