Kunox our new dachshund puppy from Germany

It was a week ago, on Wednesday, when John and I drove to Newark International Airport to pick up our new puppy from Germany - Kunox der von der Dohlmühle. Kunox  arrived in the United States, all happy and wiggly, not showing any sign of stress.

Interestingly, we did not plan to get a new puppy this fall, but sometimes an opportunity presents itself and cannot be denied. It was almost four weeks ago when Stefan Fuß of "von der Bismarck-Eiche" kennel in Germany posted some information on Facebook about a male "von der Dohlmühle" puppy looking for a hunting home due to some unexpected circumstances. When I (Jolanta) saw the pups picture and outstanding pedigree, I knew that we must have him. More about his pedigree and family later.

So many, many thanks go to Stefan who made it all possible and to Annelie Grauer, Kunoxs breeder, who trusted us with her puppy.

John has already started to work with Kunox and this is what he wrote: As Jolanta points out, we were lucky to get a puppy with such an outstanding pedigree for  blood tracking. Fortunately little Kunox doesnt know about the pedigree and how  good he is supposed to be. He is a nice, relaxed dog with good social skills around humans and canines. He departed from Lufthansa at Newark Airport totally relaxed and ready to sleep on my lap all the way home.

Of course the Old Man was especially interested in Kunoxs desire and ability for tracking. The second day after his arrival in Berne we tried the first liver drag of 20 yards. No problem, but he learned what it was all about and had a fine chew on the deer liver at the end of the drag. The next day Kunox had a liver drag twice as long. Clearly it was too easy, but he liked the liver. On day three the liver drag was nearly 100 yards and an hour old. It was windy but Kunox got his nose down in the grass and  held to the scent line. Now he was ready for something more challenging.

Day four: This time I laid out a line with droplets of deer blood through  the labyrinth of paths in our running enclosure. There were many right angles to overshoot, and I let it age for  four hours. The line was only about 150 yards long, but there were many complicated turns. Kunox marched through it with ease, never overshooting a turn by more than five feet before checking and correcting himself. At the deer skin he approached with caution, but after my assurances he grabbed on. The prey drive was there! He actually preferred shaking the deer hide to eating the deer heart treats.

I kind of like this puppy!

This puppy loves his food, even home-grown kale. We need to take just a little bit of weight off him.

He is a low-key pup that can just relax and sleep while we go about our daily routine.

Kunox has met most of our dogs and proved to have good social skills. Mielikki is a good playmate as she is patient and gentle with him...up to the point. She set some boundaries by now for Kunox and one of them is that he is not allowed to hump her (he tried).

 

Kunox has been accepted by his new family; the picture shows Paika and Sky

Kunox licking Billys face

Kunox has a very good switch: he is on in the field...

...and off in the house. Dont you love a puppy that you can take a nap with?

 ??

Kunoxs dam is Gwendoline der von der Dohlmühle, who just three days ago won the International Vp test in Italy with maximum number of points of 280. Gwennies mother Elsebeere von der Bismarck-Eiche got 268 points. Both got their CACIT (Certificat d’Aptitude au Championnat International de Travail) and became International Working Champions.

When we were in Germany in 1999 we visited Manfred Siekmann of von Rominten kennel. He is an extremely knowledgeable and accomplished breeder and handler, and we learned from him a lot. At the time his male Nurmi von Rominten was flying high as a blood tracker. I think he won Chorin Suche blood tracking championship twice. We loved the dog, and we saw him again on subsequent trips. He got to live to be 15. We always wanted a puppy sired by him but it has never worked out. The sire of Kunox is IACh GS BSS Doktor von Rominten, who is linebred tightly on Nurmi, and is an outstanding dog in his own right.

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The Dachshund – Feisty Badger Dog of Germany

By Linda Cole

The Dachshund may not look feisty, but this short-legged dog is a badgers worse enemy. This breed was created to hunt – a job they are extremely good at – and is the only AKC recognized breed that was developed to hunt above and below ground.

The Dachshund is the smallest member of the Hound Group, even though he was bred to go to ground after his prey, like a terrier. In 1874, the Dachshund was recorded as a German Badger Hound in the English stud book, which started a somewhat heated debate – is the Dachshund a hound or a terrier? A breed expert was quoted in 1906 as saying, “That it is used occasionally as a hound in the sense that it follows rabbits and hares by scent as does a beagle, does not alter the fact that it is essentially a dog that goes to earth and is therefore a terrier.”

Dog historian Edward Ash also got in on the debate in 1927 saying, “A Dachshund is, in fact, a terrier with very crooked legs, but possessing in a very great degree both the appearance and fine nose of the beagle.” Needless to say, this breed has fine qualities of both the hound and terrier!

The Dachshund was created in Germany in the early 1600s, but illustrations of dogs with short legs and elongated bodies hunting badgers have been found dating back to the 1400s, and writings from the 1500s mention the “earth dog,” “dachsel,” and “badger creeper.” In Germany, this breed is known as the Badger Dog, and the Teckel. The German word for badger is “dachs,” and “hund” means dog.

Credit for the slow development of the Dachshund is given to 18 and 19th century German foresters (caretakers of the forests) who took their time perfecting a smart and courageous dog. They carefully crafted this breed over a number of years to design a skilled hunter capable of digging into burrows underground.

In the early years of the breed, Dachshunds were a variety of sizes. Larger dogs weighing 30 to 35 pounds were used to hunt badgers, and packs of dogs would hunt wild boar. Fox and deer hunting Dachshunds were 16 to 22 pounds, and 12 pound dogs were used to hunt hare and weasel. There was even a 5 pound version for a short period of time that was used to flush out cottontail rabbits.

Foresters wanted a dog adept at following a badger into a den, with an equal amount of courage and fierceness to match a powerful foe. Badgers normally arent aggressive, unless provoked, so a dog needed to be fearless, strong and tenacious. The dogs elongated body was carefully and purposely designed to do his job effectively. Powerful short legs and over-sized, paddle-like paws allow the dog to dig deep into the earth. A long, sturdy tail, extending straight out from the spine, provides a hunter with a handle to pull a dog from a burrow. Loose skin protects against tearing as he scoots along a tight tunnel.

A deep chest gives him plenty of lung capacity for stamina during a hunt. His long nose increases his ability to draw in odors, and a deep bark, which is loud for a small dog, lets the hunter know where to locate him in a tunnel, or when hes trailing prey above ground. The Dachshund may be short-legged, but this breed is much faster than most people realize, and stronger than he looks. These dogs were bred to fight a badger to the death, if necessary.

Slipped discs in their back is a common health concern in Dachshunds. This can lead to partial paralysis, and sometimes complete paralysis. Its important to monitor your Dachshund and avoid letting him jump from high places; even a jump off a couch or chair can cause slipped discs. When holding them, make sure to support their back. Because of their elongated back, an overweight dog is more at risk. A premium dog food, like one of CANIDAEs grain free Pure formulas, can help keep your Dachshund at a healthy weight.

Dachshunds come in three coat varieties: smooth (original type), longhaired and wirehaired; and two sizes: miniature (11 pounds and under) and standard (16 to 32 pounds). A Dachshund weighing 11 to 16 pounds is called a tweenie.

These cute little dogs love to play, and are intelligent, athletic, independent thinkers, stubborn at times, and love to bark. They are rarely used in hunting today, but they are fantastic earth-dog competitors. These bold dogs arent shy at showing their hunting skills above or below ground. Since the 1950s, the Dachshund has been one of the most popular breeds in the United States, and this feisty little dog sits at the number 10 spot on the AKCs most popular dog list. The Dachshund is a powerful digger, so you might want to make sure your flower gardens are off limits.

Top photo by Beverly Goodwin
Middle photo by Howard Young
Bottom photo by Tony Alter

Read more articles by Linda Cole

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Alabama blood tracking dachshund puppies

This picture of Tom Munoz was taken at the 2011 UBT Trackfest in Arkansas. Tom is holding Jack (Joeri/Greta son) and Meg (mom to the current puppies).

Tom and Jackie Munozs puppies have turned two weeks old. A couple of boys are still available to serious blood tracking homes (see pictures below)! Both parents of the litter are active, accomplished blood trackers.

Dam of the litter, Meg, is a granddaughter of Agata v Moosbach-Zuzelek, and she was sired by Nicki von Velbert, who was imported from Germany. The pups were sired by eight-year-old Fred (Frederick der Trakker Yergz), a full brother to Gail Bergers Pepper. Freds lines go back to Asko von der Drachenburg, Sabina von Moosbach-Zuzelek, Traelborgs Herbert "Skyder", vom Dornenfeld and Springwoods.

Tom and Jackie Munozs website is at www.alabamadeertracking.com. They can be contacted at deertrackingdog@gmail.com or 256-426-3199. Pups are in Alabama.

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