Deutscher Wachtelhund

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Deutscher Wachtelhund (also known as German Spaniel) is a medium size gundog from Germany that is most commonly used by hunters as a very versatile hunting and gundog. The dog has history that dates back to 1700s'. This is a versatile dog breed that does well in hunting feathered and fur animals as well as retrieving game from undergrowth and water. Its solid build allows the dog to retrieve large game like hares and foxes.

The German Spaniel stands between 17-21 inches and weighs between 44-66 lbs. The dog has a rectangular body that is longer than it is tall. The back is level level. The head is well-formed and the ears hang down the side of the head. The tail is long. The dog has a long, rough and wavy or curly double coat with a dense and soft undercoat. Common colours are brown, grey, red orange.

This dog is NOT recognized by AKC however it is recognized by other kennel clubs like FCI, UKC, CKC, APRI, ACR and DRA.

Color

The dog comes in two main colours and all other coloring depend what basic colour pattern a dog has. The two main colours are brown with white ticked and solid brown. Brown and white ticked dogs display colours ranging from red to dark brown with white ticking and dogs with solid patches of white or brown to dogs with small patches of solid brown or white. Solid brown colour German Spaniels display colours ranging from orange, blond, red, and dark brown with brown being the dominating colour.

Coat

The German Spaniel has a long double coat that is short and fine on head but long and wavy or curly on the rest of the body. The undercoat is soft and dense and provide protection from cold.

Personality

The Deutscher Wachtelhund is a versatile dog that makes an excellent gundog for hunters. It is hard working and efficient with exceptional scenting abilities. It can be easily trained to hunt different game; whether feathered or fur. It is a persistent hunter that is surprisingly unknown to non-hunting people of the Germany. Other than its exceptional and undoubtful skills as a hunting and gundog, the German Spaniel has an ideal temperament to be a very good family pet as well. The dog is obedient and submissive to its master and friendly with all the family. It is kind and gentle with children if not mishandled or ill treated. It gets along very well with other dogs in the family but needs socialization with other non-canine pets due to its high prey drive. It is an energetic dog that will need to be doing some tasks and will not like to sit idle doing nothing. The dog requires a firm and confident owner and will not suit an inexperienced or timid owner. With proper socialization, the Deutscher Wachtelhund makes a very good family pet.

Care

Long coat of this dog will need to be brushed two to three times a week. During shedding season, daily brushing will be required. Its ears should be checked for infection.

Training

The Deutscher Wachtelhund can be easily trained by a firm and experienced owner. It will respond best to consistent and innovative training sessions. An experienced trainer will be able to extract best out of this dog.

Activity

It is a high activity dog that will need lots of exercise and tasks to complete. The dog should be taken on daily walks and given ample playing time for it to run and play. An under exercised Deutscher Wachtelhund can become destructive. The dog is not suitable for apartment living as it likes large open spaces to play and run.