|
Breeding Philosophy
I purchased my first
Drahthaar, Inga vom
Hirschhafen, in 1981 and
immediately got hooked on
the breed. Inga went on to
become the foundation bitch
for my breeding program. She
produced my first litter of
drahthaars in 1987.
I have chosen to keep my
kennel operation small. My
intent is to produce quality
not quantity drahthaars. vom
Wildflügel Kennel is
striving to perfect the
Deutsch drahthaar with the
ultimate goal of producing
hunting dogs with hard dense
coats that exhibit a strong
desire to locate and
retrieve game in the field
and water with the
temperament to live as a
family member. vom
Wildflügel drahthaars
possess strong natural
abilities, are intelligent
and mentally stable, highly
trainable, and have sound
structure.
Producing good puppies is no
accident. A good breeding
program starts with the
careful selection of the
parents. My females are what
I consider to be "people"
oriented that have the
temperaments, trainability,
and desire that I want in my
hunting dogs. My personal
drahthaars are hunted
regularly on upland birds,
furred game, and waterfowl.
Stud dogs are selected
because they possess the
personality, natural
abilities, and coat type
that compliments each of my
females. The decision to use
a male is never based on his
location or on VDD test
scores alone. A stud dog
must be HD-free and have
been tested or had his
progeny from previous
litters tested for vom
Willebrand's and Hemophilia
B bleeding disorders.
All vom Wildflügel breeding females
are
HD-free as are all the males
that are used as studs. My
females have been tested
clear for vom
Willebrand's bleeding
disorder.
In 2007 new genotyping
technology became available
from Pawsitive ID for DNA
genetic testing, including
DNA fingerprinting for
parentage verification,
disease screening, and color
trait testing.
Pawsitive I.D. ™ utilizes a
revolutionary patent pending
process called VeriSNP ™
which is a universal genetic
disease screening method
that allows us to test for
over 2 dozen diseases using
one sample (cheek swab
and/or hair). VeriSNP ™ was
developed and patented by
Dr. Melba Ketchum of DNA
Diagnostics located in
Timpson, TX.
Starting in
September 2007 vom
Wildflugel will begin DNA test all
breeding females and males
used as stud dogs. Heiko vom
Wildflugel's genotyping
report and the interpretive
guide are shown below.
Heiko
II vom Wildflugel's
Certificate of Genotyping
Pawsitive ID
Interpretive Guide
New puppy owners are
provided with a booklet of
pertinent training and
health related articles,
including such subjects as
crate training, canine
behavior, housebreaking,
vaccinations, obedience
training for German tests (VJP
and HZP), how a dog scents,
etc.
Proposed breedings for my
females are planned at least
one year in advance. Long
range planning allows me to
evaluate puppies and stud
dogs and make adjustments in
my breeding program if
necessary. vom Wildflügel
drahthaars are registered
with the
Verein Deutsch
Drahthaar (VDD) breed
organization in Germany.
I take breeding very
seriously and believe that
Peggy Adamson defined
"Breeder" better than I ever
could:
Definition of a Breeder
By Peggy Adamson
* A Breeder
(with a capital B) is one
who thirsts for knowledge
and never really knows it
all, one who wrestles with
decisions of conscience,
convenience, and commitment.
* A Breeder is one who
sacrifices personal
interests, finances, time,
friendships, fancy
furniture, and deep pile
carpeting!
* The Breeder goes without
sleep (but never without
coffee!) in the hours spent
planning a breeding or
watching anxiously over the
birth process, and
afterwards, over every
little sneeze, wiggle or
cry.
* The Breeder skips dinner
parties because that litter
is due or the babies have to
be fed at eight.
* The Breeder disregards
birth fluids and puts mouth
to mouth to save a gasping
new-born, literally blowing
life into a tiny, helpless
creature that may be the
culmination of a lifetime of
dreams.
* A Breeder's lap is a
marvelous place where
generations of proud and
noble companions once
snoozed.
* A Breeder's hands are
strong and firm and often
soiled, but ever so gentle
and sensitive.
* A Breeder's back and knees
are usually arthritic from
stooping, bending, and
sitting in the whelping box,
but are strong enough to
enable the breeder to
develop the next choice pup.
* A Breeder's shoulders are
stooped and often heaped
with abuse from competitors,
but they're wide enough to
support the weight of a
thousand defeats and
frustrations.
* A Breeder's arms are
always able to wield a mop,
support an armful of
puppies, or lend a helping
hand to a newcomer.
* A Breeder's ears are
wondrous things, sometimes
red (from being talked
about) or strangely shaped
(from being pressed against
a phone receiver), often
deaf to criticism, yet
always fine-tuned to the
whimper of a sick puppy.
* A Breeder's eyes are
blurred from pedigree
research and sometimes blind
to her own dog's faults, but
they are ever so keen to the
competition's faults and are
always searching for the
perfect specimen.
* A Breeder's brain is foggy
on faces, but it can recall
pedigrees faster than an IBM
computer. It's so full of
knowledge that sometimes it
blows a fuse: it catalogues
thousands of good
conformations and coats,
fine ears, and perfect
heads... and always
remembers the failures and
the ones that didn't turn
out.
* The Breeder's heart is
often broken, but it beats
strongly with hope,
everlasting... and it's
always in the right place!
* Oh, yes, there are
breeders, and then, there
are BREEDERS!!
|
