The Importance of the Solms for DK breeding By Albrecht Keil, Dipperz Germany

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1 The Solms is considered by many THE most important test for breeding selection. The Solms dog will typically be anywhere from 12 to 24mths old (this is a comprehensive and demanding evaluation for dogs at such a relatively young age). Given one of the aims of the German testing system is to select for dogs that are useful hunting companions at a young age,the Solms should and does carry more weight than the AZP (a test identical to the Solms but for older dogs) where we can see dogs up to 5 years old or more). Thanks to Tom Skinner, this great article first appeared in Inside DK many years ago. The man who wrote it is the very experienced Albrecht Keil, breeder of Vom Bieberstein. He has tested more than 70 dogs in the German system, some at the highest levels including 18 to VGP level. I think the insight and detail with which it is written, makes it an article that should be well understood by any student of the DK breed. Jeff Martin 2015 The Importance of the Solms for DK breeding By Albrecht Keil, Dipperz Germany If you go back 10 years, it was allowed under the valid breeding rules of this time to breed with dogs which had, except the other necessary presuppositions, only a Derby test. Today, in old pedigrees, you ll still find breeding dogs with nothing other than a Derby Proof. I m sure, that under these dogs were a lot which couldn t go to Solms because they had no chance to gain a prize. The reasons were gun sensitivity, especially in the water, shyness of the water and game, and no will to follow the living duck. Often these slightly sensitive dogs did good fieldwork and if they had good form too, they were used for breeding. Most hunters had no occasion for duck hunting, but if they did, they used a dog which was good in bird hunting. Therefore, a Derby was enough. Since the early 1980 s the relations in hunting have changed in Germany. Opportunities for bird hunting have diminished and dogs are used more for water work, drive hunting, and blood tracking. The breeding with dogs which had no water proof, but had different kinds of mistakes, brought a lot of other dogs, which were not able to do a satisfactory water work and were therefore not useful at a duck hunt. The leadership of the DKV recognised on time the importance of the water test for breeding, and changed the rules in the mid s. Until the present time, a breeding dog must have at the least, an examination with the water test. This change of the rules results in the fact that today, the DK is one of the best water dogs worldwide. If you will have a look in current pedigrees, you ll find

2 there a lot of dogs which have accomplished much higher proofs with water work (VGP, IKP, Kleemann). Now it s the question, what or signs does a Solms give to me, especially in view of breeding. The Solms, as an additional special autumn breed test, completes the spring Derby proof for the one year old dogs. Similar to Derby, it is most important not only to find out the natural talents, but also to notice defects in nerve and character. The training in the field and water should be nearly finished at this time (the dog should by now be useful in a hunting situation). It is no easy task for the judges to separate natural talents from training induced performances, but this is an important point, only natural talents and qualities are hereditary. The judgement of talents and performances must always be done in view of their later usefulness for hunting and breeding. In Germany, the tests of hunting dogs always incorporates the special demands we need for a successful dog in practical hunting. Now, because of Derby and Solms tests we can nearly be sure that, no dogs with bad talents in field and water should be used for breeding. So, we have reached a point, that now only the best produce puppies, and in the future, all talents are growing, and the things will fall back. Attentive observation and specialists can find out at the Solms, a lot of important signs in view of the dogs later use for hunting and breeding. In the following, I ll try to point out some of the things that are important indications you should be looking for, and will give you signs of very good or not so good natural talent. Fieldwork Above all special things for me, stands the will, of a dog to hunt, to find game and to make booty. We, as hunters, use this talent. With a dog that does not have enough passion and the will to hunt, even the best hunter will not be very successful. In nature, a beast of prey with no will to make booty, no condition or resolve, and which is not able to hunt in team, has no chance to survive. The same applies to the relationship between the hunter and his dog. The style of search must first, show the will to find game. How far the dog goes away from the handler is secondary, more important is, that the dog holds contact with his leader and tries to work with him together. From the way the dog does his search, the specialist can gain a lot of precious signs of the dogs nerve and character. The most difficult point of judgement is the correct judge of the nose, especially with young and inexperienced dogs. Therefore we await, and expect that the dogs which come to the Solms, are ready in training, and have knowledge and experience with game. The more the dog has contact with game, the better he will use his nose. A dog which does not point or has not yet pointed can still show us a good nose! The pointing should at this time be sure enough that the dog points unmoving game for long enough until the handler is coming and can shoot the animals.

3 Water work For every animal (other than those that live in the water) the water is an unsure element, also for dogs. Defects in nerve and character will show up here first, more than in the field. This is one of the reasons that the water test is so important for breeding. We need the robust, strong dog with enough energy to be successful. Only dogs with such a character are able in practise, to follow a wounded duck so long as it takes in order to get it. And this is the point, this is why we do the water test. Therefore, it is the most important duty of the water judges to find out the dogs which fulfill these high demands the best. Also they must look exactly, for mistakes in nerve. Now in the following, let me point out some signs that in the field and water you should be looking for. FIELD Search High will to find game, independent search without commands, planful, wide, good tempo, good condition or resolve, high head and nose holding, turning against the wind, hanging with nose in the wind, changing tempo and style with different kinds of cover, elegant gallop- jump, in touch with the leader. No will to search and find game, slow and tired search, too short or too wide, unconcentrated running, bad division of the field, low nose holding, short jumping gait, bad condition, trot- search (only max. score 3), turning with the wind, lots of commands (trained search) FIELD Nose High nose, horizontal head holding, searching across the wind (no good nose dog searches with the wind, he will ever try to get half wind or will come against the wind), quick reaction if the wind is changing, marking of scent or footsteps, showing the game at great distances, following slowly, fully trusting his nose, judges must see and be sure that the dog has game, repeated finding of moving game, no overrunning, collection of a lot of nose points. Low nose and head, no nose reaction if crossing tracks of game, no reaction on little birds or smell, repeated overrunning, points or finds game only at a very short distance, dog breaks off when he has game in his nose (unsure nose), not

4 able to pin or fasten game (game runs out of his nose), frequent firm pointing without game present (an experienced dog with a very good nose must be able to quickly find out if the game is before him or if it is only an old smell) FIELD Pointing Short marking of smell or fresh tracks, reacting out of full stride if he gets scent of game, slowly following the track of running birds and sure fastening or surrounding of the game with his presence, pointing so long until the game goes off or the leader is coming, no jumping into the game, stretched body holding, no moving tail. (you must see and be sure the dog has game) No pointing of the game the dog gets in his nose, pushes out game with good wind in his nose, only short marking and then jumping into the game, following flying birds, no marking of scent trail, scent, or little birds, the will to catch all that they see (mostly these dogs are not yet ripe to the test), but in the hand of a good leader they will do well later; for the most part these dogs are hard, with best nerves, and therefore are not uninteresting for future breeding). WATER Positive Going into the water with only one low command, calm swimming style, nose directly over the water, independent work without or with only a few commands, good reaction on the smell or track of the duck, purposeful following on the swimming- track, quick finding of the duck again if it is diving under water, looking at the handlers commands, high perseverance, wide and long work until success, quick search and finding of the dead duck, good steering, and the will to find. Negative Dog does not go into the water (water- shy), needs many commands, swims only at the border or on open water, often leaves the water, no will to find, over

5 passioned, nervous swimming style (front legs over the water), no reaction upon the handlers commands and scent of the duck, does not go into the cover, does not follow a fresh track or stops following and comes back, dog breaks off in sight of the swimming duck, shy before a living duck (no prize, no breeding!) The same as in field as the water work, the judges must have proof that the dog is okay with the shot. Therefore the leader must shoot the living duck in front of the dog, or if he had no chance for it, give a shot on the water when the dog is swimming in search of the dead duck. Especially in the water you will see if the dog doesn t care for the shot or if he is sensitive and comes out. On the extreme end, he will not go again into the water or runs to the car, etc, (gun-shy!) In the field a good handler is able to overplay or mask a little gun- sensitivity, but not in the water. Therefore, the water work is also a test for nerve. Finally a few sentences to Fuhrighkeit (cooperation), Gehorsam (obedience), and Arbeitsfreude (desire). Fuhrighkeit brings the dog to the handler. It is the will of the dog to do teamwork with him, stay in touch with him and look at his commands. This is very important in the search and water work. It is one of our highest aims to breed dogs which are cooperative, and light to handle for a normal leader. Therefore, in selection of breeding dogs we must look for light- handling dogs, but hard enough, and with good nerves. A good level of Gehorsam is always a sign of good training and preparation. In contrast to fuhrigheit the leader demands obedience from his dog. Dogs with a very good level of obedience are light to handle and follow the understood commands. (a sign with the hand, whistle, or call). Obedience in connection with living fur- game (deer, roe, hare, fox, rabbit) is generally very good at Solms, but not yet necessary. But with birds it must be possible to stop him from chasing. Arbeitsfreude We want to have dogs which like to work. We are glad to hunt with a dog like this, on the other-side, the dog must be happy to hunt with us. Tired dogs with little or no pleasure to hunt are of no use for us and cannot be used for hunting or breeding.