Episode 24: Big Game and German Utility Dogs with Nadja Niesner
06/18/21 • 71 min
We start this episode with a discussion about versatile dogs or, as they are known in Germany, “useful” or “practical” dogs. In North America they are primarily used for bird hunting, their roots stretch back to a variety of purposes related to hunting and tracking. We discuss a couple of fun examples of the usefulness of hunting dogs, including a Boykin Spaniel who finds and retrieves box turtles in the name of science, as well as a hunting dog that is used to locate invasive Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades.
Our guest interview this week is with Nadja Niesner, a German hunter, dog breeder, and hunt test judge with a vast range of experiences in the German hunting dog world. Her primary breed of choice is the Weimaraner, but she also enjoys her Brandel Bracke, Fox Terrier, and Cocker Spaniels.
We discuss the mechanics of hunting in Germany, which is entirely unlike the North American experience. Hunters are required to undergo an extensive education and testing system in order to be licensed to hunt. Similarly, the dogs must be tested and evaluated for their abilities in the field. Hunting is taken very seriously not only as a recreational activity but also as a crucial management method for the wildlife of Germany.
We split this interview into two episodes, so this first installment focuses primarily on the hunting of big game such as roe deer, fallow deer, and boar. This is traditionally done in a large group setting with a driven hunt, where various dogs are released into the forest to move the game toward the waiting hunters. Contrary to what you might expect, the dogs do not chase all of the game out of the woods. Instead, they are expected to locate and carefully move the game without setting it off at a sprint. This allows for a safe encounter with the waiting hunters and a better overall experience for all participants.
Because the dog work is done almost entirely out of sight of the handler, it is important for the dogs to be spurlaut, or scent-loud, on the fresh track of the game animal. This alerts the hunters to the incoming game and, if you know your dog’s voice well enough, can even allow you to identify the species of game before it arrives.
The German philosophy and approach to hunting is unlike anything that most North Americans have ever experienced. This rich culture provides the context for some of our most popular bird dogs as well as the foundations of NAVHDA. Understanding this context can enrich your experience with your own versatile hunting dog.
As always, we thank you for listening and invite you to submit feedback or questions to us at [email protected]. We would love to feature your questions in an upcoming episode! Record a voice memo and email it to us to be featured on the show and to have your question answered.
Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.
Enjoy the show and don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe, and share this podcast.
Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food and supported by Dakota 283, Syren USA, andKent Cartridge.
We start this episode with a discussion about versatile dogs or, as they are known in Germany, “useful” or “practical” dogs. In North America they are primarily used for bird hunting, their roots stretch back to a variety of purposes related to hunting and tracking. We discuss a couple of fun examples of the usefulness of hunting dogs, including a Boykin Spaniel who finds and retrieves box turtles in the name of science, as well as a hunting dog that is used to locate invasive Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades.
Our guest interview this week is with Nadja Niesner, a German hunter, dog breeder, and hunt test judge with a vast range of experiences in the German hunting dog world. Her primary breed of choice is the Weimaraner, but she also enjoys her Brandel Bracke, Fox Terrier, and Cocker Spaniels.
We discuss the mechanics of hunting in Germany, which is entirely unlike the North American experience. Hunters are required to undergo an extensive education and testing system in order to be licensed to hunt. Similarly, the dogs must be tested and evaluated for their abilities in the field. Hunting is taken very seriously not only as a recreational activity but also as a crucial management method for the wildlife of Germany.
We split this interview into two episodes, so this first installment focuses primarily on the hunting of big game such as roe deer, fallow deer, and boar. This is traditionally done in a large group setting with a driven hunt, where various dogs are released into the forest to move the game toward the waiting hunters. Contrary to what you might expect, the dogs do not chase all of the game out of the woods. Instead, they are expected to locate and carefully move the game without setting it off at a sprint. This allows for a safe encounter with the waiting hunters and a better overall experience for all participants.
Because the dog work is done almost entirely out of sight of the handler, it is important for the dogs to be spurlaut, or scent-loud, on the fresh track of the game animal. This alerts the hunters to the incoming game and, if you know your dog’s voice well enough, can even allow you to identify the species of game before it arrives.
The German philosophy and approach to hunting is unlike anything that most North Americans have ever experienced. This rich culture provides the context for some of our most popular bird dogs as well as the foundations of NAVHDA. Understanding this context can enrich your experience with your own versatile hunting dog.
As always, we thank you for listening and invite you to submit feedback or questions to us at [email protected]. We would love to feature your questions in an upcoming episode! Record a voice memo and email it to us to be featured on the show and to have your question answered.
Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.
Enjoy the show and don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe, and share this podcast.
Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food and supported by Dakota 283, Syren USA, andKent Cartridge.
Previous Episode
Episode 23: Irish Water Spaniels with Russell Dodd
We start this episode with a discussion about the practice of tail docking. Depending on where you are located, this may be a well-accepted practice or it may be controversial or even banned. We discuss the historical context of docking tails as well as the modern applications for working and hunting dogs. It’s our hope that this will better inform your discussions when this topic comes up in dog circles.
Our guest interview this week is with Russell Dodd, an AKC hunt test judge who has owned Irish Water Spaniels for many years. Although he grew up hunting, he did not get into bird hunting until he found this quirky dog breed who was at its best when hunting waterfowl and upland birds.
We discuss the characteristics of the Irish Water Spaniel and how it occupies an interesting space between the prey drive of traditional flushing spaniels and the devotion of traditional water retrievers. This “hybrid” personality may be seen as a versatile advantage or, perhaps sometimes, as an unwelcome surprise when the dog doesn’t always respond in the way that you expected. The bottom line, though, is that these are amazing dogs with an unquenchable desire to hunt in cooperation with their owner.
We also cover the details of AKC hunt tests for spaniels, which involve multiple testing segments covering upland hunting and water retrieving. While the Irish Water Spaniel may not be uniquely specialized for either of those tasks, its versatility makes it a great fit for AKC hunt tests.
It was also educational for two pointing dog owners to talk to someone who regularly hunts with a flushing dog. We discuss the safety elements involved in hunting with a spaniel and why steadiness is important for the dog’s safety and for the hunter’s peace of mind.
As always, we thank you for listening and invite you to submit feedback or questions to us at [email protected]. We would love to feature your questions in an upcoming episode! Record a voice memo and email it to us to be featured on the show and to have your question answered.
Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.
Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food and supported by Dakota 283, Syren USA, and Kent Cartridge.
Next Episode
Episode 25: Conservation and Forestry Management in Germany with Nadja Niesner
This episode is the continuation of the discussion we started last time with German hunter and hunting instructor, Nadja Niesner. Before we get into the conversation, though, we address a listener question regarding the colors of hunting dogs. A simple question of “why do German hunting breeds tend to be darker and English breeds tend to have a white base” sent us down a long rabbit hole about the theories and origins of the variety of colors and patterns that dogs come in.
The overarching theme seems to be that selective breeding always involves the bias of the person doing the selecting, so personal preferences and ideas about camouflage or visibility influenced which dogs were selected for breeding. Color is also influenced by superstition, with black dogs sometimes having an association with evil or doom.
When selective dog breeding began but prior to a scientific understanding of color genetics, the nature of dominant versus recessive genes often caused questions about the “purity” of a litter. This led to the breeding of recessive colors, since two brown dogs would produce a litter of all brown dogs, as opposed to the dominant black gene which was capable of producing a variety of colors in the offspring.
Moving on to the continuation of our interview with Nadja, we picked up with a discussion about conservation and forestry management in Germany. We discuss how, for example, training with live ducks is limited to a certain number of ducks used over a dog’s lifetime. This reflects a federal government that seeks to strike a balance between developing hunting dogs but also preserving the limited resources of animals available for dog training.
We also discuss how dogs are used to hunt various predators and invasive species such as raccoons, raccoon dogs, foxes, and nutria. The German hunting culture is focused on a holistic approach to wildlife management, which not only involves the taking of game but also the control of predator populations to maintain a suitable equilibrium.
Finally, we discuss the changing demographics of hunting in Germany. As a hunting instructor, Nadja has a front row seat to the incoming hunter population and seeks to understand who is joining the community and why they were drawn to hunting. Just like in North America, most new hunters cite an interest in nature as well as a growing interest in knowing where their food comes from.
As always, we thank you for listening and invite you to submit feedback or questions to us at [email protected]. We would love to feature your questions in an upcoming episode! Record a voice memo and email it to us to be featured on the show and to have your question answered.
Share | Comment, review and discuss this episode of the podcast in our Project Upland Community Facebook group.
Enjoy the show and don’t forget to rate, review, subscribe, and share this podcast.
Hunting Dog Confidential is presented by Eukanuba Premium Performance Dog Food and supported by Dakota 283, Syren USA, and Kent Cartridge.
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