Drathaar/kurzhaar owners

[Vandy321]

I can Google with the best of them, but wanted to chat with some Drat owners...we just lost an 8 year old retriever to cancer. She was a great pup and was one of our 2 family dogs (other is a husky). I never hunted the retriever when we lived in La...we got her at 1 year old and could never get her over being gun shy.

Fast forward, we live in CO and are looking to add another dog to the family, a female to avoid dominance issues with our male.

I'm looking at drathaars as an all around dog, a little upland, a little waterfowl, and alot of being a family dog too, road trips, elk scouting trips, camping, etc.

I know they can hunt, are versatile and can even track a bit...how are they with other dogs and wrestling/playing/running, how about families/kids (are they attached or aloof?), energy level. How is their health? Any traits to look out for like hips, cancer, etc?

Just looking for some general breed insight from actual owners and not just what I read on the Google.

Thanks

 

[Carr5vols]

Following. This is my next dog as well.

 

[MR5X5]

I've owned one (avatar), chances are I'll own another. Aloof? Oh hell yes, he was an 80# cat-dog. Did things on his terms. Was very aware of who in family he could manipulate. That said, we never had issues with other dogs. He got him as a pup when we had our Chessie and young kids 3 & 5, no issues. We brought an English Setter pup into family when he was older, no issues. Am told females (Drats too) can be little more manipulative. They need big daily exercise or they will find destructive ways to fill the day... If you are confident in working with a strong headed driven breed I'd say you'll have no issues.

 

[Rodneyag09]

Have one who is 7...great house dog, very good with my 18 month old son. He is pretty aloof and hard headed, but generally friendly (except UPS/FedEx drivers). He does not do good with cats though. They need to be exercised, scheduled and hunted. They will not quit hunting and always ready for another romp.

 

[Vandy321]

Thanks folks, good insights so far. Yes, my dogs (now just one) get a 2.5 mile run every morning and often a walk with the kids at night. We're typically off at the river fishing or in the woods scouting/hiking/camping when not hunting.

I did enjoy training my retriever, although although was gun shy...but I think if the DD is going to have a big drive to hunt, I'll want to get him professionally trained. I don't hunt birds as much as I'd like as I don't have a dog for it.

 

[DJB]

I had retrievers in the past but switched to the DD about 20 years ago. At this time we have 2, one is 10 and the other is 8. They have a ton of energy even at their ages, love the water and are a lot of fun to have around. Ours do fine in the house, with people and are good with other dogs.

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

I just got my fist Drahthaar back in late January and he's now 6 months old. He's still a puppy so take this for what it's worth.

I wouldn't say he is too aloof, but he's definitely not as attached as the labs I've had in the past were either. At times he wants attention and affection, but he also has times where he seems to want to be left alone. He's been great around other dogs but I've been diligent on trying to socialize him and socialize him carefully.

I have 4 kid (Ages 11, 10, 5, & 5) . He definitely knows where he falls in the pecking order, which right now is between the 11 and 10 yr old. He's not aggressive with any of the kids but treats my 5 yr old twins like his litter mates. I'm having a hard time breaking that. On an energy level, he is very laid back in the house or when out and about (ballpark, office, town, etc) to the point multiple people comment on how calm he is, but when he hits the field for training, it's balls to the wall.

Based on the research I did, with the stringent breeding requirements for the breed, major health concerns are very minimal. I also found that it is difficult to buy a "bad" Drahthaar, but you can definitely find a breeder that fits your needs the best and can provide you the most support after purchase. My breeder told me I was the absolute hardest person to pick the right dog for because of my kids and their ages. He picked the dog for me based on his 45 yrs as a breeder and him spending 10 weeks with the puppy as opposed to me showing up and spending 30 min with one and trying to pick.

 

[sndmn11]

@30338 has one in your neck of the woods and is pretty smart dude.

 

[Vandy321]

If any of you folks are in the mountain west, I'd appreciate a PM with you breeders info if you'd be willing to pass that along.

 

[TSAMP]

Reach out to your local NAVHDA chapter. They will be a great resource for you in finding a dog and also when training it.

In regards to sending it off for training. If your " a little of this, a little of that" style hunter. Any DD you find with basic obedience and proper exposure will knock your socks off.

 

[Jagger0502]

I ran a GWP for a long time that just passed away this past week which was by far the best dog a guy could ask for. I bought a DD about two years ago knowing my GWP was to old to hunt and I know he has some big shoes to fill but the DD has been holding his own. I would describe him as very hard headed, way to smart for his own good but more drive in the field than any breed I have hunted with. He is my wife’s baby... great in the house and listens well. Needs run often, we usually run him twice a day. Training in the field has been rough. Even force fetch has been a headache because he always tests his limits on everything but I figure once he is a little older and focuses that into his hunt he should be amazing. We don’t have kids but nieces and nephews are around a lot and he does bump them and knock them over while playing around. Not aggressive by any means.... just doesn’t know his size yet. Even happens with myself or the wife every once in a while when he runs into the back of our legs while playing outside. He is very aloof outside and tries to do his own thing and get away from us while running the fields but in the house listening and plays well in the house he is kennel trained and doesn’t mind relaxing thru the day while he stays at home with the wife... so she says.... when I come home he is very high strung and crazy to get outside for a run and usually calms down for me after.

I would buy another- but know it’s not a lab. It won’t let you let him lay around for more than a day.

 

[30338]

We've got a northern CO training day June 19th. Probably be 6-10 pups training. Variety of litters represented. Give me a shout if you want to attend.

 

[30338]

My black 4 year old does it all well. Points and retrieves anything coyote size and smaller, then gets home and wants to protect my daughter from anything or one. With steady firm handling, they turn into amazing life partners for you. My young one is coming along now very well. I am happy with them.

 

[Stillkickin]

As a Draht owner for darn near forty years I can tell you that the prior comments are spot on.

I wouldn’t trade any of my gals for another breed but I would caution that they are not for everyone and like kids they are all different.

Spend a lot of time talking to breeders and owners and attend events to see what traits you value in individual dogs then decide if they are still for you.

 

[Vandy321]

Anybody have a lead on a started dog/non-puppy that maybe wasn't a top quality hunter or a dog that just needed some more work? Have seen a few under a year old, but all are spoken for.

 

[Rodneyag09]

That might be tough to find on the DD front as most breeders are pretty strict on who they sell pups too...I’d check the VDD website or a gun dog rescue maybe.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

Curious for the DD owners, they were on a shortlist and still are but hunting in warmer areas I was concerned about two things how they do in warmer conditions and how their range. What do you guys see in practice

 

[30338]

My black dog will range 150-200 yards searching open Kansas fields. Or he'll dial it back down to 75 yards in heavy switchgrass cover. Younger one is typically 100 yards and under so far. He'll suck way back in on heavy cover areas which I like as I can still kill wild flushers with him working switch.

I don't like hunting either dog at over 55 degrees. Actually have stopped altogether letting them out at over 55 degrees. If a guy got them accustomed to warmer temps you may be able to go higher as some guys hunt them in Texas and AZ but mine do not do well in warm temps.

 

[Wrench]

I have 2 right now. Both from the same lines and they are very different socially and very similar in the field. One is 6mos and one is 14 years old.

My old dog is the least social best behaved dog you could ask for. She checked every box for a Drahthaar. I wanted my next one to be more "lab like" in personality.....so as a puppy i had her on my lap every day. She rode on my shoulder when I walked. She rode on my atv when I plowed snow.

Fast forward a few months and I run her on my atv and she will jump on like she owns it. She is every bit as social as my last lab was. She's 100% hunt in the field but does well with my kids, the youngest being 5 now. She will take ZERO crap from strange dogs as I witnessed last week when she was defending pistachio shells from two of my in-laws labs. Even with a 30 pound plus deficit she was not gonna take it.

She swims well, trails well and has the beginning of matching my older Drahthaar which is saying a mouthful.

I have had two great labs, but unless I hunted waterfowl only....they can't even tie a Drahthaar's shoes in field work. These dogs will work harder than you will and they'll do it all day every day. When your buddies are swapping out their gsp or English pointers after 3 days in the field, these dogs just slow down 2% and stay there until they die. You won't run one too hard.

 

[id_jon]

My draht is 2 and a half and she has definitely taught me the importance of socializing, especially carefully with other dogs. She is an alpha female, and absolutely does not do well with my other female dog(griffon). They were fine until about a year ago, and since then they have to be kept apart. I don't fault her or the breed for this, I think it was just a bad combo of too little socialization, personalities of the two dogs don't mix well, and me not taking steps to make sure they got time away from each other. She is very aloof with other dogs, so I mostly keep her isolated from them with a leash and vigilance in the field. Luckily we never really run across other dogs when we're hunting or hiking much. I think the only part of this that is relevant to the breed is the hardness testing, she does not back down if put into a fight or flight situation, and due to my lack of proper socializing, shes a bit of a social retard and seems to misinterpret even friendly dogs.

She is wonderful with my two kids, other than occasionally running into them when not paying attention while playing. Very protective of the house, and definitely attached to me more than the rest of my family.

Generally ranges around 150-200 yards while chukar hunting and around 50-75 while hunting grouse in timber. She also seems to understand when we're not bird hunting, and tends to stick a little closer and check in more often. I take her on scouting trips and she'll just lay on the ground close by while sitting and glassing. She helped recover my spring bear this year in thick brush. Definitely has fur drive that my griff does not, she has quite a list of critters that she's killed now, thankfully not porcupines yet. Coexisted with our cats until she was aout 9 months old, and then she realized they'd be more fun to kill than to watch, so we've had to stay vigilant to keep that situation under control as well.

She's my first, and I plan to keep getting drahts the rest of my life, but they are definitely more like owning a race car than owning a minivan, if that makes sense.