Drahthaar male pups available

[30338]

No affiliation, but VD Westmark has 3 beautiful male drahthaar pups available. Parents have excellent backgrounds. If mine were two years older I'd snag one. You can find them on instagram and I think on Facebook or via google search.

 

[30338]

Dang, all kinds of good litters on the ground. I don't do Facebook but Granite Creek Drahthaars has a beautiful litter down. The mom is out of Vom Slaney Vale which is a well respected Canadian kennel. Sounds like males available.

Wanting to resist the puppy itch this year lol. I need to quit looking.

 

[Jason Snyder]

v.d Outlaw has a dynamite litter on the ground as well. I think there is one male still available.

 

[Gonewest]

I’m curious about this breed. Who here has one? What are the traits that you like and dislike?

 

[huntineveryday]

I have a German Wirehair. Similar, but different. I hunt with a couple guys that run drahts, one of them breeds them. I was considering getting one when looking for my last pup, but found a great wirehair breeder fairly close by and went that direction instead.

Drahts are highly driven hunting machines, are versatile breeds that can handle a variety of game species well, can track large game, and have coats that can take heavy brush and cold temps pretty well. The VDD testing and breeding program helps ensure more consistency throughout the breed for both hunting traits and confirmation. Lots of good with the breed and the VDD program.

They need a job and should be hunted though. There can still be some differences from breeder to breeder, so search to find one that hunts thier dogs the way you will hunt yours. I've seen a few that were a little sharper with other dogs and I'd expect them to jump in and tussle with any critters you come across in the field (porcupines, skunks, cats). The breed is darker coated with an undercoat, so care needs to be taken if you are working them in the heat.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I’m curious about this breed. Who here has one? What are the traits that you like and dislike?

I have two.

There isn’t much to dislike, as long as you are comfortable training the dogs like they should be trained. They are incredibly intelligent and need an alpha. I’m not saying be abusive. Far from it. But be the leader of the pack and have high expectations.

Mine are incredible upland dogs. They do very well in the water, although I only duck hunt a few times a year. They go with me big game hunting and are very good blood trackers.

They are good companions and love their humans. Ours go snowshoeing and paddle boarding with us. We don’t keep them in runs outside. They are part of the family. They have a good off switch and are content napping in their crates.

They do take a significant investment of training time if you want the full potential out of them. Otherwise it’s like having a Porsche and running it in second gear.

 

[Jason Snyder]

The breed is darker coated with an undercoat, so care needs to be taken if you are working them in the heat.

This is the only real drawback IMO, if it’s over 70-75 I’ll probably opt out of hunting them. Hiking yes, hunting no.

 

[Gonewest]

I have two.

There isn’t much to dislike, as long as you are comfortable training the dogs like they should be trained. They are incredibly intelligent and need an alpha. I’m not saying be abusive. Far from it. But be the leader of the pack and have high expectations.

Mine are incredible upland dogs. They do very well in the water, although I only duck hunt a few times a year. They go with me big game hunting and are very good blood trackers.

They are good companions and love their humans. Ours go snowshoeing and paddle boarding with us. We don’t keep them in runs outside. They are part of the family. They have a good off switch and are content napping in their crates.

They do take a significant investment of training time if you want the full potential out of them. Otherwise it’s like having a Porsche and running it in second gear.

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Great information. Thank you for sharing. What are their personalities like?

 

[Bull_n_heat]

I agree with what @Jason Snyder says about his. You definitely need to be in-charge, or they'll walk all over you. If mine gets exercise, he's the chillest, hammiest dog out there. Without exercise (or mental work), he'll drive me nuts. He'll hunt about anything I can convince him is fun (birds, blood, antlers), but can definitely be a stubborn mofo.

People seem to like him, despite the fact that when he "meets" someone, he walks past them like they don't exist. He warms up eventually, but if he's outside of the house, he's hunting. Could care less about other dogs, humans, livestock, etc. Inside, he's either really lovey-dovey, or trying to manipulate me into taking him outside (can't figure out which).

I would get another one, but I would think if you didn't spend a ton of time with them, you really might want to pull your hair out and certainly wouldn't get the full potential of them.

 

[Gonewest]

I agree with what @Jason Snyder says about his. You definitely need to be in-charge, or they'll walk all over you. If mine gets exercise, he's the chillest, hammiest dog out there. Without exercise (or mental work), he'll drive me nuts. He'll hunt about anything I can convince him is fun (birds, blood, antlers), but can definitely be a stubborn mofo.

People seem to like him, despite the fact that when he "meets" someone, he walks past them like they don't exist. He warms up eventually, but if he's outside of the house, he's hunting. Could care less about other dogs, humans, livestock, etc. Inside, he's either really lovey-dovey, or trying to manipulate me into taking him outside (can't figure out which).

I would get another one, but I would think if you didn't spend a ton of time with them, you really might want to pull your hair out and certainly wouldn't get the full potential of them.

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Love the second pic. What do they do while you deer hunt with them? I’m assuming they stay by your side. Do they stay near while glassing? How long did it take to ge them to that point?

 

[Jason Snyder]

Great information. Thank you for sharing. What are their personalities like?

Our male is more independent, more hard headed, a little aloof around strangers, and a little protective. He takes more pressure during training but has a short memory when he gets in trouble. He’s more content inside when we’re busy and has a very good off switch.

Our female is very eager to please, very high energy, always wants human contact, is more apt to be friends with strangers, but is also showing a little protective nature. She is very sensitive to pressure during training and needs to be reminded she is loved after a harder correction. She’s going 90 mph the minute she comes out of her crate in the morning, but will go in and chill out if you tell her to.

 

[Jason Snyder]

What do they do while you deer hunt with them? I’m assuming they stay by your side. Do they stay near while glassing?

Mine stay at heel while hiking and just chillax while glassing.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

My GSP turns 10 this year and I already know my next dog will be a DD. Maybe its time to grab a puppy

 

[Gonewest]

I’ve been debating for awhile but finally pulled the trigger. I get to pickup my male pup next week.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I’ve been debating for awhile but finally pulled the trigger. I get to pickup my male pup next week.

What kennel?

 

[Gonewest]

What kennel?

Vom Buck Creek in Michigan. He’s just a small kennel that has a litter every couple of years. The sire is from Vom Entenmoore in Iowa. Both parents are prize 1 in vgp. I believe the sire received 112na in NAVHDA too.

 

[Bull_n_heat]

Love the second pic. What do they do while you deer hunt with them? I’m assuming they stay by your side. Do they stay near while glassing? How long did it take to ge them to that point?

Same as Jason here. I heel them (got two mutts in tow now) when walking in to a spot. Stalking, I have to ride them a little harder, and carry a small lead with me in the moment of truth. I don't think they've cost me an animal yet, but it certainly adds a lot to the stalk. Adds to the memory to have them there too of course.

Definitely have to ride them a little bit while glassing, but they're manageable. My preference would be to go nowhere without the "hand of God" around their neck (shock collar), but I've done so without too much issue. Judiciously letting them run their ya-yas out from time to time seems to help too. Really just have to make sure you're in a spot I'm comfortable letting them run a bit. My preference would be to go nowhere without the "hand of God" around their neck (shock collar) - I can pull them back pretty quickly with just a page.

I think by the first summer of scouting for bucks and bulls, the dog pretty much figured out the drill and would be ok sitting for a glassing session. I can still remember the first time a bull walked about 40 yards from us though - he was shaking so badly I thought he might still be chasing that bull if I'd have let him.

 

[Gonewest]

Same as Jason here. I heel them (got two mutts in tow now) when walking in to a spot. Stalking, I have to ride them a little harder, and carry a small lead with me in the moment of truth. I don't think they've cost me an animal yet, but it certainly adds a lot to the stalk. Adds to the memory to have them there too of course.

Definitely have to ride them a little bit while glassing, but they're manageable. My preference would be to go nowhere without the "hand of God" around their neck (shock collar), but I've done so without too much issue. Judiciously letting them run their ya-yas out from time to time seems to help too. Really just have to make sure you're in a spot I'm comfortable letting them run a bit. My preference would be to go nowhere without the "hand of God" around their neck (shock collar) - I can pull them back pretty quickly with just a page.

I think by the first summer of scouting for bucks and bulls, the dog pretty much figured out the drill and would be ok sitting for a glassing session. I can still remember the first time a bull walked about 40 yards from us though - he was shaking so badly I thought he might still be chasing that bull if I'd have let him.

Thank you taking the time to respond! Great story and information

 

[30338]

I was able to resist so far this year lol. My favorite time to grab a pup with my schedule is January. Gives me 9 months to train, then hunt for a fall, then do testing when they are a bit more mature. January 2026 I'll add another if I can hold out.

For guys wanting more info, check out https://www.vdd-gna.org/breeders/.
I went to a few training days before I decided to get involved with a pup. Most chapters have a good group of folks who help with training and testing questions.

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

My male is my first DD after owning and training labs since I was a teenager. I wanted a do-all dog and couldn't be happier with him. My breeder asked me to commit to taking him through HZP before agreeing to sell me a pup and told me if I took him through VGP I'd have the type of dog everyone wants. He couldn't have been more right. It was a huge time commitment but I'm so glad I did it.

Mine has an extremely laid-back personality. He loves people and does great in public but when he's at home he's protective if unknown people show up. He's a big teddy bear in the house and just chills and hangs out with the family. Since he was a pup people have commented on how calm he is and assumed he was much older than he really is. When he sees me put on my boots or grab my whistle he turns into a different dog though. He doesn't take much pressure to correct but he can be stubborn at times. He also gets bored with the same training day in and day out so it's best to mix it up.

I duck hunt him and upland hunt him about equal amounts and does well at both. He gets a handful of blood tracks in each year as well.