Ugly Dog

January 2013

I finally made the decision to purchase a pup, and not put it off for another year. It was time for the work to start.

The internet, much more developed this time around, was a double edged sword: there is a lot of information, too much, but it is difficult to decipher good info from bad. Also, no matter how pretty a web page is you still can’t see how well a dog hunts or how well it interacts with others through it.

Old hunting and training friends were contacted and consulted about different dogs and breeders. I am sure some to of them wish that I hadn’t been able to find their contact info, but they humored me and helped out all they could.

This time around there was going to be one major difference. This time I was looking for a Deutsch Drahthaar or as they are often called endearingly by those that love them, and amusedly by those that don’t, an Ugly Dog.

Rose was the first DD that I ever met. She was a month or two older than Chester. Her owner/handler was the greatest help/resource that I had while training my pup. He loved dogs, I think all dogs, and he loved to see dogs succeed.

He happens to be one of the people that I hounded with questions about dogs and breeders. I was unaware at the time, that he has been a VR judge and that he has been helping in the VDD-GNA for some time now. I guess that made him a more qualified adviser than just about anybody else I could have consulted. But true to himself and being a real dog man, he told me that I would learn more from going out and watching the dogs run for a few minutes than I could ever learn from reading about them or talking to others.

Being on a tight budget and being less patient than is good, when looking for a good pup, makes it difficult to do all the homework that one should. Fortunately, most DD breeders care about the future of the breed and not just selling litters. They want to breed sound pups, full of natural ability. They want to place them in well rounded hunting homes. Also, the VDD breeding regulations help to ensure that just about any DD pup will have what it takes to become a good hunting and family companion. My personal bias is that it is as important or more so to pick the right breeder for you, as it is to pick the right litter. At least if you pick the right breeder, most any of his pups would make a good fit with you.

I continued to research and communicated with several breeders and was finally able make a choice on a breeder.

Here is a link to the breeding

Then came the hardest part of all: waiting the months for the puppies to whelp and mature enough to come home with us.

Bry: She sure hopes these pups get here soon

When I first showed this picture to my dad, the first thing he said was: “she’s ugly.” I tend to think of it more as, “Man, doesn’t she look miserable and ready to have this over already?”

The pups arrived on Easter day and will be coming home in a couple months.

Here are a couple of pictures of puppies.