Hunting with Teckels in Germany
In Germany, the Teckel (or Dackel/ Dachshund) is a traditional hunting breed, but also very common as pet. The two main Dachshund Clubs are the DTK (Deutscher Teckelklub 1888 e.V.) and the VJT (Verein für Jagd-Teckel e.V.), both with their own set of working tests for hunting Teckels and also distinct pedigrees. The main field of work for Teckels in Germany is den hunting and driven hunts. Advanced blood tracking (gut shots, leg shots etc.) is mainly done by specialized blood tracking teams, with traditional scent hounds like the Bavarian Mountain Dog. So, the Teckel is not considered as a tracking breed, but only used for easy tracks. As traditional den hunting is slowly fading, driven hunts are becoming more and more important for Teckel owners: the small spurlaut hounds are now used commonly for this task.
Getting a Puppy from German Lines
The two big German hunting Teckel clubs are the best source of high-quality puppies. The main websites offer a list of availiable puppies with contact details of the breeders: DTK and VJT. In case of questions arising, the websites provide contact information to the breed wardens who can assist with picking the right kennel and puppy for the specific task. Depending on the working line, the archievements of the parents and also the region, puppy prices vary from 800 up to 2000 Euro. Generally, prices are rising and an average puppy is about 1500 Euro at the moment. It is not common in the German Teckel community to get a puppy for a stud fee. Stud fees are normally cheaper than an average puppy, between 250 and 1000 Euro.
Understanding Pedigrees
In most cases, you will not see the parents and grand-parents of your puppy work, unless you life close by or ask for permission to attend a hunt with the dogs involved. Mosty, you need to rely on the information provided by the pedigree – this means you need to understand the club-specific terms. For DTK pedigrees, please click here.