VEREIN DEUTSCH-DRAHTHAAR e.V. /GROUP NORTH AMERICAoldsite.vdd-gna.org/members/newsletter/200904_gna... · 2009. 1. 31. · VEREIN DEUTSCH-DRAHTHAAR e.V. /GROUP NORTH AMERICA Volume

VEREIN DEUTSCH-DRAHTHAAR e.V. /GROUP NORTH AMERICA Volume 61 Number 2 Spring 2009

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Inside the Newsletter Annual Meeting 2009 2 Training Guidelines by Frank Wagner 5 Chairman’s Comments 7 Vice Chairman’s Notes 8 From the Breedwarden 9 From the Business Manager 10 HD-Results 12 Point of View 13 Kentucky Elk and DD 15 Chapter Happenings 17 Classified Ads 17 2008 VGP and HZP Test Expenses 26 Hunting in Germany 27 Official Test Schedule 31 Minutes of 2009 Annual Meeting 33 Summary of VDD Annual Meeting 36 VSwP 2009 Test Results 38 Chapter Officers 2009 39 2009 Armbruster Info Back Pages 40

Annual Meeting Convenes in Louisianna

Well, if you weren’t there - You Missed It! If you were –You Want To Come Back! Basically at an AM we do a little business, attend a seminar or two, find a sacrificial pig – cook it and eat it and socialize. Not in Louisiana. We did it up BIG! The 30th Annual General Membership Meeting of VDD-GNA was hosted by the Big Rivers Chapter in Hammond, Louisiana January 29 through February 1, 2009. The weekend was greatly anticipated with it being an election year for both GNA and BRC. The original planning for the event focused on being able to get our business done, provide helpful educational seminars and plenty of good socializing time. From the feedback I’ve gotten, we got it done right. For many GNA members who attended this was their first trip to South Louisiana. We have such a diverse culture, hunting conditions, and outdoor opportunities here that generate richness in the people and food. It was important for our membership to see Louisiana, appreciate how we use our DDs and enjoy some typical generous South Louisiana hospitality. Big Rivers Chapter is growing and it was important for our members to have solid educational seminars at this meeting. We were very pleased when our old friend Frank Wagner from Nuremburg, Germany, a longtime Group Nordbayern member, agreed to be our seminar speaker. His talks hit the mark as he spoke about developing the Hunting Partnership With You and Your DD. We were able to do classroom and field work with a number of dogs. Frank has an insight, expertise and passion to develop the hunting partnership. Certainly we are indebted to him for his time and effort to come to do the seminars that will help us advance as individuals but also as an organization. Plus Frank is just a lot of fun.

Thursday January 29th

The business schedule was light but we jumped right in with the JGHV required Judge Apprentice Seminar that was led by Frank Wagner and Leonard Baker BRC DoT and JGV-USA DoT. Later that night Frank started his seminar schedule in earnest after we had an overflow dinner crowd at Don’s Seafood across the street from our hotel. The food was delicious and the fellowship even better.

Friday January 30th

This was a busy business day with the Board meeting at the hotel all day. Friday was a very busy day for educational seminars out at a local hunting preserve Covey Rise Lodge in Husser,


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Louisiana. Frank’s seminars were basically all day in the classroom and in the field. Kevin Sherrodd gave an afternoon seminar on Force Fetch that was very well received.

Membership listening to reports at the Annual Meeting.

Frank Wagner demonstrating some “hands-on” dog handling techniques for many of the participants

To cap off a busy day, the group all gathered for a Cajun Feast dinner prepared by our own BRC member Damon Juneau. From what I could tell everyone enjoyed themselves because I don’t think many got seconds. Also, we had the traditional Mardi Gras holiday King Cake for dessert. Hey by the way, who got the baby? The next cake is on you.

To really get our money’s worth out of Damon we had him do some Cajun Story Telling for our after dinner entertainment. Ask anyone present, now that was funny. Thanks Damon and don’t forget to send Fred the bill. Mark Heuer, Chairman of Great Plains Chapter working as an

auctioneer to gain bids at the evening auction. All I can tell you about our socializing Friday night was that we were good hosts to our guest speaker because he was so “wore out” that he “overslept” and was a bit late for his Saturday morning seminar. Which was by the way scheduled to start at 10 AM! Don’t worry Frank nobody in Germany will know. Oh, I guess they will now.

Sunday February 1st We capped the weekend with a Breed Show on Sunday morning. I am tired all over again but we accomplished our goals – Business, Education, and Socializing.

Saturday January 31st

This was another full and busy day. We had the BRC Annual Meeting with elections, the GNA Annual Meeting with elections, Frank’s last two seminars, and then we had to find time to socialize with our banquet and auction. Then of course we had to have the after party.

Brandt Hardy Chairman of Big Rivers Chapter presenting a big thank-you to Frank Wagner with an Afghan Blanket

representing VDD-GNA


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2009 VDD-GNA Annual Meeting Auction Donors

This was a successful event that accomplished our goals of business, education and fun. We aren’t in the rotation to host another AM until 2017. I have a feeling somebody will call me to work out a trade. We’ll see, right Gordon. To those who missed it check with the attendees…I think they learned how to “pass a good time”

Dale and Carissa Husser Midwest North Chapter

Tom Jorden the Cajun Way. John Fetzer

Chad Crissup Brandt Hardy Gene and Lona Kluck Big Rivers Chapter Chairman

Frank Wagner VDD-GNA Damon Juneau Jack Wilson Dan and paula Brown Larry Houck

Moore Receives JGHV Award Brandt Hardy Kevin Sherrodd

Steven Pool Big Rivers Chapter

Southeast Hunter Chapter Loyall Dog Food

Mossy Oak Seed Division Purina Dog Food

Grosse Savanne Lodge Ray Guarisco- Diamond G Ranch

Southern Exposure Fishing Charter-Creighton Ward Sitatunga Safaris

Tom Stenger The following persons or businesses contributed items or monies to the VDD-GNA for the Annual Auction. If anyone’s name is missing, it was not done purposely.

A Note of Thanks Frank Wagner (l) is preparing to present Forrest Moore his

JGHV merit award for outstanding service. There are many people to thank in hosting an event like this. First of all I would like to thank both the VDD-GNA Executive Board and the BRC Board. It goes without saying, but I will, that we are deeply indebted to Frank Wagner for him sharing his gifts with us. To my Cajun buddy Damon Juneau, thank you for filling our bellies then making us hurt so bad with roaring laughter.

Frank Wagner presented The JGHV award (Bronze Plaque and Pin), to Forrest Moore at the 2009 GNA annual meeting. The award is regulated in the Merit awards system (6 b)of the JGHV. According to Frank Wagner t is for individuals with an outstanding service record whose efforts have benefitted the versatile hunting dog movement. He applied for it at the JGHV for “Forrest's outstanding engagement for organizing training days and his efforts for the blood tracking work during the last 5 years”.

I greatly appreciate Lynn Whiteley and his Breed Show judges Ed Carney, Larry Reeves and apprentice Kevin Sherrodd. We are very thankful for Kevin double dipping continuing to get the Force Fetch message to our members.

New Password for GNA Website

This event would not have taken place or taken place so seamlessly without longtime GNA member Henry Vogt and his team. His team included JD Donnelly, Chassidy Crissup, Carissa Husser and Ashley Drury. I would like to really out loud thank Dan and Paula Brown who handled Registration so expertly. Additionally, Dale Husser did so much running around locally for us in Hammond – thanks so much to all.

Effective June 1, 2009 The New username and password is in the mailed

Spring Edition of the NL I would also extend my gratitude to Jim Geisler from Covey Rise for hosting us at his great facility for our seminars and dinner Friday night. Thanks to Torrey Harris for his time and trouble videoing our event.

All in Lowercase letters


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Guidelines and Basic rules for the training of a dog for the dog handler

2009 VDD-GNA AM 29-31 January 2009

Hammond LA An early upbringing implemented in the first year with consideration and also with all consequence is already half of the achievement of training. Someone that wants to train with success must command with a steady will, iron tranquility, patience and endurance Nervousness, impatience or quick temper are poison for the upbringing and training and intimidate the teachable student. The dog will be hand shy and the trust, the bond to the handler, will be often times completely ruined. To develop a dog means to let him, under observation, make his own experiences from his biological behavior, on the basis that a fundamental behavioral pattern will be aided, learned for the special job description. The trainer must command under specific properties and apply resources in a goal oriented fashion. The trainer must have knowledge of the biological behavior of the dog, as well as of the development resources. He must have time, be self-controlled, patient, consequential and fond of animals Knowledge of the biological behavior comprises the knowledge of the development phases (imprinting, socialization, hierarchy, pack order phase) as well as the learn and teach principles (classic/ instrumental conditioning; experience-conditional behavior, drive and appeal)

The development resources are multifaceted. Personal Development resources:

Tone, hands Objective Development Resources

Lead, collars, whistle Retrieving objects (lumber, dummies, wood dowel, game

dummies, game) Tracking shoes, dab, dripping bottle

launcher String and pole

Simulation Drags, tracks

Work with game Track work

pointing waterwork

The practice of the training begins for the prospective handler at the point of the acquisition of the puppy with approx. 8 weeks of age (after the imprinting phase) After a few days of familiarization begins the basic training (lead work, sit, lay down, come), then ‘down’ and first retrieving-exercises (careful, changing teeth). Game will be first retrieved, after the dog brings objects flawlessly, reliable and directionally The arousal of the love for water, like the use of the nose, can be practiced form the first days on (food drags – blood work) Alongside is the puppy familiarized with his later operational area (hunting ground) (experience the

environment with all the influences in trust-full intercommunity with the handler) The dog stands always in the foreground in the hunt. It is absolutely important not to overstrain the dog. No dog handler embarrasses himself, when he does not put his dog to work. The success of the training is dependent, aside of the smart practice, almost exclusively to the intuition of the trainer on the mind of the dog. It is astonishing, how positive and effect the steady will and the superior calmness of the trainer have over the behavior of the dog. The dog senses instinctively in a manner of minutes, or even shorter time, the internal attitude of his handler. He recognizes also as quickly his handlers weaknesses and uses them in his advantage. There is no dog that maintains long what he has learned without practice and repetition. Beating is never a resource to bring back to memory, what the dog has forgotten or unlearned with lack of practice or casual handling. To dominate a living creature and to handle, one must learn to control oneself and preserve reason. One needs to put oneself in the dog’s position, this means think like the dog and not make the dog think like a human. We must influence the dog to bring the dog about to do what we wish. First we reward the dog, so he learns to do something when it is of his advantage. Since a big part of our demands contradict the ultimate nature of the dog, the training can in many cases reach its goal only through force. Force will be basically used, when we are certain that the dog has understood what we want from him, and that he already knows it. The goal of the force is to let the dog experience, that it is in his advantage to do what we wish and leave what we don’t wish. In other words: the dog accomplishes the uncomfortable, when he can escape from something even more uncomfortable. The force must also end instantly, as long as the dog behaves as wished. Immediately after, the dog must experience something enjoyable like a more vocalized, as opposed to spoken, praise ‘good boy/girl’. The handler must always have this praise on the tip of this tongue. This praise is accompanied by a petting hand when the dog is by the handler. A wiggling tail is not only the evidence of the trust to the handler, but affirms the work satisfaction and with it the success of the trainer. Important hints for the training:


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Frank reviewing some of his lecture in the field for the

participants at Covey Rise 1. Consequences against oneself and to the dog are essential for successful training 2. Praise is fundamentally given with the left hand. The dog must recognize, that he can only expect good from this hand 3. Punsishment is always given only when leashed (right hand). No beating and do not punish with the lead. The lead is the contact and trust bond. Punishment: strong and stronger words. Lead pressure. In extreme cases, corraling, strong shaking by the neck. 4. Keep always an eye on the dog and only correct him from the front 5. The faster the reaction of the trainer with good or bad behavior, the faster the dog links his behavior with the response. Praise and criticize him also always on a fresh action. 6. The trainer must occupy himself a lot with his four legged friend during the training period and allow him to live happy experiences. Going on walks, playing, not overplaying. The act of throwing balls and sticks for retrieving draws errors and is a prelude to chewing. Always feed the dog yourself. The way to a dog’s heart is through his stomach. 7. To work the practice-steps twice for fifteen minutes correctly and consequently is better than to work one hour a day. In no case should the same exercise be repeated when it is correctly executed. Incorporate breaks between exercises. 8. The training period should be started with a comfortable and easy exercise, equally so should the period end with an easy exercise. Once again allow him to jump free. 9. The handler and the dog must always meet with trust and friendship. It should be a harmonized team. 10. Before training begins, the dog should be allowed enough time out to empty his bladder and gut, otherwise there will be no concentration. 11. The small basics should be cemented before the big basics. The dog must show his accomplishment trustfully and correctly with each training stage. The training follows small steps and short training phases; stress should be avoided; time, place and surroundings should be varied. No consideration should be made of the weather (exception!). Obedience should be demanded 24 hours a

day . With failure: bring back to the last successful training stage. From then on, continue on. 12. Important! Decreasing the use of specific voice signals together with body motions, without the trainer noticing, can make the dog a ‘motion watcher’ and the dog can quickly create undesired connections which have performance errors as consequence. What types of excitabilities/stimuli have an effect on the dog:

Skin stimuli Jerk with the lead, training collar, shaking by the neck

auditory stimuli acoustic excitability by calling or by whistling

visual stimuli body motions, hand signals

Skin stimuli as praise: petting or loving actions

as punishment: sharper jerk of the collar or intimidating by stepping over the

left paw with a simultaneous command ‘heel’ or ‘back’ with sudden change

in direction to the left. auditory stimuli

As praise or encouragement: “you are a good boy/girl’” These should be sung more than spoken with a soft tone.

As punishment: ‚What is that’ These should be spoken loudly, short and harsh. The ‘pfui’ can be used simultaneously with hand clapping when the dog releases his droppings in an undesired place. Also, these can be used when he tries to pick up foreign food on the streets. Auditory stimuli with the whistle mean: Short pfiff: ‚attention’ concentrate on the handler Short double pfiff: come to the handler and sit Triple pfiff: , in a flash go in the down position’ sight stimuli Lifting the pointing finger of the right hand always at the height of the chest = sit Stretch right arm and incline the hand to the ground = lay down Right arm is lifted rapidly over the head = ‚down/halt’ Stretch right arm and motion to the right or left = change of direction The auditory and sight stimuli should be given precisely together, otherwise there will be unwanted connections. Auditory stimuli should be short and quite and in constant tone. Loud commands dull the hearing of the dog. Watch out for clear vowels, e.g.: sit, lay down, heel, here, etc. Careful when the leadership drive shapes form and the dog does not desire to be the trainer’s subordinate. In this case the dog will attempt aggressive behavior, through growling or attempts to bite, and should be placed back in the rank order leader dog/pack dog with strong force. strong force Carry out quick walks on lead with corralling by sudden changes in directions and simultaneous harsh commands with lead jerks.


www.VDD-GNA.org After this discipline the dog should be ignored for a minimum of 12 hours. No feeding during this time, only provide fresh water without saying a word. Take out only on lead. The dog must connect with the behavior of the leader that he put the punishment upon himself. He must take himself out of searching for his leader dog position. Basic training of the following obedience subjects 1. lead work 2. follow at heal without lead 3. sit 4. lay down 5. Come with the double pfiff to the handler and sit 6. „Down“ mit Trillerpfiff aus der Sitzstellung und Hereinpfeifen mit Doppelpfiff. down’ with the triple pfiff out of the sitting position and then call to oneself with a double pfiff. 7. “Down” during walks with the line and down with triple pfiff when the dog is running free. 8. Retrieve when motionless and retrieve during walks on line. 9. Retrieve from different distances 10.Retrieve over obstacle with weight up to 8lbs. 11.Remain laying down during a shot Important for success is also that always the same person trains during the training period with the dog. The dog will later also be a subordinate to other family members, when they subsequently act towards the dog with the same precise commands and type of behavior. At the end of the dog handler’s course each dog demonstrates his obedience through a closing test. Without diligence comes no price. When you train diligently, then the dog will transform itself to his advantage and your happiness. Think, too, about his maintenance, health and welfare. Lead him correctly and with all consequence, but also behave yourself with dignity, to be rewarded with trust and obedience. He will always thank you. Good success wishes you Frank Wagner, JGV-Bayern Translation: Ana Barrios Sosa SC Copyright: Frank Wagner Ed. Note: These were the notes from Frank Wagner’s presentation at the annual meeting. Printed with approval.

Distinguished and Exemplary Service Awards Presented at

Annual Meeting. Frank Wagner of Germany along with, Keith Philippi, of the Wild West along with Nancy Bohs Atlantic Chaper were presented Distinguished Service Awards at the Annual Meeting in Hammond LA in late January. Geoff Matherws, prior Director of Testing; Shane Deford prior Judge Development Director from the Great Lakes Chapter also received the Distinguished Service Awards and Brad Blazek received the Exemplary Service Award for

his work on the website. Bruce Anderson of the Wild West Chapter and Keith Woodworth of Great Plains Chapter also received the Exemplary service awards.

Bron Beaton, Chairman of GNA presenting Frank Wagner with

his GNA Distinguished Service Pin

Chairman’s Comments My recent visit to Germany as GNA’s representative to the annual VDD and JGHV business meetings was another mixture of frustration and delight. Frustration with the

airlines who seem to have an extremely difficult time coordinating multi-leg flights; two of my three round trip flights during the past three years have resulted in an unplanned (twiddle-my-thumbs) overnight hotel stay

due to missed connections. All of you who have had your initial flight touch down about 20 minutes after your next flight has already leveled off at 35,000 feet can, I’m sure, sympathize. Just ain’t a whole lot to do when the airline keeps your luggage and sends you off to a hotel with only that miniature toothbrush and razor kit! The delight, however, lies with the opportunity to see and spend time with old friends at the meetings in Germany and with the opportunity to participate in the business sessions of our parent clubs. The VDD business sessions at the Hotel Biebertal, in Hofbieber-Langenbieber, are structured much the same as our Annual Meetings; a Board of Directors meeting on Friday- with about 50 attendees- followed by the Membership Meeting- with 80-100 in attendance- on Saturday. To complete the three days of meetings, representatives of all Jagdgebrauchshundverbandes e.V. clubs gather on Sunday at the Hotel Maritim, less than 10 miles away in Fulda, for the Association’s Annual Meeting. Attendance at the JGHV Annual Meeting usually numbers more in the area of 500-600 attendees representing over 325 various Breed Clubs so there is quite a crowd of well dressed participants not only from Germany but many other countries around the world. Other than the traditional sounding of German hunting horns prior to the beginning of the membership meetings, the flow of business follows much the same pattern as our Annual Meetings; opening


www.VDD-GNA.org remarks and reports from officials and specialty directors, presentation of awards, discussion of agenda items and voting, saying good-bys until next year, and the close of the meeting. So, what was the business of the meetings in Germany this year and in what way does it affect Group North America? I’ve submitted a summary of the VDD meeting to Larry Houck for publication as a separate item elsewhere in the Newsletter and will, in this column, cover the basic of the JGHV meeting. With the sounding of the horns at 9:00 am on Sunday, March 22nd I and my interpreter, our good friend Herr Frank Wagner, along with the hundreds of other attendees in the Hotel Maritim’s stadium size ballroom moved to our seats and focused our attention on the long President’s (Association officials) table positioned in front of the stage at the end of the great hall. In his opening address Association President, Herr Werner Horstkötter, spoke of the negotiations the Association is engaged in with the German government regarding the use of e-collars for dog training. At this time the general use of e-collars is basically forbidden in Germany- their use is considered as animal cruelty- and while many competent trainers recognize the e-collar’s potential as a valuable correction aid, there is the crowd that views the tool only as a means of inflicting extended punishment. Sort of like the ban-the-guns groups in the States; any tool in the world can be misused! In its negotiations with the government, the Association is pursuing a path that would allow the use of e-collars by qualified persons only; possibly a test would be required to become qualified and the collar could only be used for correction. It seems like a logical, one step at a time, approach that could eventually lead to more open use of the e-collar as a device for controlling and correcting problems in dogs. While you are thinking about this and the freedom we in the States have to properly use the e-collar as a training tool, remember that we are most familiar with the usually good positioned Deutsch-Drahthaar. Other Clubs in the Association represent many breeds that are not so easily controlled. President Horstkötter went on to say that he had visited many tests during the past year and was disturbed with some of the things he had witnessed. Judges with open test regulation books in their hands throughout the test, as opposed to just occasionally having to refer to them, indicate to him that better training of judges and apprentices is needed. The accuracy of test paperwork is also a problem that relates to judges not having complete knowledge of the regulations. He said it is better to have a few quality judges who have experience and high standards than many not so qualified judges. Based on his observations, JGHV may soon consider requiring periodic written tests for all Judges. President Horstkötter’s observations were of course limited to the tests he has visited in Germany but his comments should serve as a reminder to all judges, apprentices, and yes, even handlers that we must be equally competent in knowing the test regulations as well as the principles of practical hunting when we train our dogs and when we handle them for evaluation of their ability during tests. Don’t take these comments as criticism but rather a challenge in which those who work their way to the top are those who have used the resources available from GNA and JGHV to expand their experience and development.

When he spoke of the performance work of dogs at the tests, he said that most mistakes (and by association most failures) that he has seen are in the retrieving subjects. Retrieving is a trained subject that requires obedience from the dog. Lacking sufficient obedience, dogs will do poorly in the trained subjects. President Horstkötter issued a strong appeal to stress obedience in training seminars and during our training sessions. Less than acceptable levels of performance in the retrieving subjects are of course not limited to tests held in Germany. Just three years ago HZP’s and VGP’s sponsored by GNA showed a failure rate of almost 30% and those failures where a direct result of deficiencies in the retrieving subjects. With renewed emphasis on force-breaking and obedience during the past two years our dogs have made significant advances however, many dogs still do not receive a passing score because they fail to bring that rabbit back from the end of the drag or leave a dead duck sitting on the water. We must continue to mentor our new handlers and stress the importance of trained-obedience as we pursue our continuing mission of elevating the overall versatile performance level of the Deutsch-Drahthaar. Following the President’s address, and remarks by Stammbuchführer, Herr Wolfgang Wischmeyer; Geschäftsführer, Dr. Lutz Frank; and Rechnungsprüfer, Herr Manfred Kühne, we began addressing the business agenda for the meeting. A total of twelve proposals were presented on the original agenda but, much to my relief!!, nine were taken back (withdrawn) leaving only three for discussion and vote. The first Proposal had to do with using the Search Behind The Living Duck score from a previous test rather than re-evaluating the dog in this subject at its next test. This proposal passed but has no affect on our tests in GNA since we do not carry previous scores forward to current tests. The next Proposal was a motion to annually post on the JGHV website and in the JGHV magazine, Test Regulation “Organization of the Test” Article 4, including all updates and changes. This Proposal was approved. The third and final proposal before the meeting was adjourned was a motion to extend the current regulations for the VSwPO and the VFSPO (blood tracking tests) for another five years. This Proposal passed along with an addendum permitting the use of a harness (as an alternative to the special blood tracking collar). In my previous Chairman’s Comments column I had expressed my concern with the uncertain state of our economy and what effect it will have on increasing our membership roster as well as our handlers’ ability to justify what could result in extensive travel in order to test their dog. Thankfully all Chapters have addressed the need of their members and have, or are, offering tests at multiple sites within their regions. My thanks to all the organizers and judges who have arranged the tests and also the handlers who have persevered in preparing and testing their dogs. Another and very special thank you to all the Big Rivers Chapter handlers from Texas and Louisiana who traveled all the way to Nashville, TN in early April to VJP their dogs. Finding suitable rabbit tracking sites in the coastal regions of the Big Rivers Chapter has been a real challenge. No one wants to subject their dog to testing in an area that has a good rabbit population as well as a great rattlesnake population. We are working on the problem and


www.VDD-GNA.org expect to have local options available for next year’s spring tests. In the meantime, the proven dedication of the handlers in Texas and Louisiana serve’s as inspiration to all of us.

. To breed versatile dogs is an art To increase their numbers a blessing To maintain the inheritance a duty To improve it our biggest wish Enjoy your Drahthaar and all that he adds to you life. For our Drahthaars

Bryon Best wishes and Waidmannsheil, Ed

Vice Chairman’s Notes

From the Breedwarden Rabbits Run in Circles It’s springtime, though you

wouldn’t know it here in the west. Winter has had a hard time giving up this year. The spring testing season is upon us, and as I write this report I am trying to remember everything I will need this weekend at our Malta Idaho VJP. I wish everyone good

success in your spring testing opportunities.

A few days ago this catchy title for a magazine article caught my eye. It was a vignette from a young hunter on finally being told about cotton-tail behavior by his experienced partner. Unfortunately this was after several years of being allowed to bust through the briars after beagles hot on the trail of Brer Rabbit and his kin.

It seems with many things GNA finds itself back where we started last year. We struggle to have enough and strategic geographically placed tests. Part of the problem is the need for more performance judges. We have many first

time DD owners but limited educational opportunities to help them bring their pups along. Many members start kennels with their “A” liters but again few educational events are available to help them gain basic breeder education.

Back in late February I traveled to the VDD Breedwardens meeting in Espenau Germany. This year our vice chairman Ed Carney was going to be in Germany and joined me at the meeting. Besides the normal business of the meeting there was extensive discussion of the proposals to be voted on at the VDD general meeting in March. Bryon Beaton will have a report of the voting results on these proposals in this newsletter. Most notable is that DD will now be allowed into the Zuchtregister at 15 months of age, and all dogs must be certified for breeding at a Breed Show. I remain optimistic that GNA is near the tipping point that

will allow our continued progress as a group. Our strength remains our Chapters. Chapters continue to grow stronger, are better organized and are offering more local member support. I have challenged each Chapter to identify and push at least five members through the judge apprentice program in this three-year cycle. Additional VRs will make it easier to schedule more and economical tests in each Chapter. I have asked Mike Talbot our Director of Testing and Mark Heuer our Director of Judge Development to develop educational seminars that can be given at the Chapter level to help with our multitude of educational needs. These seminars will aid in strengthening a uniform judging response through out our geographically diverse country. Most Chapters are financially sound and I would encourage consideration of bring an expert from Germany for seminars on aspects of training, testing and breeding at their Annual Chapter Meeting. Each of us can help by actively supporting Chapter events and activities. See if you can hold a training day in your state for nearby Chapter members. Also look for new members in your Chapter that you could help with the training of their first pup and the understanding of Breed Tests, Breed Shows and all of GNA’s events.

One of the topics of discussion at the meeting was a joint proposal submitted by Group North America and Group Canada to allow the use of Artificial Insemination. Everyone we talked to thought the proposal was very good, and it was well accepted. There was at times heated discussion about whether AI was needed or should be allowed in Germany. They decided that semen could be collected, but insemination of bitches wouldn’t be allowed in Germany. The proposal has to be reviewed by the VDD Breed Committee and will then be voted on at the meeting next year. If all goes well AI could be an option for North America breeders in the future. At the VDD General Meeting a new edition of the VDD Breed Judge Regulations was approved. I am waiting to see the final version that was approved to see how it will affect our Breed Judges and apprentices. Have you ever heard the saying; “It’s hard to know where you are going until you know where you have been?” Researching the genealogy of the dogs in our individual breeding programs is a very important part of being a breeder. Just as we know the good, bad, and ugly of our own dogs through living with them, training them, and hunting with them, we need to know as much of this same information about their ancestors as possible. I’m not talking ten generations, but we should at least have a pretty good knowledge of the parents, grandparents, and great grandparents.

Congratulations to Rhonda Feazel the new Chairperson for the Heartland Chapter and Marty Ryan for the Great Lakes Chapter. Also,please don’t tell your DD that rabbits run in circles. This would surely hurt your tracking score!! Always remember…


www.VDD-GNA.org We have breeders in this country that use some of the computer pedigree programs available that calculate Inbreeding Coefficient. These are tools that can be very useful to a breeder, but making breeding decisions solely to attain a certain Inbreeding Coefficient without the knowledge of what kind of dogs these common ancestors actually were, could just as easily take us in the opposite direction we want to go, or create problems we didn’t know were possible. I have had breeders tell me they are line breeding on a certain dog in their pedigree. When asked they can’t say why, other than the fact that the dog was in both parent’s pedigree, and in reality they know nothing about the dog. If we are going to concentrate the genetics of certain individual dogs in our breeding programs, it would certainly be a good idea to know as much about these dogs as possible. The point I am getting at is that we need to find out what the dogs in the pedigree were actually like. Sometimes this is very easy to do. The dogs may still be alive and we may actually be able to see them or even hunt with them. When this isn’t possible we have testing results and Form/Haar ratings available from the VDD Breed Books. We can talk to trusted people that have first hand knowledge about the dogs. We can research the progeny of the dogs to determine how well they were able to reproduce themselves, and to look for patterns that point to problems. I heard the other day that there are only 105 orders for the 2008 VDD Breed Book. GNA has over one thousand members, and over two hundred of them are registered as breeders. I can’t imagine being a breeder and not having every breed book I can get my hands on. My personal collection dates back to 1972 and is complete to date. The breed books have a lot of valuable information. I would encourage all breeders to start a collection and to study them. Lynn S. Whiteley VDD/GNA Breedwarden

Business Manager Report The following changes and additions to the GNA Rules of Procedure were approved at the GNA Annual General

Meeting. The Rules of Procedure can be found on the GNA web site or by requesting a copy. Added 5.3) Each Chapter will host the GNA Annual General Meeting on a rotational schedule. Changed 11.6.1) Publication Dates: The

GNA Newsletter shall be published four times annually as follows: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Changed 13.1) additional costs replaced with business costs. Added 13.2) Each Chapter shall host the GNA Annual Membership Meeting on a rotational schedule beginning as

follows: Great Lakes 2010, Great Plains 2011, Wild West 2012, Heartland 2013, Midwest North 2014, Atlantic 2015, Southeast Hunter 2016, and Big River 2017. JGHV Rules of Procedure for GNA: Changed 1.1.2) Blood tracking test 3 dog minimum. Deleted 1.1.6) (due to change in publication dates) Also, there will be a change to the Liability Waiver that all participants and visitors must sign. Please use the new version at all GNA events. A summary of other business that was conducted at the Annual Meeting will be included in the meeting minutes. Jim

Mark Your Calendars

The Hegewald this year is 23 – 26th September 2009 in

the county of Neustadt/Aisch (Northern Bavaria).

Remember the 8th International Armbruster HZP with hare track

7-10 October 2009, Cheyenne, WY

Newsletter Cover As you notice your 2009 Newsletter, you notice two significant changes on the cover. 1.) The Newsletter is not in color. At present, we do not have a major advertising candidate who’s fees cover the cost of printing the cover. Printing in color is very very expensive, especially when on produces 1300 NL’s at a time. If anyone knows of an advertiser who would like to provide this service, please have them contact me. 2.) The most important change however is the hyphen between Deutsch and Drahthaar in the title. VDD has sent out a notice that all communication, which is related to the Deutsch-Drahthaar, must be written with a hyphen between the two words. It has to do with “copyright” issues and so please change any of your websites etc. so that you can be politically correct. Larry Houck, Editor


Effective June 1, 2009 The new username and password is in the printed

edition of the Spring NL All in Lowercase letters


www.VDD-GNA.org

Purina Becomes New GNA Sponsor

During the past eight years sponsorship agreements between GNA and the Eukanuba Co. resulted in our club receiving avenues of funding that we directed towards offsetting portions of expenses associated with underwriting the yearly International Armbruster Zuchtprüfungs, our Annual Meetings, and producing our Newsletters. Additional support in the way of promotional items including complimentary dog food and monogrammed apparel rounded out a package that resulted in a large percentage of our membership building an allegiance to Eukanuba's brand names. All in all, our eight year association was mutually rewarding and, until early last year when the company declined further sponsorship agreements, we had anticipated a long continuance of the partnership. Also ending last year was the support of TechMix; the performance supplement supplier underwriting its full-color ad on the back cover of our 2008 Newsletter issues. At the beginning of 2009, major sponsorship available to GNA from sources outside our membership base had ended. While GNA's membership had developed proven brand-loyalty and our partnership with both companies was mutually beneficial, the economic outlook apparently overshadowed our club's value as customers; leading to their decision to discontinue support of our group. I do not like preaching the same grim economic outlook that frustrates us when we read the papers and listen to the news. Its suffice to say that nearly every potential sponsor is tightening its belt, reducing its budget, and offering little more than vocal support to sporting dog clubs. Fortunately, one of our long-time and dedicated members, Linda Reeves of the HLC has, with the approval of GNA's Board of Directors, negotiated a contract with the Purina Co. This contract provides our club with the equivalent of $5,000.00 in money and merchandise to be used at our discretion in support of the Armbruster, our Annual Meeting, and our Newsletter. I believe this to be a significant benefit for our club in a year with so much uncertainty looming over the path of our economy and am grateful to Linda for using her resources so skillfully. In return for Purina's support, GNA will provide exclusivity for Purina's role as a pet food supplier at this years nationally scheduled events and in our NL. Bryon Beaton

VDD-GNA’s Success at Pheasant Fest Continues

Midwest North Provides Education about DD’s

Pheasant Fest 2009, held this February in Madison, Wisconsin, has come and gone. Over 20,000 people visited Pheasant Fest over the three day event. There was an emphasis placed on bird dogs and dog products this year at Pheasant Fest, which made it a superior venue for showcasing our breed. VDD was one of 34 different dog

breeds represented. The weekend started with the annual dog parade. It was estimated that over 1,000 people were in attendance for the parade. Our breed was nicely represented by Joe Aumann, Jaimie Lambie and his son, Dan Ritter, and Linda Woldt. Group North America’s booth was a huge success. Our booth had puppies provided by Dan Ritter which was an enormous crowd pleaser as we learned last year in Minnesota. We also had a variety of adult dogs for people to meet and pet. We’ll never know how many times we were asked: “How do you pronounce that? or “What’s a drahthaar?”! We had VDD members visit from as far away as Germany and many other GNA members stopped by the booth to say hello. The picture slide show put together by Jason Abbas played on the back wall of the booth and the Jim Killen print “Great Hunting Dogs – Drahthaar” was used to show people the different color variations. A big thank you goes out to Mike Talbot, Jerry Schenck, and Linda Woldt for being the local organizers and also to all the Midwest North and Heartland Chapter members who worked in the booth over the three day weekend! Those volunteers included: Terry Huebbe, Jim Marsh, J.P. and Rustene Pagel, Josh and Dan Ritter, Mike Schell, Jerry Schenck, Gordon Spaete, Mike Talbot, Butch and Jeanette Waidelich, Jeff Whelan, and Linda Woldt. If you weren’t able to make it to Pheasant Fest this year, mark your calendars for February 26-28, 2010 in Des Moines, Iowa. Good luck and have fun, Heartland Chapter! By: J.P. & Rustene Pagel

Directory Download The 2008 GNA Membership Directory is now available on the website for those who would like to download this item and have a current directory of addresses and phone numbers of all current members. It is best to download it in the landscape mode for most efficient use of paper. Posting the Membership Directory to the website for those who would like to use it, versus printing it out for everyone and then mailing the Directory saves about $3,000 in GNA costs. "The membership list of this organization is to be used only for Official business by the elected officers of GNA and is not for use by its membership without approval of the Officers and Membership. Unsolicited spam that appears to be addressed to the membership list of GNA and sent by a member is not allowed by this organization and membership can be withdrawn from this organization!" Any use of the membership list for personal or business motives is prohibited. Ed.


www.VDD-GNA.org

HD X-Ray Results Ken Hardman, HD Program Coordinator reports that

the following dogs have been rated HD-Frei.

# DOG OWNER HOME 204682 Conny vom roten Fluss Robert Cambron Pond Creek, OK 205101 Brisko v.d.Westmark Brad Daugherty LA Habra, CA 200807 Ace vom Unitah Travis Sears Bothell, WA 204564 Nikole v.d.Prärie Heath Wragge Heartwell, NE 204585 Abby vom DornkaatDan Unruh Duluth, MN 203503 Brisko vom Riddle Hügel James WionBamhart, MO 204574 Ero vom Bartigjäger Joe Kunstek Cleveland, OH 204389 Chopo vom Sendero Blaine Eickelschulte Iowa City, IA 202042 Jade vom Jägermeister William E. English Pittsford, MI 202522 Breka III vom Kervinshof Kristofor Scott Brosier Hope, MI 206037 Analeise v.d.Brandenburg Rod. Bandenburger

Brookings, SD 205106 Bonita v.d.Westmark Richard Anderson Hankinson, ND 206038 Adalie v.d.Brandenburg Tom Wilcox Sioux Falls, SD 202240 Afra III vom Kervinshof Mark Crowder Pearland, TX 206026 Ellie vom Eisbärteich Kevin G. Luebke Wolsey, SD 206024 Elke vom Eisbärteich Dr. Gene R. Kluck Watertown, SD 204934 Lilli vom Willow Rock William Miller Millmont, PA 203171 Lexa vom Fuchsfluesschen Henry F. McCracken Bluffton, SC 205930 Henny vom Schaar Peter Clifton Swenson Tilden, TX 205079 Dorrie v.d.Ritterburg Christian Walker York Leo, IN 204005 Quira vom Moorehaus William Rowell Screven, GA 204829 Artemis vom Dilmunfast Michael Fortner

Jonesborough, TN 206023 Eli vom Eisbärteich Martin CoffmanSt. Stephans, AL 204855 Dux vom Waldbach John R. Schmader Easton, KS 205077 Diva v.d.Ritterburg Daniel Ritter Woodbury, MN 205797 Ellie v.d.Ritterburg Dan Ritter Woodbury, MN 202436 Kaylee vom tapferen Herzen Virgil Don Knight Springdale, AR 202864 Alise vom Briermeister Mathew Coffman Jackson, TN 202776 Bonnie vom Cinnamon-Creek Aleksandr Tonkonogy Sandy, UT 203540 Hezekiah II vom Jagdkönig Thad Lamb Granite City, IL 206496 Austin vom Greenridge Ronald Allison Kathleen, GA 206504 Cassy v.d.Westmark Doug Nowatzki Argusville, ND 206313 Mali vom Elderbach James B. NewbyThermopolis, WY 204614 Kora vom Jägergeist Todd Jackson Ratcliffe Radford, VA 203416 Isis vom Zeder Bruce L. Anderson Gallatin, TN 205849 Ukita II vom Wildflügel Jill Manring Ravenna, NE 203164 Kondor vom Fuchsfluesschen William C. Walton Milford, DE 202491 Axel vom Schlussstein Jonathon T. Wirth Pennsylvania m Bartigjäger Wa193684 Carly vo

Lona Kluck, GNA Document Distribution Representative reports that a new window decal is available for purchase from her. This decal measures 4”X4” circle and is available in either “black on clear adhesive” or “white on clear adhesive”. This makes it available for showing either on un-tinted windows or tinted windows respectively. The item goes on the inside of the window for attachment. Order yours today from Lona Kluck and show of your membership of GNA! They are $4.00 each which includes postage back to you. The picture above is “black on clear” .

Newsletter to be Printed Four Times Per Year

One of the changes at this year’s annual meeting was a decision by both the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors to change the Rules of Procedure and have the Newsletter printed 4 times per year instead of the customary six times. With the addition of the VDD-GNA.org website, the information timeframe has changed dramatically. Much earlier and faster information can be presented to the majority of the membership through the web than can possibly be printed and mailed by the Newsletter. The

reduction of the Newsletter will also save about $6000 in printing and mailing costs to GNA. The Newsletter now will have a little more flexibility with a Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter editions, which will be printed when the information is readily available as just after an event such as the Armbruster instead of being set in stone as it previously had been. Ed.

New GNA Decal Available

20010 Annual Meeting

The Board of Directors and Executive Committee have determined it is in the best interest of all Chapters to have the Annual Meeting on a rotational basis to keep involved all Chapters. The Rules of Procedure were changed to allow this Annual Meeting occur anytime between January and June. This primary exception would be the year 2010. The Great Lakes Chapter is to be the first Chapter in the rotation and they were give the provision to hold it in July because of the time they need to put this AM together. All other Chapter Chairman are now aware of their yearly dates of upcoming annual meetings.


www.VDD-GNA.org

Point of View

The Newsletter welcomes “Point of view” letters that have a maximum of 300 words and are written exclusively to the VDD/GNA Newsletter. Letters are selected for the publication on the basis of pertinent comment and reader interest. All letters are subject to editing and trimming. New writers from the membership receive preference over repeat authors. For verification purposes: Please include your mailing address and daytime phone number. Only your name and community of residence will be published.

“It’s Personal” When I’ve been asked to write articles for NAVHDA or GNA the assignments have been rather easy for me to complete. The words flowed easily because of a view point or an opinion that I wanted to convey. The articles were easily completed within 20 minutes. This article has been very difficult. I couldn’t seem to realize my thoughts onto paper. I struggled for weeks with a lack of purpose. Then it came to me. My journey to become a Breed Show Judge has been a very personal one, therefore very difficult to verbalize. I joined the American Kennel Club in 1971 with Doberman Pinchers and have always had either Working or Herding Breeds. I never miss The Westminster Dog Show, of which I tape, and then watch over and over again. Every dog has specific traits that are unique to their breed. My general knowledge of all dogs really helps in my evaluation of our dogs. I don’t have a medical or scientific background. Nor do I have a kennel or breed dogs. My becoming a Breed Show Judge had to do with loving the Deutsch Drahthaar and their movement. But, my questions with regards to them have always have been, “Why do they move the way they do? What are the reasons for their flaws? How do they affect the dog’s performance?” Studying and becoming a Judge has helped me immensely in answering those questions. A simple fact of life is, people don’t learn as quickly at an older age as they would at a younger age. I’m 60. My Securities License exam was intense, but relatively easy for me. College was concentrated study because anything below a “C” in 1970 at the University of Minnesota was an automatic invitation to Vietnam. But, other than those examples, I don’t remember studying longer and harder for any exam as I did for the Breed Show Test but I knew I could not and would not fail. Every morning my wife Barb and I would go over 158+ test questions. Every morning entailed reading the “Regs”. Every night involved watching DVD’s on dogs and more reading, and I loved every minute of it.

I’ve accomplished a lot in business that gives me great satisfaction, but reaching my personal goal of becoming a Breed Judge has been very gratifying. Mike Talbot was extremely instrumental in helping me with the test, and to him I’m eternally grateful. Blaine Eickelschulte was a great help in our group studies and proved to be a very insightful judge. It would have been so much more difficult for me without them. Thanks to both of you. Thanks to Lynn Whitely for having faith in me, Ines Oebel and Andre Van Aken for spending countless hours with me on the phone from Germany discussing dogs, and last but not least, Linda and Larry Reeves for their kind and generous support and their time in helping us achieve our goal. I hope all your dogs are 12-12, and if they happen not to be, the day after the Breed Show when you are removed from the moment, I hope you’ll realize how special they really are and 12-12 are just numbers. Heck, it’s really about hunting. Best Regards, Jim Strilich Ed. Note: Jim Strilich is from the Midwest North Chapter and resides in northwest Minneapolis, MN area.

Did You Know?

Almost 25% of VDD litters produced originate from GNA!! GNA represent just under 10% of VDD's 11,331 membership base. GNA is the largest Chapter in VDD. By having a 10% membership basis and producing 25% of the litters what message does that portray? Are only the best of the best being bred? Source: VDD Statistics: Ed.

Ethics – By John Fetzer Conversing with people as well as seeing several tests in my recent travels I thought about a viable denominator of a dog club- ethics. Because VDD’s purpose is to generate hunting dogs that are versatile and to be tested so that breeders can determine the efficiency level for future breeding ; ethical practices come from any interaction of these great dogs. When I started thinking how us as dog owners interact with our VDD club it becomes quite clear. We all want what we think is right for the betterment of VDD and the growth of the club. As judges , test coordinators , test directors , test hosts as well as representatives of boards of chapters as well as executive board members - professionalism garners the value of what our club represents. These members are showing a value to the new members , for the first time DD owner and handler. What all of us may not realize whether you’re a first time DD owner or a seasoned vet , is that


www.VDD-GNA.org once you become a member your ethics about your self as a member of the VDD fraternity shows others not only how you handle your dog , but also what VDD is to you. My best example is when a new association with a person asks me about my dogs and if he would be able to train and hunt a DD, in the past I struggled with the best answer and yet to promote the breed. Maybe it’s because I am getting older , or maybe I finally cut to the chase and came up with the best answer to see if the person is really up to the challenge of hunting the most versatile dog in the world - “ These are professional hunting dogs , if you are not hunting at least 3 weeks a year don’t waste the dogs time”. As is the case if we hunt and ethically train our dog, our dog becomes not only happier , but also more efficient. I can’t expect a professional hunter to tolerate hunting 3 weekends a year and for a dog it’s unethical because the dogs purpose was bred to be hunted ! Reflecting back from a pup to a full fledged VDD dog , training sessions including training weekends with other members are guided by other members. Those same interactions all reference ethics of the value of being a member. (Teaching as well as being taught how to handle these great DD’s.) How handlers and judges act in an ethical way in scheduled and non-scheduled events shows professionalism of representatives of VDD. Fairness to the system means ethical representation of the dog and handler. Our culture has changed dramatically in regards to time , and the value of it has increasingly become important. At times I have to think our DD’s are short changed. It shows up at tests as well as the hunting field. Trust me when I say if the dog gets short changed , you are short changing yourself. We all learn from our mistakes , but most importantly we must be fair to the dogs because they represent VDD’s history and ethics. It’s us as DD owners to ask question’s , if the person may not have the answer ; (its his ethical responsibility to assist in getting the answer (or assistance) from someone that is more knowledgeable or has trained more dogs through the JGHV system). It’s quit ethical as a member to look over the years at your VDD or DD and reflect on how that individual dog came through the history of over 100 years of dedicated breeders. And it’s quite another to no longer be a member and own a DD and look at your dog knowing your dog represents VDD and you don’t. As members we should do the best we can to be accountable regarding questions we ask ourselves about rule book’s and GNA’s Code of Conduct. This helps us become better ethical members and a stronger VDD organization. As ethical we hunt with our dogs to obtain enjoyment, those same highly ethical methods are parenting in the way we work together for the betterment of VDD and the JGHV system. Ed. Note: John Fetzer is a long time VDD member and is from Wisonsin and the Midwest North Chapter.

The Dangers of Gastric Dilatation -

Volvulus (GDV)

All About Bloat and Torsion in Dogs (GDV)

By Jenna Stregowski, RVT, About.com What Is GDV? Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV), commonly called bloat, or “twisted gut” is an emergency medical condition that is seen most commonly in large and giant breed dogs. This is a life-threatening situation that occurs when the stomach fills with gas and/or food, expands, and then rotates, trapping gas inside the stomach and cutting off blood supply to the stomach. As pressure in the stomach builds up and cannot be released, the stomach tissue becomes necrotic (dies) and the stomach can even rupture. The expansion of the stomach also has a serious effect on the heart and lungs, causing difficulty breathing and abnormal heart rhythm. Most dogs will go into shock soon after the signs of GDV are seen. Death can occur within a matter of hours (or less). The most common signs of GDV include the following:

• Distended (bloated) abdomen • Unproductive retching / heaving • Extreme lethargy • Excess salivation • Heavy panting • Restlessness / pacing • Pale gums

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should go to a veterinarian immediately – especially if you have a large dog. Some dogs will experience gastric dilation (bloating) without the volvulus (torsion / twisting) – these dogs still need immediate veterinary attention. Either way, catching this condition early enough will increase your dog’s chances of survival. How is GDV Handled? If your veterinarian suspects GDV, one of the first steps is to take abdominal radiographs to confirm gastric dilation. Veterinary staff will swiftly place intravenous catheters and rapidly administer fluids for shock therapy. Blood will need to be drawn to run a number of tests – these typically include a complete blood count (CBC), chemistry panel (to assess organs and other body functions), and sometimes electrolytes and blood gas analysis. An electrocardiogram (EKG) will likely be performed to check for cardiac arrhythmia. If necessary, medications may be given to stabilize the heart. Oxygen therapy is sometimes required for dogs with difficulty breathing. As soon as the diagnosis is confirmed, the standard initial treatment for GDV is to attempt decompression by passing a stomach tube. If the tube can be passed, the gas is released and the stomach may be pumped to remove food. Veterinarians, technicians

http://dogs.about.com/mbiopage.htm


www.VDD-GNA.org and assistants work as a team to perform these tests and treatments simultaneously and as quickly as possible. The above procedures should all take place in the first 10 to 20 minutes. Once the dog is stabilized, surgery must be performed – even if decompression has been successful. Without surgery, the dog is at an extremely high risk for recurrence of GDV. During surgery, the stomach and surrounding tissues will be inspected for damage. In some cases, the spleen and/or part of the stomach will need to be removed due to tissue necrosis - this lowers the odds of recovery. Unfortunately, some dogs will have such a high degree of tissue damage that they cannot be saved. That is why acting on GDV as soon as possible is so important. If the damage can be repaired, the stomach is then surgically tacked to the body wall (a procedure called gastropexy). This will help prevent GDV from occurring in the future. The hours to days following surgery are crucial, as many post-operative complications can occur. Dogs are hospitalized on intravenous fluids and medical treatments until deemed stable. They are not released from the hospital until they are well on their way to recovery. What Causes GDV? Many studies have been done to determine the causes of GDV, but researchers are still not completely certain why the condition occurs. However, most experts agree that the following circumstances may increase a dog’s risk for GDV:

• Breed (large or giant) • Large, deep chest • Gulping food / eating too quickly • High activity following large meals • Feeding only one meal a day • Stress / anxiety • Thin body condition • Genetic predisposition

It is without question that certain dog breeds are predisposed to GDV. According to most studies, the most common dog breeds at risk for GDV are large, deep-chested dogs including (but NOT limited to) Great Danes, Weimaraners, Standard Poodles and Saint Bernards. Can GDV Be Prevented? There are many theories about GDV prevention, though studies have contradicted these methods throughout the years. One of the most surefire ways to prevent GDV is prophylactic gastropexy, an elective surgery that involves tacking the stomach to the body wall. This can often be performed during the routine spay or neuter of a young dog. Prophylactic gastropexy is highly effective at preventing GDV, but it also be quite expensive. Some surgeons also offer laparoscopic gastropexy – this procedure involves the insertion of rigid cameras through tiny incisions. It is less risky than traditional surgery, but may be more expensive. Prophylactic gastropexy is usually only recommended in dogs that are considered at risk for GDV. Talk to your veterinarian about the available options for your dog.

Other preventative measures are up for debate. Not all experts agree on the efficacy of the following methods, so please discuss them with your veterinarian:

• Eating two or more meals per day • Eating more slowly (some dog bowls are designed

to slow down eating, but do not always work) • Avoiding vigorous exercise after meals • Adding canned food to the regular diet • Elevating the food and water bowls (some

research shows that this may actually increase the risk for GDV)

Beyond prophylactic gastropexy, the most important thing you can do is to observe you dog closely. Watch for any changes or signs of illness and report them to your veterinarian. Once again, it cannot be stressed enough how important it is to discuss prevention with your veterinarian.

Kentucky Elk and the Deutsch Drahthaar

When I tell people that I’m going to Kentucky to blood track for elk, invariably the first words out of their mouths are, “I didn’t know that they had elk in Kentucky.” The Kentucky elk herd is the best kept secret for big game hunting in the United States with the herd being an estimated 10,000 strong. The success that the Kentucky Department of Natural Resources has enjoyed reintroducing the elk is rivaled only by the National resurgence of the wild turkey. Most people think of southern whitetail deer as being smaller in body and in racks when compared to its cousin to the north. This is not true with elk. While the Kentucky elk may be slightly smaller in body mass when compared to the Rocky Mountain variety, their racks are every bit as good or better. Most of the bulls I’ve seen taken were very symmetrical 6x6’s, a trophy on anyone’s wall but I have personally seen many Boone and Crocket bulls with the biggest one scoring well over 300. The Drahthaar involvement with this program began in October of 2007. Frank Campbell, VDD member and Kentucky Wildlife Officer, called me to ask about blood tracking. He said that he knew these dogs would do it but needed help in getting started. Of course, I told him no problem as blood tracking is my favorite thing to do. He then told me about the recent Kentucky bull elk hunt, and I said, “I didn’t know that they had elk in Kentucky”. He related a story to me of a young girl who shot a monster elk. The whole thing had been caught on video tape by the TV show Kentucky Afield. They had filmed the bugling, the stalk and the shot. They saw the elk go down and on review of the tape, saw the impact of the bullet. But after the celebrating and the high-fiving, they couldn’t find the elk. It had gotten up and walked off. This was only one of several bulls that were hit and not recovered. Of course everyone was concerned about the wounding of an animal and the loss of a trophy. This was a scenario that Frank wanted to avoid again. I said, “Frank, I live an hour and a

http://dogs.about.com/od/dogbreedprofiles/p/greatdane.htm

http://dogs.about.com/od/dogbreedprofiles/p/poodle.htm


www.VDD-GNA.org half from you – call me if this happens again.” He asked if I’d be willing to come to Kentucky in December for the cow elk hunt to do some tracking. I absolutely jumped at the chance. So on a cold and raining December morning, Forrest Moore, my family and I loaded up in the Suburban and headed north. Incidentally Frank has since used his dog Angel, to track and recover a very nice black bear shot with a muzzleloader by some very startled deer hunters but that is a story for another day.

Forrest had the first track on an elk that sounded like it was a leg shot, definitely nonfatal. After working the track for several hundred meters into the mountain, Forrest found the elk bedded down. Over the course of the next hour or so, Forrest’s dog Arko had the elk bayed multiple times. Forrest said that he was so close to it that he could have killed it with a spear. The hunter was an older gentleman who could not keep up and stayed at the foot of the mountain. He was unable to make it up to the point where Arko had bayed the elk. Finally Arko got a little too close and the elk managed to squarely kick him. A kick from one of these guys certainly could be a fatal event for the dog. So faced with no hunter and potential injury to his dog, Forrest let the elk go.

We had a great time that day and saw some great country and many elk. We even got to watch one group of hunters put the stalk on five or six cows. Not so much a big deal until you realize that we did this from the truck parked on the side of the road! The elk were no further away than 150 yards. We unfortunately did not get to do any real tracks that day but there were two hunters that allowed us to track elk that they had shot and already found. With the terrain and closeness of the elk that had been killed, we had quite a crowd of interested people watching as we worked the dogs. We heard several people say, “I didn’t know dogs would do that” and “look that dog is going exactly were the elk had run”. These tracks were of no challenge to the dogs but the crowd didn’t know this and everyone was totally impressed. Even though we didn’t recover any elk, friends were made and an invitation was issued for the hunt the following year. It goes without saying that we had some great public relations for the Drahthaar.

Ana had the second track. She managed to track the bull for nearly 2 miles. At many points there was no visible blood and she had to remand herself of the blood trackers axiom – Trust your dog. At the first wound bed that they found, they realized that they had just pushed the elk out of it as it was still warm. Ana’s dog Betsy worked the area around the bed searching in all directions but she ultimately was insistent upon following one. Again no blood, again trust your dog. After several meters, a drop of blood was found and with renewed confidence the hunt was on again. The wisest course of action at this point would have been to let the elk be for several hours and hope that it would lie down and expire. This particular area was being heavily used by hikers, 4-wheelers and horse people so it was determined that even if they did not push the elk that someone else inadvertently would. So, Ana chose to continue the pursuit and hope for a shot. Ana and her hunter, after several hundred meters found the elk bedded down but because of the position of Ana, the dog and the elk, a safe shot could not be taken. The elk was moving very well at this point and it was determined that this pursuit could go on for many more miles. All were exhausted, after having been at this for four hours. At this point, they believed that the elk was not fatally hit and would survive, therefore the track was terminated.

Ken Parker and I worked the third track. After finding 7 drops of blood over about 200 meters, finding nothing for several hundred more and recognizing discouraged hunters, we stopped. This track could have been worked further without blood but there was so much elk spoor around and tracks and trails everywhere we thought further attempts would be fruitless. Unless you’ve been to a place like this where the elk are so abundant, you cannot believe the amount of sign in the area. You almost don’t need a dog to smell them as their scent is so strong a human can easily follow it.

The following October, the Drahthaar team had grown to six dogs. The handlers were Jason Bowman, Whit Johnston, Ana Barrios Sosa, Ken Parker with his Bavarian Mountain Hound, Forrest Moore and I. We broke the team into two groups and headed out into the two main hunting areas. There were not very many tracking opportunities as those Kentucky boys shoot pretty well but we did have 3 legitimate opportunities and two of those would have resulted in recoveries if the hunters had been in a shooting position when the elk was found. In Kentucky it is not lawful for the tracker to be armed.

The main checking station was in Hazard, Kentucky. It is not necessary for the elk to be physically checked in, but the Kentucky wildlife folks encourage hunters to do it so they can collect DNA and other information from the elk. This is a great staging area for us because we get to see the elk come in and definitely show off our dogs. We had the opportunity to discuss our dogs and the breed all day and also the importance that tracking dogs could play in the ethical recovery of downed big game. Again a great public relations coup.


www.VDD-GNA.org

We had no further opportunities so by midday on Sunday we started filing home. Of the one hundred bull tags drawn, nearly 100% of them were filled opening weekend with the remainder filled during the following week. On the way home, Frank got a call from someone about a deer hit by a car. He asked me if I was interested in using the dog to find the deer, I said “you’re kidding right? Let’s go.” We got to the spot and I thought “Wow, this will be a challenge”. At the point of impact, there was blood splatter everywhere and I mean everywhere – on the ground, on the trees, on the bushes - everywhere. We had an area to start in but no precise point, so after working the area for a few minutes my dog, Ira, found the correct direction and we followed it. I forgot to mention, this was at night, in a subdivision, with barking dogs, spectators and any other possible distraction you can imagine. The trail weaved in and out of houses, back tracked on itself, ran in circles – obviously a confused deer. We located the deer and it was dispatched by Frank. The deer had suffered a heinous lingering injury from the car with zero chance of survival with a slow death awaiting it. Again another example of how a tracking dog can ease senseless suffering to a big game animal. Before the start of the bull season, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by the award winning Kentucky Afield TV program. Frank Campbell and I made the trip to Lexington Kentucky to be filmed and interviewed by the show’s host, Tim Farmer. We talked briefly about the dogs and blood tracking and then my dog did a demonstration on a track about 200 meters long. The total TV spot on the show was about 8 minutes. Mr. Farmer went out of his way to show us and the dogs in the best light possible. I have even gotten comments while in Kentucky about recognizing my dog from the show and one call to blood track due to it. If you are interested in seeing it, the GNA Executive Committee and the SEHC Executive Committee have a copy. The Kentucky Afield guys have given us permission to use the video in anyway we see fit and I have recently sent a copy to a group in North Carolina working for blood tracking legislation there. All very positive steps of the versatile hunting dog. Due to the tremendous success of the elk herd, this hunting season there will be 1000 tags offered with I believe 400 of them bull tags. The deadline to apply for the elk tag lottery is the last day of April and costs $10.00. Yes that’s right, for ten bucks you have the opportunity for a hunt of a lifetime with nearly a 100% success rate. This lottery is open to both in state and out of state hunters. I’ve put my entire family in for the last two years. Last year about

40,000 people applied for the 400 tags offered. Tennessee is also offering its first elk hunt this year so by all means apply for both. It would be really great to have a GNA member bag an elk and let one of the DD’s track it!

Ed Note: Mike Forner is vice-chairman of the Southeast Hunter Chapter and is from Jonesborough, TN


Effective June 1, 2009 The new username and password is in the printed

Spring edition of the NL

All in Lowercase letters

Chapter Happenings The GNA Newsletter makes available 2+ pages of newsworthy space for each Chapter to inform their membership of activities that will take place or have occurred within their chapter.

Midwest North Annual Meeting - 2009

Saturday March 14, was a full day with Mike Schell, Jim Wion, Mike Talbot and Jim Strilich judging the eight dogs entered in the breed show. The “Introduction to the JGHV” seminar was also held for individuals interested in entering the Judge Apprenticeship Program. Later in the day a VJP/HZP Seminar was held to cover aspects of each test, what the judges were looking for, and possible training approaches for accomplishing the objectives. The banquet was Saturday evening. The remaining tickets were sold on the gun raffle, and the winners were drawn. They are: Ned Sorely from Loretto, MN who selected the Remington 12 ga. 1170 automatic shotgun and Fred Zag from Wisconsin Rapids, WI who received the Savage .223 varmit rifle with the bull barrel. There was a silent auction and a good time. Special thanks is extended to Terry & Jan Huebbe and Tom Huebner for their donation of auction items. As was mentioned in the GNA Annual Meeting Summary, GNA paid to have the “Questions on VZPO test Practices and JGHV Performance Awards” translated into English. An electronic copy is available for MWN members desiring them. Contact Gordon Spaete via email if you want one. Minutes of the MWN Annual Meeting will be posted at a later date on the Chapter web page.


www.VDD-GNA.org Among the important business conducted at the GLC winter meeting was the GNA recognition of the exemplary service of Shane Deford, Peru, Indiana. Shane was presented with the GNA Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his work as an assistant to the executive board in the

Great Lakes Chapter

Marty Ryan, Ed Carney, and Jim Jones at the table of the Winter GLC meeting. Todd Seiler( R) presenting Shane with

Distinguished Service Award

The Great Lakes Chapter held an election of officers as part of its winter meeting at the Pioneer Scout Reservation in Ohio on 14.03.2009. Like all good transitions, there was some change and some consistency. The elected officers are as follows:

capacity of the Director of Judge Development. Shane served us in this role from March 2006 to January 2009. He was on the front line of the national effort to build the number of available JGHV performance judges and improve the overall quality of the apprentice program. Shane has been a member of VDD/GNA for 15 years and has tested numerous dogs through all levels of our club's system. He began his own apprenticeship toward becoming a VR in 2000 . That same year Shane continued his work when he traveled to Wesel, Germany to apprentice at the Hegewald. Shane was appointed as a Verbandsrichter in 2001 and has been active in judging ever since. Shane has been an active member of GLC since its inception in 1996. He has served as Business Manager and Vice Chairman. He has organized Family Fun Days, BTRs,VJPs, HZPs, and chapter training days. Shane is an example of someone who gave back to the club and breed.

• Chapter Chairman: Marty Ryan, Osseo, Michigan. • Chapter Vice Chairman: Jim Jones, Elkhart,

Indiana. • Chapter Business Manager: Christian York, Leo,

Indiana. • Chapter Breed Warden: Bill English, Pittsford,

Michigan • Chapter Director of Testing: Jim Jones, Elkhart,

Indiana

Todd Seiler, Montpelier, Ohio, was the outgoing GLC Chairman. Todd is a foundational member of the GLC having been involved and committed for many years. No GLC member has hosted more tests, bred more quality drahthaars, sponsored more training days and helped more new members to fully enjoy their new hunting partners than Todd. He will remain active in the GLC and continue to contribute to the club and the breed.

Chairman's Report

I assume the honor of the Great Lakes Chapter chairmanship with a sense of duty to the membership and the breed. My first wish is a paraphrase from the Hippocratic Oath, “May I do no harm.”

Dan Crusey, Marysville, Ohio, was the outgoing Business Manager. Dan too has been a committed member of the GLC. Dan has hosted many tests at his farm in central Ohio and judged at tests in both USA and Canada. He was pivotal in the success of our chapter's previous VDD/GNA annual meetings in both Pioneer and Zanesville Ohio. Dan, with plenty of help from his friends, coordinated the 2006 Armbruster Zuchtprüfung that remains largest one to date. Dan will remain active in the GLC.

I begin this three year commitment with several goals:

• Maintain an increased level of communication between the membership with particular emphasis on new members. They are our future and need special attention.

• Encourage accessibility. The relationship between the chapter executive board and the membership


www.VDD-GNA.org can grow to a level where everyone in GLC feels comfortable contacting their leadership.

• Develop a profile of our club's membership to identify our member's characteristics, wants and needs. I plan to apply a marketing strategy to find out who we are and what makes us drahthaar owners. I'll use the results to influence future club activities.

What has been done so far? I have developed a rudimentary data base of the email addresses of all of our GLC members. With that, I am regularly communicating with the membership using a format that I call “Drahthaar News”. In these communications I am highlighting general information on what is happening in the chapter and who is doing what. If you aren't getting Drahthaar News I must not have a working email address for you. Drop me a line and I'll add you to the list. <[email protected]> I count 102 members on my distribution list. According to the most recent information [January 2009] from Jim Wion [VDD/GNA Business Manager] the GLC claims a total membership of 119. I am sending some information using “snail mail” but not all.

Please excuse, but Drahthaar News is available only on line at this writing.

New Business.

1. 2010 VDD/GNA annual meeting. The Great Lakes Chapter will be the first of the eight regional chapters of GNA to host the national annual meeting on the rotational basis approved at the 2009 AM in Louisiana. We Have requested approval for a July date from the GNA executive board at this writing. Pending approval of our requested date, we will be selecting a site and going forward with the planning process. Much more information will be forthcoming as the components of this fine event fall into place. Keep an opening on your 2010 summer calendars in anticipation of this meeting. There will be something for all of us at the GNA/AM.

2. 2009 Family Fun Day. The traditional GLC Family Fun Day will take place on 11 & 12 July 2009. This year the event will be significantly different than those occurring previously. The centerpiece of the day will be a drahthaar-only quail/chukar championship open to VDD/GNA members. The dogs will be divided according to their JGHV testing status. There will be a class open to VJP dogs, another for HZP dogs and a third “open” class that any dog may enter. Prizes will be awarded to the winners of each class. The FFD will take place near Quincy Michigan at a site used for National Shoot to Retrieve Association [NSTRA] meets; it is large, well groomed and fenced.

There will be activities for families taking place throughout the two day FFD event. Swimming, volleyball, lawn games and special activities for

kids will be available as well as a special GLC dinner, chapter meeting and an auction. If you are planning on attending the Armbruster Zuchtprüfung or the Hegewald there will be a qualification for your dog at a nearby site. Any member of an FCI breed club is welcome to attend. Joel Williams, Litchfield, Michigan, is the chairman of the committee responsible for the event. Contact him <[email protected]> or me <[email protected]> for information.

3. Merchandise. For the first time in a long while we have special GLC merchandise available for purchase. We have developed a unique logo with the help of Dan Esch, Howell, Michigan. We are offering sweatshirts, T shirts and hats at the current time and have future plans for window decals for autos. Since this is new for us, we are working out the kinks of advertising and distribution. We'll get it right pretty soon and we hope to have the items available at chapter events as well as on line. This stuff is cool!

Business Manager's Report

Hello, my name is Christian York. I am the new business manager for the Great Lakes Chapter. I have been a member of VDD/GNA for seven years now and am still learning a lot about the Drahthaar as I travel more and see more dogs. I have two drahts at this time ; a male who is five and a pup that is testing this year. Hopefully I will be able to meet some more people at training days. I hope to help our chapter and Group North America in any way possible. If you have any suggestions to help our chapter please feel free to contact me. <[email protected]> We have some chapter merchandise that we are selling. We hope to have it on the chapter website, accessible from the GNA home page. Look for it soon. Speaking of the chapter page on the web, we have not been able to make the necessary changes at this writing. Don't give up on it. We'll be making it relevant soon. Remember to have fun training and get a kid involved.

Breed Warden's Report.

From the GLC Breed Warden:

I would like to thank the members of the GLC for allowing me the honor of being your Breed Warden again. Congratulations to Marty Ryan, Christian York and Jim Jones as well. I look forward to working with them.

We hosted a Breed Show along with the Chapter Annual Meeting this year. There were twelve dogs evaluated and all of them were recommended to be certified for breeding. A special thanks to Senior Judge Nancy Bohs, Ed Carney and Ken Whitney for sharing their evaluations and opinions of each dog with the handlers and gallery. There were many comments on how instructional this was. Nancy flew in from New Jersey and Ed from Florida; all that travel can make Judging a tiring job, their dedication to the Club and

mailto:[email protected]





www.VDD-GNA.org our dogs is greatly appreciated. We would like to thank Lynn Whitley of Marcellus, Michigan as well. Lynn is our Chapter's only Breed Show Judge. We have always been able to depend on his experience and expertise. It would be tough to have a Breed Show in our Chapter without his help.

Our Chapter has produced two litters so far this year, "G" vom Kernhaus and "R" vom Seilerhaus. I have sent out several additional litter packs for this spring's litters. Two of our Chapter's Members have also requested applications to apply for a Kennel Name.

Enjoy your family, your dogs and your friends as you prepare for the fall. I hope to see you soon, Bill English

Director of Testing's Report.

At this writing spring testing is underway in the Great Lakes Chapter. There were three VJPs scheduled to take place with the following participation:

• Marysville, Ohio. 28, 29 March. Test director & coordinator Dan Crusey. Location Crusey Farms. Seven dogs tested.

• Zanesville, Ohio. 18, 19 April. Test director & coordinator Frank Van Dresser. Location AEP grounds. 10 dogs tested.

• Pioneer Ohio. 17,18,19 April. Test director & coordinator Todd Seiler. Location local farms. 26 dogs tested.

Total 42 dogs tested in GLC VJP 2009

Comments:

At this time there are no fall tests scheduled in the GLC. If half of the dogs tested in the spring proceed to fall testing we will need four judging days to accommodate the demand. Requests have been issued for test coordinators to schedule fall tests. Prospective coordinators should contact me <[email protected]> or Marty Ryan <[email protected]>

A reminder to GLC test directors: This year the chapter directors of testing will be directly communicating with VDD in Germany following testing. Please check with me regarding post-test paperwork procedures.

Southeast Hunter Chapter Report

Around the SEHC members are preparing for, taking part in or have already completed the VJP. For many it was their first time; for a few veterans it was another go round with the first step in the versatile dog testing program. Since the last GNA NL there have been three VJP’s , one 20/40hr VSwP, a Breed Show with 10 dogs, and a Btr. It

is good and encouraging to see the interest and involvement in all of the versatile testing opportunities in the SEHC. As we move forward our #1 goal continues to be new VJP testing and training sites. If you have a potential site contact us and we’ll check it out. You will notice on the event calendar that we have a number of training days already scheduled and many are in new areas and in conjunction with other chapters. Mississippi will be hosting their first ever training day this year and Virginia is working with the SEHC and the Atlantic Chapter to co host a training day. Please support these events as they are for all SEHC members and a result of the work of your state representatives. If you would like to host a training day please contact your state representative to schedule one asap so that it may be posted on the calendar soon, allowing those interested an opportunity to schedule their travel and time off. I hope that there are a good many of you training for the VGP, this is very often the final step a member must complete prior to applying for the judge apprentice program. Please consider this if you are interested and willing to donate your time to apprenticing which will involve out of chapter travel and the same once you become a Verbandsrichter. If you have any questions on entering the apprentice program please reference the judges section of the GNA website and if you have any questions contact Mark Heuer the GNA DOJD. The next SEHC Annual Meeting will be held in May of 2010 and hosted by South Carolina. We look forward to a new venue and thank the members of South Carolina for stepping up to the plate. The SEHC Board of Directors is here to assist and answer any questions you may have. I would ask that, if applicable, you contact your State Representative first but do not hesitate to contact any member of the BOD’s if you have a question. Don’t Miss, Forrest

Great Plains Chapter Happenings

Hello Great Plains Chapter members! Spring testing season is coming to a close and we hope everyone had a successful VJP. For all handlers that received 65 points or higher we hope your dog meets the remaining requirements and that you will enter him or her in this year’s Armbruster. You should have received a Armbruster packet at your VJP, but if not all the details are also included in this newsletter and also on-line.




www.VDD-GNA.org Training days are being scheduled throughout the Chapter and will be posted on our chapter page at www.vdd-gna.org. We hope to see you at a training day soon, we also hope and want to see you at this years Chapter meeting in Watertown, South Dakota. The agenda for this years meeting is below and we’ve got another great Chapter meeting planned for you. Please contact Gene and Lona Kluck if you have any questions. Make your reservations today! Mark Heuer GPC Chairman

2009 Great Plains Chapter Meeting: Friday, July 10th, 2009: 6:00pm ~ Informal welcome bar-b-que at the home of Gene and Lona Kluck, 44877 168th St. Watertown, SD 57201 ~ 605-882-2210 7:00pm ~ Force break & obedience seminar by John Luttrell Professional Dog Trainer ~ www.luttrellkennels.com Saturday, July 11th, 2009: 8:00am ~ Registration at Kluck home 9:00am ~ Pre-Armbruster/Hegewald Evaluations & 7th Annual Drahts and Brats Training Day. Both VJP and HZP training will be going on. Drag game will be available and live ducks available for water work training. 7:00pm ~ Banquet & Auction at Lunkers Restaurant. 100 North Lake Dr. Watertown, SD 57201 Sunday July 12th, 2009: 8:00am ~ Great Plains Chapter meeting at Lunkers Restaurant. Continental breakfast will be available. Please RSVP for Chapter meeting / Drahts & Brats Training day / Pre-Armbruster/ Hegewald Evalutaions by July 1st or SOONER to Gene and Lona Kluck 605-882-2210 or [email protected] Donated auction items will be needed. Please contact Larry Houck 605-886-9436 or [email protected] to donate any item or items that you may have to help support our chapter. We already have a new 12ga. 3" 870 Express Remington donated. Be sure to come & bid on it to win! Hope to see you in Waterton! Lona & Gene Kluck.

Big Rivers Chapter Welcome to the launch of the Big Rivers Chapter website at www.vddgnabrc.org. It is our intent to give different information that does not repeat things you can find elsewhere such as on the GNA homepage. We will focus the information here to include those important items that keep us most informed, educated and aware of what is happening within BRC. We will attempt to be current and update frequently. Plan to look here often for test results and other "Breaking News" with BRC or GNA that will effect you. The chapter has struggled greatly over the Fall and Winter trying to find VJP test sites that can support the large number of puppies we have to support. This has placed a great hardship on our members to travel great distances to test. I apologize to you for this. The motto "Have DDs will travel" is not OK anymore and we need to secure better training and testing grounds for our members. We are committed to that end and have made our needs clearly known to VDD-GNA. These issues are being addressed nationally and in Germany so that our dogs are evaluated and that there is no compromise of the integrity of our Testing System. I will keep you informed as I have updates. BRC has hosted another successful VDD-GNA Annual Meeting. I think all who attended will attest that it was very beneficial to have Frank Wagner speak to the group about the Development of the Hunting Partnership with You and Your Dog. Frank shared his training method to develop you and your DD into a Hunting Partnership that brings years of enjoyment. Thank You Frank for your time and effort to come from Germany to educate us with your proven methods. Torrey Harris is in the final editing stages of the seminars so those unable to attend will have a chance to say they had "Been There". Look for an announcement regarding the seminars on DVD in the upcoming weeks. We held BRC Elections. The officers elected were as follows:

Brandt Hardy Louisiana Chairman Chad Crissup Oklahoma Vice-Chairman

Tom Morgan Missouri Business Manager Hank Lippert Missouri Breed Warden

Leonard Baker Oklahoma Director of Testing Congratulations to all and now Get Busy!!! Seriously, contact any of these men to assist you if you have a need. If they don't know how to assist you specifically they will be able to send you in the right direction. They are here to serve you and bring many years of knowledge and experience with GNA and the DD to their offices. We are hunters that own a wonderful dog (Deutsch-Drahthaar) registered with a foreign breed organization (VDD) that you joined through the US affiliated group(VDD-GNA) that tests our beloved puppies under the rules of a foreign judging organization(JGHV). This tells me you are committed and could have quite a few questions. We want to answer your questions through this avenue because if you have the question so do others. These questions can

http://www.vdd-gna.org/


http://www.luttrellkennels.com/



http://www.vddgnabrc.org/


www.VDD-GNA.org be anything such as a training question or an organizational one or something different. We will have an Ask The Expert section to respond to your questions and also to have up for future reference. We will get the answer for you. This is just the beginning of the development of using this tool, so any ideas or suggestions are appreciated. Please forward any pictures that you have of your DD or from the Annual Meeting. We will put those up on the site so you can put faces with names.

Train and Test your DD through the VGP is our current goal for 2009. Attend training days or better yet host one in your area. To set that up contact Chad Crissup to get the details. Working together with you for enjoyable hunting experiences with great friends and our wonderful DDs. Waidmannsheil Brandt Hardy Big Rivers Chapter Chairman VDD-GNA

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Have some equipment or dog training things you would like to sell, give GNA Classified Ads a try

The newest stripping tool. Unlike small strippers, the Coat-King 23 Blade strips large areas FAST!!! It works by quickly and easily removing loose and dead and matted hair. Leaves the coat full and healthy -- gives it that "show quality" look. All have curved, sharpened blades with rounded ends for safety, and wooden handles for easy gripping. “I have never used one before and was very impressed! Up to this point, I had used a small flat stripper and it would take forever. Send $50.00 which includes shipping in USA Contact: Larry Houck 1206 Skyline Drive, Watertown, SD 57201 605-886-9436.

Congratulation Jonathan and Panzer

Axel vom Schlussstein

aka Panzer Panzer received a HZP score of 180 points in Sept 2008.

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Chapter 1, Getting to know your puppy Chapter 2, Natural Ability Test Chapter 3, Commands Chapter 4, Raising the Standard Chapter 5, Whoa for the Versatile Dog Chapter 6, The Training Table Chapter 7, Force Fetch Chapter 8, Water Force Chapter 9, Pointing and Steadiness Chapter 10, Intermediate hunting dog test

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VEREIN DEUTSCH-DRAHTHAAR e.V.Volume 61 Number 2 Spring 2009

/GROUP NORTH AME

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GNA CLUB MATERIALS AND DOCUMENTS PRICES EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2009

Item# Description Cost 1. Armbruster Training Manual - From puppy to finished dog $10.75

2. Test Regulations for VJP & HZP (VZPO) $15.00

3. Test Regulations for VGP (VGPO) $15.00

4. Test Regulations for 20/40 hr. tracking test (VSwPO) $15.00

5. 2006 Zuchtbuch (information on Litters tested in 2006) $17.00

6. GNA 1" copper plated hat pin Image $5.00

7. 4" round GNA Drahthaar Decal - Black on clear or White on clear "NEW" $4.00

8. VDD-GNA Logo Decal - Picture of Drahthaar with Breed & Club Name $2.25

9. 2005 Zuchtbuch (information on Litters tested in 2005) $17.00

10. VDD German Logo 5/8" round copper lapel pin Image $3.50

11. VDD Germany 1/2" oval copper lapel pin Image $3.50

Items below are in limited supply and will not be reordered

12. 2003 Armbruster Pin $5.00





17. 2007 Zuchtbuch (information on Litters tested in 2007) $17.0018. 2003 Stammbuch, JGHV Test Scores-all breeds (2 in stock) $25.00

19. 2007 Stammbuch, JGHV Test Scores- all breeds (2 in stock) $25.00

20. 2002 VDD/GNA Stud Dog Catalog- Pictures & test info of studs in GNA $10.00

Please print and complete this order form and mail it with your check (made payable to VDD/GNA) to: Lona Kluck, 800 10th St. SW, Watertown, SD 57201

To check on stock status or an order (MAILED AFTER JAN 18th) call 605-882-2210. For URGENT orders for test regulations, write "time sensitive" on the outside of your order envelope.

All orders are shipped pre-paid only. No credit cards accepted. Shipping is included.

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Total Cost of Order:

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Mailing Address

City, State, ZIP

Email (preferred contact)

Evening Ph. w/ Area Code

$

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2008 VGP Expense

Report

Harrold, SD 06.09.2008 Dogs entered 3 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1699.21 Average cost per dog tested $416.40 Logan, UT 13.09.2008 Dogs entered 8 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $2269.24 Average cost per dog tested $ 133.66 Carlisle, PA 27.09.2008 Dogs entered 4 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1276 Average cost per dog tested $ 169.16 Omak, WA 04.10.2008 Dogs entered 2 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1285.71 Average cost per dog tested $ 492.86 Chelsea, IA 11.10.2008 Dogs entered 3 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1218.82 Average cost per dog tested $ 256.27 Ginter, PA 18.10.2008 Dogs entered 8 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $4505.62 Average cost per dog tested $ 413.20 Valley Falls, KS 25.10.2008 Dogs entered 4 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $704.02 Average cost per dog tested $ 26.01 Aberdeen, NC 25.10.2008 Dogs entered 4 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $2134.43 Average cost per dog tested $ 383.61 Marysville, CA 08.11.2008 Dogs entered 2

Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $820.00 Average cost per dog tested $ 260.00 Selma, AL 08.11.2008 Dogs entered 1 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $35.00 Average cost per dog tested -$ 115.00 Union, MO 08.11.2008 Dogs entered 3 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1236.91 Average cost per dog tested $ 262.30 Lake Jackson, TX 15.11.2008 Dogs entered 2 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1157.00 Average cost per dog tested $ 428.50 44 dogs entered in the 2008 VGP season in GNA. Average cost per dog entered is $260.58 These reports are based on expenses that were submitted and are paid. There may be other expenses associated with the 2008 VGP season that have not been submitted to the GNA Treasurer to date. Fred Turjan Treasurer, VDD-GNA

2008 HZP Report

North Pole, AK Dogs entered 6 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $2049.70 Average cost per dog tested $ 241.62

Harrold, SD Dogs entered 8 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1230.24 Average cost per dog tested $ 53.78

Middletown, PA Dogs entered 15 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1737.42 Average cost per dog tested$ 15.83

Levering, MI Dogs entered 9 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $2147.07 Average cost per dog tested $ 138.56

Boise, ID Dogs entered 4 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $517.08 Average cost per dog tested $ 29.27

Janesville, MN Dogs entered 11 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $909.15 Average cost per dog tested profit $ 17.35

Torrington, WY Dogs entered 7 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1296.08 Average cost per dog tested $ 85.15

Nekoosa, WI Dogs entered 10 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $747.48 Average cost per dog tested profit $ 25.25

Pioneer, OH Dogs entered 12 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1082.92 Average cost per dog tested profit $ 9.76

Logan, UT Dogs entered 13 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1853.99 Average cost per dog tested $ 42.61

Wapello, IA Dogs entered 11 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $508.68


www.VDD-GNA.org Average cost per dog tested profit $ 53.76

Average cost per dog tested $ 45.24


Grand Island, NE Selma, AL Chelsea, IA Dogs entered

8 Dogs entered 6 Dogs entered

5 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $896.11

Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $327.68 Test Expenses/Judge

Reimbursements $80.00 Average cost per dog tested $ 12.01

Average cost per dog tested $ 45.39 Average cost per dog tested

profit $ 84.00 *Omak, WA Lake Jackson, TX Dogs entered

5 Dogs entered 15 Aberdeen, NC

Dogs entered 14

Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $409.50



Average cost per dog tested $



*all expenses not submitted yet These reports are based on expenses that were submitted and are paid. There may be other expenses associated with the 2008 HZP season that have not been submitted to the GNA Treasurer to date. The figures are determined by the total expenses less the entry fees then divided by the number of dogs entered. If there are any questions on this report, please feel free to contact me.

Colliers Mills, NJ Thomasville, GA Dogs entered

10 Dogs entered 11 Test Expenses/Judge

Reimbursements $1319.52 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1104.04 Average cost per dog tested

$ 31.95 Average cost per dog tested $ 100.45 Jenks, OK

Marysville, CA Dogs entered 4 Dogs entered

13 Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $580.96

Fred Turjan Test Expenses/Judge Reimbursements $1466.05

Treasurer, VDD-GNA

HUNTING IN GERMANY - PART I BY GEORGE BOYD

FANFARE FOR THE HUNT After I had been involved in the VDD for awhile I would often be asked, “Why are you training your dog to do that?” Later, after becoming the Breed Warden, the questions became more frequent and specific. My generic answer which always seemed to work, was twofold: One, we must do this because it is required before a DD can be certified for breeding in Germany, and two, it’s just part of the German hunting tradition. Then I started visiting Germany to judge and to hunt and my understanding of the hunting tradition started to take shape. You must remember that the DDs we buy, breed, train, test and hunt with in Canada are identical to those in Germany except in


www.VDD-GNA.org Germany they are used in more different ways. I’m hoping that this two-part article will at least shed some light on the long hunting tradition in Germany and how this influences their use of their hunting dogs. I would like to apologize for anything in this article that I might have misunderstood which therefore might not be complete in its explanation. Remember that many of the conversations I’ve had in Germany can be best described as having been spoken with hands and feet. Before I get started I would like to tell you a short story that really started my interested in this subject. In October 2007, four German hunters came to Nova Scotia to hunt and to do some sightseeing. Heinz and his son Thomas Linneweber of vom Ortfeld Kennel, Eberhard Ruess, chairman of VDD Group Westfalen, Markus, a young forestry worker and friend of Thomas. The fall colours were at their peak so I arranged for us to take a drive to New Brunswick for a couple days of hunting grouse and woodcock. Markus had the flu so he stayed at our cottage. The rest of us jumped into a rental van and off we went. After a short time into our trip someone asked me how far it was to our destination. Without thinking I said, “Don’t know but it will only take us about 7 hours.” There was some strange looks but I didn’t think anything of it. Later when we arrived at the lodge they told me that they had never taken a 7 hour road trip before and most likely never would again. Early the next morning we were at our first cover and I was handing out three shotguns which I had borrowed. We had room for only one dog, so I chose to take Leah because she had the most experience hunting woodcock and grouse. They all watched very intently as I put Leah’s bell on her first and then the beeper collar. This was all new to them so I explained how the beeper collar worked. Personally, I only like the sound of a bell in the covers so my beeper collars are silent until the dog goes on point. As luck would have it Leah wasn’t out of our sight for two minutes when the bell went silent. Thirty seconds later the beeper collar stated to send out that wonderful music stating that a dog is on point. They still were not sure what was happening. We walked very slowly down into the dense area of alders. Sure enough, Leah was locked on point. Heinz wanted Thomas to have the first shot so I placed Heinz on one side and Eberhard on the other. It was the perfect setup as Thomas and I moved in. When Thomas was ready, I walked around in front of Leah. Up went the woodcock banking away from me and over Thomas. I was expecting the roar of my .20 gauge auto that Thomas had, but there was nothing. As we walked over to Thomas, Leah gave me The Look; the one that says “Who are these guys?” Thomas was standing there with a huge smile on his face and patted Leah, congratulating her on her fine work. I looked at his gun thinking that he didn’t get the safety off in time when I noticed the gun was empty. When I asked Thomas why he didn’t shoot, he said he wasn’t allowed to do so. Now I was totally confused. Thomas said that it was not legal in Germany (maybe his province) to hunt or carry loaded firearms in such thick habitat. He explained that is why they use their dogs to chase the game out. My response was that if he thought this cover was thick, wait until he sees the next one! The law against carrying a loaded gun in heavy cover is the reason we train for the Stöbern in the VGP--it simulates dogs driving game out of heavy cover so the hunters can legally shoot. Germany has a land mass of 356,974 sq. kms. or roughly 1/3 the size of Ontario. Its climate can best be described as moderate with little yearly accumulations of snow, except in the mountains of the south. Basically, there is no ground penetrating frost. This relatively mild climate is determined by the warm Gulf Stream moving from the Atlantic up into the North Sea. The climate is very conducive to the production of many varied species of wildlife. After the end of the WWI hunting in Germany underwent a drastic change. Up until this time all hunting was controlled by the aristocrats who also happened to be the owners of most of the land. Between then and the 1930's, all of hunting lands in Germany, roughly 32 million hectares, was broken up into “Revieren“ or hunting areas. “Revier” is the German term for a hunting area; the plural is “Revieren.” Germany is made up of 29.8% woods, 53.0 % agriculture, 2.3 % water with the remaining being residential areas. All Revieren are mapped with known sizes and boundaries. Each Revier could, and in most cases does, have many land owners. There are two categories of Reviers; Niederwild and Hochwild. Niederwild is a Revier mainly with hunting of small game; pheasants, hare, foxes and deer etc. The Rehwild, the small European deer, is considered as Niederwild. Hochwild, high or big game, is mainly a Revier with large game hunting. Such game might include but is not limited to; Rotwild (red deer), Dam Hirsch (Fallow Deer), Schwarzwild (wild boar) and Muffelwild (a species of sheep) etc. Hochwild are sometimes


www.VDD-GNA.org described as “Schalenwild” meaning hoofed game. Usually a Niederwild is rented for a 9 year period. A Hochwild is usually rented for a 12 year period. The maximum size of a Reiver, if rented by one hunter, is 1000 hectares. If two hunters get together they can rent a Revier of 2000 hectares, and so on. The smallest Revier, if not owned by the hunter, is 250 hectares. If the hunter owns the land then a Revier can be as small as 75 hectares. There is much misunderstanding about the hunting culture in Germany. You have probably heard that only the rich can hunt in Germany and that the common person is shut out. That is absolutely false! In 2005/2006 there were 348,000 licensed hunters in Germany. The hunters plus foresters and the agriculture industry will tell you that this is not nearly enough hunters. To become a licensed hunter in Germany it takes up to two years with much studying plus written, oral and practical exams. Yes the government has set up a Revier hunting system and yes you must have enough money to be able to rent a Revier. That being said, if only the renting hunter were allowed to hunt, Germany would be over-run with game. As many of us know the Germans are sticklers for paperwork and record keeping. Every piece of game, whether hit by a car or harvested by the gun is recorded.

Alverskirchen, A Review in Westfalen, Germany

In this next part, it is a little complicated so I’m only going speak about it in a general terms. Each year the Revier owner and the government agree on a harvest quota by species and it is the Revier owners’ responsibility to meet these quotas. Species like Rehwild, Hasen, Pheasants and so on are for the most part Revier specific; meaning that for the most part these species’ range

is never outside of the Revier. Many species such as the Rotwild, Damwild, Muffelwild have an annual range that spreads over a number of Revieren. To manage these species a “Hegering” (no English translation) system was developed. A Hegering could be 8 or more Revieren that border on each other. Each Hegering has a Hegering Führer which oversees the harvest of these larger game species. When, for example, a Rotwild is shot, the Revier owner must inform the Hegering Führer. He/she keeps track of it and when the yearly quota of this species is getting close to being filled, the Revier owners are informed. I’m not sure if this quota system applies farther south in Germany where many of the Revieren are Niederwild. I don’t believe the government puts a quota on how many pheasants or Hasen can or should be harvested yearly although exact harvest records must be kept. I have been on Niederwild drive hunts in central Germany where there were 35 guns and many drivers involved. The only hunting instructions given to me was a single one; do not shoot hen pheasants. That particular afternoon we harvested 102 Hasen and 97 pheasants. Every Revier owner in Germany knows exactly the health and populations levels of the “Wild” (game) in their Revier. To my knowledge there are also no quotas for predators such as foxes, Marderhunde (raccoon dog), raccoons and so on. The The same holds true for wild boars. If you have ever walked into a German hunter’s house you will see most, if not all, of the deer antlers he/she has ever shot. At first I thought this was a little overkill, especially when you see every antler from the Knopf Bocke (button buck) to the old male antlers. Partly it’s the hunting culture, but the larger reason is that these are the breeding males. It’s very much like the reason we have breedshows. The DD has as very specific standard which is measured or evaluated at a Breed Show. Likewise, all deer species have a particular antler standard or design. If a male deer has a misshaped set of antlers he may pass this on to his sons, so he is selected for harvest. If a DD does not meet the standard it is stamped "Not for Breeding!"


www.VDD-GNA.org Each February there is a Hochwild Hegering meeting where each Revier owner in the Hegering must attend and bring all the male antlers harvested that year. This proves the harvesting of the quota required. It’s also a way for the Hegering members to evaluate and discuss the health of their animals. I said “their” animals because in Germany if you are a land owner you own everything over it, on it or under it. When a hunter rents a Revier, they now own the animals and birds over it, on it or under it. In Part II, I will try to explain hunting methods in Germany, and how these hunting methods determines how the dogs are used. In closing here is a list of the German harvest totals for the hunting year 2005 through 2006.

GAME TRANSLATION QUANTITY

Rotwild Red Deer 62,902

Damwild Fallow Deer 52,186

Muffelwild Muffelon Sheep 6,481

Rehwild Small European Deer 1,077,441

Gamswild Type of mountain goat in Southern Germany 3,767

Schwarzwild Wild Boar 476,645

Hasen European Hare 519,565

Kaninchen Small Cottontail Rabbit 189,699

Fasanen Pheasant 377,896

Hun Hungarian Partridge 13,181

Waldschnepfen European Woodcock 15,612

Gansen Geese - becoming more popular each year 29,469

Enten Ducks - mostly mallard ducks 495,880

Wild Tauben Wood Pigeon 960,306

Fuch Fox 604,452

Dachse Badger 51,084

Edeimarder Type of Martin with yellow breast 1,517

Steinmarde Type of Martin with white breast 53,496

Iltisse & Wiesel Weasels 25,833

Waschbär Raccoon - increasing in numbers 30,233

Marderhunde “Raccoon Dog” - increasing in numbers 30,016 George Boyd is the Breedwarden for Group Canada and lives in Nova Scotia This article is made available from Group Canada and its Newsletter Editor Jude Gerstein and lives in Ontario. Thank you to both for allowing us the opportunity to read this fine article.


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OFFICIAL GNA TEST SCHEDULE Submit ALL paperwork to the TEST DIRECTOR.

Important notice to handlers interested in entering a dog in this year's Hegewald: The Hegewald this year is being held in a German state with severe restrictions on duck work. Dogs that have previously performed duck searches under judgment will NOT be allowed to participate in the Hegewald. If you are thinking of entering your dog in the

Hegewald, DO NOT run it in an HZP or Armbruster prior to the Hegewald. VJP: Test Fee $85 DEADLINE to ENTER: 30 days prior to test

DATE CHAPTER / PLACE TEST DIRECTOR and Coordinator COMMENTS 2 -3 May

Midwest North Amidon ND Private Land

TD: Ned Sorley, PO Box 206, Loretto MN 55357, 763-479-6760 [email protected] TC: Ned Sorley, [email protected] 763-479-6760

DATE CHANGE

2 -3 May

Great Plains Craig CO

TD: Ed Hollowed, P.O. Box 1106, Meeker CO 81641, 970-878-5133 [email protected] TC: Ed Hollowed, [email protected] 970-878-5133

include email with entry

2 -3 May

Atlantic Fort Ann NY Apple Orchard

TD: Nick Starika, 1817 Parkside Drive, NW, Washington DC 20012, 202.957.3908 [email protected] TC: Jenny Horstman, [email protected] 510-636-5709

17 -18 Apr

Midwest North Nekoosa WI Private Land

TD: Gordon Spaete, 17215 Lake Ct., Galesville WI 54630, 608/582-4216 [email protected] TC: Mike Hack, [email protected] 715-886-5999

24 -25 Apr

Midwest North Janesville MN Schmidt Farm

TD: Chris Schmidt, 61405 187th St, Janesville MN 56048, 507-245-3070 [email protected] TC: Chris Schmidt, [email protected] 507-245-3070

1 -2 May

Midwest North Amidon ND Private Land


HZP: Test Fee $100 DEADLINE to ENTER: 30 days prior to test DATE CHAPTER / PLACE TEST DIRECTOR and Coordinator COMMENTS

12 -13 Sep

Wild West Farmington NM BLM

TD: Todd Bowling, 8105 Saddlebrook Ave. NW, Albuquerque NM 87120, 505-237-9834 [email protected] TC: Shawn Giacoletto, [email protected] 505-320-7457

w/ hare track send email

12 -13 Sep



w/o hare track

18 -20 Sep

Wild West Logan UT Pacific Corp

TD: Cal Bambrough, 3673 N 2225 E, Layton UT 84040, 801-776-6499 [email protected] TC: Shane Loveland, [email protected] 435-237-9266

w/o hare Incl. email

19 -20 Sep

Midwest North Janesville MN Schmidt Farm

TD: Chris Schmidt, 61405 187th St, Janesville MN 56048, 507-245-3070 [email protected] TC: Chris Schmidt, [email protected] 507-245-3070

w/o hare track

26 -27 Sep

Midwest North Marine on St Croix MN Kelly Farms


w/o hare track

7 -10 Oct

Great Plains Cheyenne WY

TD: Roger M. Green, 11611 East Tom Sawyer Rd., Evansville WY 82636, 307-473-1115 [email protected] TC: Mark Heuer, [email protected] 307-778-9510

ARMBRUSTER; w/hare track

17 -18 Oct

Heartland Guss IA Local farm

TD: Al Asherin, 12734 Skypark Drive, Omaha NE 68137, 402-896-0267 [email protected] TC: Gary Stuart, [email protected] 402-597-8747

w/o hare trk, inc e-mail

17 -18 Oct

Great Plains Grand Island NE

TD: Jill Manring, 47305 375th Rd., Ravenna NE 68869, 308-452-4333 [email protected] TC: Jill Manring, [email protected] 308-452-4333

w/o hare; provide email

VGP: Test Fee $150, day or overnight track DEADLINE to ENTER: 30 days prior to test


www.VDD-GNA.org DATE CHAPTER / PLACE TEST DIRECTOR and Coordinator COMMENTS

10 -11 Sep



dab method - TF

12 -13 Sep

Wild West Logan UT Cache Forest

TD: Phil Anderson, 875 N 325 E, Brigham City UT 84302, 435-237-9255 [email protected] TC: Phil Anderson, [email protected] 435-237-9255

Dabbed TF/ÜF Incl. email

24 -25 Sep

Midwest North Marine on St Croix WI Kelly Farms


dab method - TF

24 -25 Oct

Great Plains Valley Falls KS

TD: Jill Manring, 47305 375th Rd., Ravenna NE 68869, 308-452-4333 [email protected] TC: Larry Martin, [email protected] 785-945-3411

dab method; provide email

Breed Show: Test Fee $75 DEADLINE to ENTER: 30 days prior to test DATE CHAPTER / PLACE TEST DIRECTOR and Coordinator COMMENTS

17 -17 Apr

Great Plains Watertown SD

TD: Linda Reeves, 1647 Greenbriar Drive, Metamora IL 61548, (309) 822-8346 [email protected] TC: Lona Kluck, [email protected] (605) 882-2210

2 -2 May

Heartland Spring Bay IL

TD: Linda Reeves, 1647 Greenbriar Dr, Metamora IL 61548, 309-822-8346 [email protected] TC: Linda Reeves, [email protected] 309-822-8346

cancelled

30 -30 May

Atlantic Carlisle PA Fish & Game

TD: Nancy Bohs, 433 Stokes Road, Shamong NJ 08088, 609-654-6005 [email protected] TC: Nancy Bohs, [email protected] 609-654-6005

4 -4 Oct Heartland Guss IA

TD: Linda Reeves, 1647 Greenbriar Dr, Metamora IL 61548, 309-822-8346 [email protected] TC: Linda Reeves, [email protected] 309-822-8346

cancelled

Submit ALL paperwork to the TEST DIRECTOR.

No Puppy Listings: The Most Current Puppy and Litter Listing are on the web page:

Please go to the VDD-GNA.org website for the most current and up to date litter listings. Ed.


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Minutes of the 39th Annual General Membership Meeting of VDD-Group North America

Hosted by the Big Rivers Chapter at Hammond, Louisiana 31 January 2009

1.Call to order A. Chairman Bryan Beaton called to order Annual General Membership meeting at 2:50 PM on 31 January 2009 in

Hammond, Louisiana. 1. Standing moment of silence for our deceased members and friends in VDD.

2. Recognition of Guests: Frank Wagner from Wachendorf Germany was recognized for his contributions to our meeting and seminars.

B. Membership Attendance: All members of the Executive Committee and all Chapter representatives present.

C. Welcome to all members and guests in attendance.

2.Alterations to agenda Motion to add under New Business J: Approval of Budget. Motion carried.

3.Reading of the Minutes of the 38th Annual General Membership Meeting

Motion to suspend reading of the minutes and approve as published. Approved.

4.Presentation of Awards The following members were recognized and their awards are to be presented at their next Chapter function: GNA EXEMPLARY SERVICE AWARD TO: Bruce Anderson Brad Blazek Keith Woodworth GNA DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD TO: Nancy Bohs Shane Deford Geoff Mathews Keith Phillipi Frank Wagner

5.Executive Committee Reports 1. Chairman: Discussion of Matrix changes and weather conditions for testing in various locations

along with test reporting requirements. Reported that the Blätter is now available on the GNA web site. Reported that the Questions on Test Practices translations are progressing with the VZPO completed and now available and the VGPO portion now being translated. Reported that the Midwest North Chapter has donated funds back to GNA totaling $3,600 which included $2,250 toward the 2008 Armbruster, $850 toward the prize table and $500 for the Elk Fund (for overseas travel).

2. Vice Chairman: Discussed educational seminars and other needs of the Group and Chapters. Commented that the Chapters may be sending test reports directly to JGHV at some future time. Reported on tests completed in the past year and the need for the Chapters to develop additional performance judges for impending future needs.

3. Business Manager: Reported that the 2008 year ended with 1,063 members. Voting at the Annual Meeting will be as follows: Atlantic 148, Big Rivers 122, Great Lakes 128, Great Plains 146, Heartland 115, Midwest North 157, Southeast Hunter 116, and Wild West 131.


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4. Treasurer: Reported on the Bank balances and current funds available to the Chapters and other programs.

5. Breedwarden: Reported on the 2008 year end statistics that included 92 litters with 690 puppies whelped in GNA. This included 24% black roan puppies, the previous year was 21.6% and we need to try to get this below 20 %. Commented on the current status of puppy sales with reference to the 29 litters that are currently listed on the GNA web site. In 2008 there were ten Breed Shows in GNA. Three Breed Show judges (previously apprentice judges) completed their training at the 2008 Hegewald: Mike Talbot, Blaine Eickelschulte and Jim Strilich. In addition to this being an important accomplishment for these three dedicated members individually, it is also important because the next opportunity will not arrive until 2010. Discussed the AI Breeding proposal that has been submitted to VDD. Thanked the Chapter Breedwardens for all of the work that they do.

6. Newsletter Editor: Discussed the proposed change from six to four printings per year. The most current information about club activities is available on the GNA web site and is often out dated by the time it is published so the Newsletter will get a new focus. There is the possibility of including a message board on the web site for disseminating announcements and current information that can be read by the members. Current rule books are available from Documents Distribution.

6.Old Business a) Auditors’ Report, FY 2008: The auditors were Gene Kluck and Jerry Williams. Gene Kluck

submitted the report and his findings stated that there were no discrepancies noted. A motion to accept the auditors’ report was approved.

b) A motion to relieve the Executive Committee of financial responsibility was approved. c) Armbruster 2008 Report: There were26 dogs tested. The Heartland Chapter was commended

for a very successful test. The Chapter organizers had developed a budget for the event and there were several fundraisers involved and donations from other Chapters which resulted in only $5,900 of the total expenses coming from the GNA general fund.

d) Election of Executive Committee Officers: Larry Reeves and Rhonda Feazel were appointed Election Officials and conducted the election. Nominations were called for and the members of the current Executive Committee was nominated for a three year term. There were no other nominations and a motion to close the nominations was approved. Chairman Bryon Beaton and Vice-Chairman Dr. Edward Carney were reelected by secret ballot. Treasurer Fred Turjan, Breedwarden Lynn Whiteley, Newsletter Editor Larry Houck and Business Manager Jim Wion were reelected by open vote.

7.New business 1. Auditor Selection: Ashley Drury accepted the nomination and was elected to server as GNA

Auditor for FY 2009 and FY 2010. Dr. Gene Kluck was previously elected to serve for FY 2008 and FY 2009.

2. 2009 Armbruster Update: 7-10 October, with hare track at Cheyenne, WY. Roger Green will be the Test Director. He expects 50 entries with participation from German handlers and judges. Additional information is available in the GNA Newsletter and the GNA web site.

3. 2010 Armbruster: The Wild West Chapter proposal for the Armbruster to be held at Boise, Idaho was previously approved. Dates and other details are not yet available.

4. 2011 Armbruster host recommendation: No proposals have been received. Chapters are encouraged to give this consideration and make a proposal as soon as possible.


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5. It is proposed to amend the NL publication dates from 6 times each year to 4 times per year. The dates were amended to Spring, Fall, Summer and Winter. This motion was opposed by Great Lakes Chapter and Heartland Chapter, but was approved by vote. Due to the revised publication dates a motion to delete section 1.1.6 of the GNA JGHV Rules of Procedure which listed specific dates for test announcements was also approved.

6. Proposal for Chapters to host the GNA AGM on a rotational basis: 2. Motion to add paragraph 5.3 to the GNA Rules of Procedure: Each Chapter will host the

GNA Annual Meeting on a rotational schedule. Motion carries. 3. Motion to add section 13.2 Each Chapter will host the GNA Annual Meeting on a

rotational schedule beginning as follows: Great Lakes 2010, Great Plains 2011, Wild West 2012, Heartland 2013, Midwest North 2014, Atlantic 2015, Southeast Hunter 2016, and Big Rivers 2017. The GNA Annual Meeting should take place during the first six months of each calendar year. Motion carries.

7. Proposal to limit Elk Fund sponsorship for travel to Germany to one occasion per member: It was decided that this would continue to be available on a discretionary basis.

8. Great Plains Chapter motion to produce an Armbruster Brochure: The brochure was approved with some corrections as noted.

9. Southeast Hunter Chapter proposals: 1. Motion to change JGHV ROP 1.1.2 by removing $900 requirement for

Blood Track tests and change 6 dog minimum to 3 dog minimum. Motion carries. 2. Motion to change GNA ROP 13.1 remove “additional costs” and replace with

“business cost” for clarity. Motion carries. 3. Proposal to develop guidelines. VDD Bylaws and GNA Rules of Procedure already

provide guidance. 4. Proposal regarding JGHV participation for better communication. This is already

underway and problems regarding test grounds and climate differences were discussed. 5. Proposal regarding definition of “member in good standing.” Violations of the VDD

Bylaws or the VDD Breeding regulations must be documented and then will be reported.

6. Conference calls were discussed. 7. Alcohol policy was discussed. Original motion was withdrawn. Recommendation was

made to add wording to the SOP part of the liability form that each participant must sign at GNA events: “NO alcohol use until AFTER testing is complete or training work involving firearms is complete.” There were no objections.

10. Other proposals and motions: 1. Approval of Budget: Copies of the proposed budget for FY 2009 were distributed.

A motion to accept the budget as prepared was approved. 2. Provision of the proposed Purina PetCare Support agreement that GNA will enter into in

the near future were discussed. Purina will be the exclusive pet food sponsor at GNA events and will provide funds, dog food and materials in support of the Armbruster and the GNA Annual meeting in the future. Purina shall be the official dog food sponsor of GNA and will be provided a full page ad in the GNA Newsletter.

8.Adjournment Chairman Bryon Beaton adjourned the meeting at 5:57M. Minutes submitted by:

]|Å E. James Wion VDD-GNA Business Manager


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Summary of the VDD Annual Membership Meeting, 21 April 2009, Hofbieber-

Langenbieber, Germany Overall, I was pleased that the agenda items and operational issues we were concerned with moved forward in a favorable manner. While some were not approved to become effective immediately, a foundation was laid that should result in approval either during this year or at the time of next year's Annual Meeting. Proposal from Groups Nordbayern and Artland-Südoldenburg: Breeding Regulations, Article 9-- All breeding evaluations must be done at a breedshow- Passed (A dog must go to a breedshow to qualify for breeding) A contingency was included that allows the main breedwarden to approve "special situations" Breeding Regulations, Article 30-- Change 18 month minimum breedshow age to 15 months- Passed (NOTE: The Armbruster announcement in the Blatter is OK as it is. We do not need to change the 18 month min. age to 15 months. The Breedshow rating of dogs at least 15 months of age will be accepted) Proposals from Group Südbayern: Specify OCD as a breeding disqualification-- Did not pass as submitted. An agreement was accepted; The Main Breedwarden must watch and if he sees an OCD trend he must disapprove the dog for breeding. Specify Epilepsy as a breeding disqualification-- A very lengthy discussion on this proposal resulted in an acknowledgement of additional problems that should also be considered. The Board decided to authorize the Breeding Committee (VDD to VDH) to set up a list of all potential problems and vote on it next year. Discussion regarding Schleswig-Holstein's trial program of using a flight-capable ducks for water work: JGV Group Schleswig-Holstein is engaged in a trial program using a flight-capable duck in the Search Behind The Live Duck water-work subject. A problem with using conditioned ducks has been that some of them fly away before the dog gets close to them. It was decided that, so far in the trial program, this method is unreliable in showing that a dog could actually produce the duck by following it's water scent and additional data should be accumulated during the next 2-3 years before VDD could again consider supporting a change to the existing duck rule. Group North America's Artificial Insemination Proposal; This proposal was very well received with many good comments being made regarding its thoroughness and presentation. Several key figures expressed confidence that it will result in special permission being approved for GNA. It is now in the hands of the Breeding Committee members who will move forward with setting up the special regulations in preparation for a vote at the VDD's 2010 AM. Prior to 2010, its possible that the adjusted regulations will be completed in time for a VDD Board of Director's vote at this years Hegewald. Of course a change to the breeding regulations still requires a vote by the membership. Miscellaneous items: Special or accidental breedings- No change to the Breeding regulations. The Group Breedwarden must communicate with the Main Breedwarden who will decide a course of action. It is not necessary to change the Breeding Regulations for only a small number of unusual situations. A new Group from Bulgaria was accepted into VDD. Apparently there are three DD clubs in that country but only one so far has applied for affiliation with VDD.


www.VDD-GNA.org A motion to add special pins for 50 and 60 years of membership in VDD and a unique lapel pin for recipients of VDD's highest award, the club statuette, was approved. Almost 25% of VDD litters produced originate from GNA. We represent just under 10% of VDD's 11,331 membership base. Note from 2008 Hegewald speaker. Too many dogs failed. All Groups must do a better job of qualifying dogs in both performance and breed standards before they nominate them to the Hegewald. "International Armbruster" must be on all Armbruster score sheets and Armbruster test documents that are submitted to Germany. 2008 Zuchtbuchs. GNA should, within the next 30 days, receive a pdf file for the purpose of printing the 2008 Zuchtbuchs here in the States. JGHV Breeder and Handler Awards. I have reviewed with Wolf the proper format for requesting these awards and will be forwarding our request to Dr. Frank as soon as all information can be assembled in its proper form. Approved awards will likely be presented at the 2010 JGHV Annual Meeting. Breeding Restricted Stamp: Following a suggestion by one of our breeders, and in an effort to intimidate non-VDD breeders who intend to mate approved-for-breeding DDs with other breeds or non-VDD wirehairs, I explored the possibility of placing some type of "Breeding Restricted" stamp on Ahnentafels. This type of stamp could dissuade anyone who might be considering using a DD in violation of the VDD Breeding Regulations from following through. Such a stamp could offer a means of reducing the number of DDs that are being used to enhance the American German Wire Haired Pointer population. Further review with VDD Breedwarden, Sigurd Croneiss, is required before this option can be implemented. Testing Matrix. It appears that our best approach to solving a few issues proprietary to testing in North America; VGP testing in Jan. and Feb., testing at certain locals such as those bordered by fences, and game available for testing, is through petitions for changes to the Matrix. GNA's Board, together with all other Association clubs in North America will begin working towards these goals. Resignations. Conversations during the time I was in Germany indicate that Dirk Frh.v. Eller-Eberstein, Wolf Schmidt-Koerby, and Berndt Grabert do not intend to run for office again next year. At this time I am not aware of anyone who intends to run for the vacated positions. Bryon Beaton Chairman, VDD e.V. Group North America


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Group North America Chapter Officers 1 March 2009 ATLANTIC: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia Chairman- Nick Starika, 1817 Parkside Dr. NW, Washington, DC 20012, (202) 722-4868, [email protected] Vice Chairman- Jon Prescott, 25 Sunrise Dr., Morris Plains, NJ 07950, (973) 656-0531, [email protected] Bus. Manager- Scott Shirey, 241 N. Middlesex Rd., Carlisle, PA 17013, (717) 245-9808, [email protected] Breed Warden- Nancy Bohs, 433 Stokes Road, Shamong, NJ 08088, (609) 654-6005, [email protected] Dir of Testing- Bob Secoura, 3205 Buck Run Trail, Wake Forest, NC 27587, (919) 562-2144, [email protected] BIG RIVERS: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas Chairman- Brandt Hardy, 1914 Pericles St., Baton Rouge, LA 70808, (225) 344-2195, [email protected] Vice Chairman- Chad Crissup, 10915 S. Winston Ave., Tulsa, OK 74137, (918) 299-6964, [email protected] Bus. Manager- Tom Morgan, 3802 Vincentian Lane, Bridgeton, MO 63044, (314) 298-1188, [email protected] Breed Warden- Hank Lippert, 1708 N. Hickory Ridge, Malden, MO 63863, (573) 276-2611, [email protected] Dir of Testing- Leonard Baker, Jr., 7770 NE Watts Rd., Fletcher, OK, 73541, (580) 492-6284, [email protected] GREAT LAKES: Indiana, Michigan, Ohio Chairman- Todd A. Seiler, 10330 Co. Rd. N-65, Montpelier OH 43543, (419) 485-8369, [email protected] Vice Chairman- James J. Jones, 23482 CR 4, Elkhart IN 46514, (574) 206-9465, [email protected] Bus. Manager- Daniel J. Crusey, 15105 Gandy Eddy Rd., Marysville OH 43040, (937) 246-5807, [email protected] Breed Warden- William E. English, 8831 Skuse Rd., Pittsford MI 49271, (517) 523-2042, [email protected] Dir of Testing- James J. Jones, 23482 CR 4, Elkhart IN 46514, (574) 206-9465, [email protected] GREAT PLAINS: Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, , Wyoming

Chairman- Mark Heuer, 3321 Dillon Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82001, (307) 778-9510, [email protected] Vice Chairman- Randy Willman, 2407 52nd Avenue Crt., Greeley, CO 80634, (970) 218-4484, [email protected] Bus. Manager- Larry McNeese, 17510 East Caspian Place, Aurora, CO 80013, (303) 745-0323, [email protected] Breed Warden- Jeff Westerby, 4215 Utah Avenue, Grand Island, NE 68803, (308) 381-6388, [email protected] Dir of Testing- Ed Hollowed, P.O Box 1106, Meeker, CO 81641, (970) 878-5133, [email protected] HEARTLAND: Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky Chairperson- Rhonda Feazel, 56 West County Line Rd., Brighton, IL 62012, (618) 372-3156, [email protected] Vice Chairman- Jeff Henke, 6442 – 114th Ave., Wapello, IA 52653, (563) 299-4435, [email protected] Bus. Manager- Curt Caldwell, 1316 Lourdes Rd., Metamora, IL 61548, (309) 798-7287, [email protected] Breed Warden- Linda Reeves, 1647 Greenbrier Dr., Metamora, IL 61548, (309) 822-8346, [email protected] Dir of Testing- Jeff Henke, 6442 – 114th Ave., Wapello, IA 52653, (563) 299-4435, [email protected] MIDWEST NORTH: Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin

Chairman- Gordon Spaete, 17215 Lake Ct., Galesville, WI 54630, (608) 582-4216, [email protected] Vice Chairman- Mike Bartz, 610 East Lake Dr., Shell Lake, WI, 54871, (715) 468-7794, [email protected]

Bus. Manager- Faith Wood, 3654 East Martin Ave., Cudahy, WI, 53110, (414) 744-1929, [email protected] Breed Warden- Mike Talbot, 909 Menomonie Lane, Madison, WI 53704, (608) 241-0958, [email protected] Dir of Testing- Mike Bartz, 610 East Lake Dr., Shell Lake, WI, 54871, (715) 468-7794, [email protected] SOUTHEAST HUNTER: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee

Chairman- Forrest Moore, 2898 Denney Rd., Cataula, GA 31804, (706) 582-2793, [email protected] Vice Chairman- Mike Fortner, 1804 Boones Creek Rd., Jonesborough, TN 37659, (423) 753-8838, [email protected] Bus. Manager- Ana Barrios-Sosa, 3675 Yarborough Rd., Olanta, SC 29114, (843) 659-2688, [email protected] Breed Warden- Martin Coffman, DVM, 3748 N. College Ave., Jackson, AL 36545, (251) 247-2358, [email protected] Dir of Testing- Mike Fortner, 1804 Boones Creek Rd., Jonesborough, TN 37659, (423) 753-8838, [email protected] WILD WEST: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Washington

Chairman- Shane Loveland, 262 W. 1025 S., Garland, UT 84312, (435) 257-2808, [email protected] Vice Chairman- Jason Wilde, 4977 W. 2100 S, Taylor, UT 84401 (801) 732-1751, [email protected]

Bus. Manager- Phil Anderson, 875 N. 325 E., Brigham City, UT 84302, (435) 723-5996, [email protected] Breed Warden- Cal Bambrough, 3673 N. 2225 E., Layton, UT 84040, (801) 776-6499, [email protected] Dir of Testing- Jason Wilde, 4977 W. 2100 S, Taylor, UT 84401 (801) 732-1751, [email protected]




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8th International Armbruster-Zuchtprüfung

Group North America of the Verein Deutsch-Drahthaar eV.

7-10 October 2009 Roger M. Green Prüfunglieter Tel: 307-473-1112 Email:[email protected]

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Great Plains Chapter Mark Heuer Chairman/Test Coordinator Tel: 307-778-9510 Email: [email protected]

Congratulations! You have just completed the VJP (Verbands-Jugend-Prüfung). First of 2 breed test (Zuchtprüfung) of the Deutsch-Drahthaar. This test is also known as the Puppy or Natural Ability test. By design the VJP has no trained events. The 2nd of these breed test is the HZP (Verbands-Herstzucht-Prüfung). Like the VJP the natural abilities are again evaluated as well as trained events, primarily retrieving fur/feather from land/water. You and your drahthaar’s participation in these breed tests add valuable information in the never ending quest of improving and evaluating our breed and giving our breeders valuable information for making informed breeding decisions for future Drahthaars. There are 2 International (Showcase) HZP’s where the Best of the Best are assembled to be a primary tools in evaluating the breed as a whole. The first of these is the Hegewald which is held each year in Germany and the 2nd is the Armbruster which is held each year in the United States of America. Both of these tests are restricted entry test requiring high standards for entry. This year the 8th International Armbruster will be held 7-10 October 2009 in Cheyenne, WY. We invite all who have attained the status of being eligible to enter the Armbruster. Contained in this packet you will find: Intent to enter form, Entry form, Chapter contact information and the Armbruster brochure. For logistical support consult GNA’s web site www.vdd-gna.org , menu item: Armbruster 2009. Do not hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions. Roger M. Green



www.VDD-GNA.org

ENTRY FOR THE 2009 ARMBRUSTER Verein Deutsch-Drahthaar e.V. Group North America

8th International Armbruster HZP with hare track 7-10 October 2009, Cheyenne, WY

Send completed entry forms to: Roger M. Green

11611 East Tom Sawyer Rd Evansville, WY 82636

Email: [email protected]

Entries must be received by the 21 August 2009 deadline and include all of the following information: 1. Formblatt 1 (standard JGHV test entry form), plus 2 copies (3 forms total). 2. One copy of both sides of dogs Ahnentafel (green pedigree). 3. This form completed and signed by appropriate judges, plus one additional copy. 4. Entry fee, a check in the amount of $160.00 made payable to VDD/GNA. 5. One copy of the dog’s VJP score sheet (s) and one copy of any other JGHV test that the dog has entered (if any). 6. One copy of the dog’s HN certificate. (Don’t wait for the return of this certificate to send your entry in a timely manner. The entry can even be sent before this is completed but all HN forms must be received by the Breedwarden at least two weeks prior to test date) 7. One copy of the dog’s HD-frei certificate. (Take care of this requirement as soon as possible, but if time is short the entry can and should be sent before this is completed. The handler has until the day of the test to confirm a HD-frei rating to the test director.) 8. Please include email address with entry ( if available). Entry Fee refund policy: If you must withdraw, notify the Test Director asap. The GNA refund policy is specified in the rules of Procedure, however, handlers who have submitted Hip x-rays and whose dog does not receive a HD- frei rating will be eligible for a full refund. Name of dog ______________________________. Name of Handler_________________________________. ZB#(reg#)_________________. Wurfdatum: (whelp date) __________________ Geschlecht (sex): ________ Owner and handler must be a member of Group/ Chapter (ex: VDD-GNA/Heartland) ____________________. 1. VJP Date ________ Location _______________ 2. VJP Date _________ Location ______________ Spurarbeit (track) ___________ pts. Spurarbeit (track) ___________ pts. Nase (nose) __________ pts Nase (nose) __________ pts Suche (search) __________ pts Suche (search) __________ pts Vorstehen (point) __________ pts Vorstehen (point) __________ pts Führigkeit (coop) __________ pts Führigkeit (coop) __________ pts Total __________ pts Total __________ pts Schussfest (gunfire sound) yes ____ no _____ Schussfest (gunfire sound) yes ____ no _____ Sonstige Wesensmängel(other genetic deficiencies) Sonstige Wesensmängel(other genetic deficiencies) __________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Pre Armbruster Waterwork Evaluation a. Gunfire tolerant while in water: yes______ no ______ b. Freely enters water and searches: yes ______ no ______

(To qualify for Armbruster, a dog must freely enter water to search without the presence of a duck). Location: _________________ Date: ________ Association judge __________________________________ __________________________________________(Approved ______) (Not approved_______) 3. Pre Armbruster Form/Hair Evaluation: (solid ‘good’ or better) a. Form: yes______ no________ Hair: yes_______ no_______ (noticeable beard etc) b. Height__________ Length ____________ (male: 61 to 68cm / female: 57 to 64cm) c. Teeth: ok_______ extra or missing _____________________. Location __________________ Date _________ Breed Show Judge _________________________________ _____________________________________________(Approved ) (Not approved______)



www.VDD-GNA.org

For those over the inENTER fo D

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Are you planning to enter the 2009 Armbruster?INTENT TO ENTER FORM
Requested by June 15, 2009 Entry deadline: August 21, 2009

of you that have completed the VJP with 65 points or more and are considering running in the Armbruster, please look formation below. If you feel that your DD will meet these requirements, please fill out and submit the INTENT TO rm below (or on the GNA website). ogs eligible to enter the 2009 Armbruster must meet the following requirements:

1) Have scored a minimum of 65 points at the VJP. 2) Have a clearly defined beard 3) *Meet breed show standards with at least a g / g (determined at Pre-Evaluation). 4) Be certified HD frei. 5) Have the HN designation. 6) Be gunfire tolerant in water (determined at Pre-Evaluation). 7) Be willing to freely enter the water and search (determined at Pre-Evaluation).

By approval of a rule change at the VDD Membership in Fulda March 2005, all Armbruster dogs whelped after April 7, 008 will not be eligible for the Zuchtregister from the 2009 Armbruster Breed Show. These younger dogs are eligible to articipate and will be scored in F/H the same as any other dog, but will have to attend another breed show after aching 18 months of age to be eligible for the Zuchtregister. This subsequent breed show will be performed at the duced rate of $35.

FORMS FOR PRE-ARMBRUSTER EVALUATIONS ARE LOCATED ON www.vdd-gna.org. YOU MAY HAVE YOUR DOG EVALUATED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING, CHAPTER TRAINING DAYS, etc.

INTENT TO ENTER 2009 ARMBRUSTER It is important that you complete this form as notification of your intention to enter.

This will allow us to plan for the number of judges needed and countless other details. (Form also available on www.vdd-gna.org Submit by June 15, 2009)

og’s Name:________________________

OB:______________VJP Score:___________ZB Nr.:________________Color:_____________

other’s Name:__________________________ZB Nr.:__________________________________

ather’s Name:__________________________ZB Nr.:__________________________________

wner’s Name:__________________________Phone:__________________________________

wner’s Address:________________________________________________________________

ity:___________________________________ST:___________Zip:_______________________

mail:__________________________________

Send from by June 15, 2009 to: Roger M. Green

11611 East Tom Sawyer Rd Evansville, WY 82636

Email: [email protected]

This is not an official form. You must submit all necessary forms and payment as shown on the preceding page by the deadline.




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