Uncover how the Stichelhaar endured studbook battles, misguided purity requirements, and the upheavals of historical past to change into Germany’s most obscure surviving pointing breed.
On this episode of Searching Canine Confidential, host and canine historian Craig Koshyk uncovers the turbulent and almost-forgotten story of the Stichelhaar—Germany’s oldest rough-haired pointing breed and one that just about vanished greater than as soon as. From Nineteenth-century arguments over its origins to the nationalist politics, studbook battles, and misguided purity requirements that choked its gene pool, Craig charts how this rugged outdated searching canine survived despite its breeders relatively than due to them. Alongside the way in which, he reveals its deep connections to the drahthaar, its shut kinship with the Český fousek, and the small circle of recent hunters and breeders preventing to maintain it alive. The episode follows Craig’s personal journey to lastly see the breed in northern Germany, providing a uncommon glimpse right into a resilient gundog whose story is as tangled and wiry as its coat—but nonetheless deserving of recognition, respect, and a future.
Take heed to previous episodes right here: Searching Canine Confidential Podcast
Podcast Episode Transcript
Hey people, we’re again in Manitoba chasing grouse, and within the final episode I discussed that we’re gonna be having a look at a breed that you simply’ve most likely by no means heard about—and when you have heard about it, it was most likely whilst you have been studying the historical past of the German wirehaired pointer, the place the assorted canine breeds that went into making up that breed are talked about. The German shorthair, the pudelpointer, the griffon, and this breed, the Stichelhaar.
Properly, that breed virtually ended up within the misplaced and forgotten part of my e book, however it really is holding its personal—hanging on, barely—and it has been doing that for in regards to the final 125 or 150 years. It virtually fell sufferer to what we name the warfare of the wirehairs, when completely different teams of individuals thought they’d the fitting one, they’d the very best breed, they’d the precise true wirehaired pointer.
Properly, we all know who received that battle. It’s the drahthaar—that’s the most well-liked breed in Germany. And the pudelpointer goes sturdy, and so is the griffon. However the Stichelhaar? Properly, not a lot. Learn how, why, and the place it’s headed on this episode on the Deutsche Stichelhaar, or the German rough-haired pointer.
And as at all times, if you happen to wanna know when these episodes are gonna drop, hit the subscribe button. And if you need extra particulars than what I’m giving on this podcast, try my books Pointing Canines, Quantity One and Pointing Canines, Quantity Two, out there from Mission Upland and from me at dogwilling.ca.
Okay, people, time for a fast German language lesson.
In the event you do any work with leather-based otherwise you’re into engraving, and even if you happen to simply have a good assortment of instruments within the storage, it’s possible you’ll know what an axe or a burin is. An axe—A-W-L—is that slender metallic pokey factor you employ to poke holes in leather-based. And a burin—B-U-R-I-N—is the same software. It’s lengthy and sharp and pointed, and folk use it to engrave issues in wooden or metallic.
So what’s the German phrase for these instruments? What’s the German phrase for burin or axe, or principally something that’s lengthy and slender and pokey? The phrase is Stichel—S-T-I-C-H-E-L. And what when you have a canine who has a coat that appears prefer it’s made up of an entire bunch of Stichel? Properly, name it a Stichelhaar. And that’s the breed we’re gonna check out.
Now, if you happen to have been a hunter in, let’s say, the mid- to late-1800s, nearly wherever in Western Europe, and you bought the concept in your head that it could be a fantastic factor to have a pleasant wirehaired-coated canine of your personal—“I wish to construct my very own sort of canine; I wish to create my very own breed”—effectively, all the constructing blocks and the essential substances you wanted to take action have been throughout you.
And people have been the substances that guys like Korthals used to create his personal breed. The pudelpointer individuals did their very own factor, and so they created the pudelpointer. The drahthaar individuals? Properly, they constructed on the success of these individuals and so they constructed their very own factor. And we have now paperwork that shed some mild on precisely what went into their recipe.
However once we come to the Stichelhaar, effectively, issues are loads much less clear.
One of many earliest mentions of canines known as Deutsche Stichelhaar, or German Stichelhaar—German rough-haired pointers—comes from 1882 at a global canine present in Hanover. A man named Bontant—B-O-N-T-A-N-T—Mr. F. Bontant from Frankfurt, confirmed canines that have been listed as Deutsche Haarhunde.
We additionally know that on the identical present, the Delegate Fee—effectively, they have been type of the kennel membership at the moment—declared the independence and purity of that individual breed. They stated, proper, everyone, this can be a breed known as the Stichelhaar. However there was an issue.
Positive, everyone agreed: okay, we’re gonna name these canines Deutsche Stichelhaar. That’s wonderful. However there have been questions surrounding the origin of those canines. The place did they arrive from? Who was in control of them? How have been they developed? What substances went into them?
Once more, Europe at the moment—the dog-breeding group at the moment—was sort of like a stew. There have been substances and constructing blocks floating round in every single place, and folks have been doing their very own factor.
In addition to nature doing its personal factor, there have been crosses between varied varieties of canines, simply, you realize, spontaneously below the sunshine of the moon, or behind someone’s barn, or simply as a result of two canines bought it on within the forest over there. So there have been plenty of varieties of canines operating round, and we knew roughly what Korthals was doing together with his griffons. We knew precisely what the pudelpointer breeders have been doing—they have been utilizing poodles and pointers—and finally everyone would work out what the Deutsche Drahthaar was doing. They have been taking all the outcomes of all of these different mixes and utilizing them to create one thing model new.
However with the Stichelhaar, no person knew what was occurring or the place it was coming from. There was no grasp plan that anyone might have a look at. Was it a naturally occurring breed that went again years, or was it one thing that someone invented in their very own yard? Properly, three theories have been proposed, and there have been arguments among the many camps that proposed these theories.
It’s tremendous attention-grabbing to look again at these arguments and at these theories as a result of they actually do make clear the chaotic scenario of the time. One concept held that the Stichelhaar was in reality only a cross between spinoni and GSPs. Yeah, that’s proper—there have been individuals who figured that, you realize what, someone bought some Italian canines, someone bought some spinoni, and someone bred them into GSP strains or GSP strains into spinone strains, after which they got here up with this Deutsche Stichelhaar.
The man who introduced the breed to the eye of the Delegate Fee, and who was actually selling it on the time—Mr. Bontant—effectively, to start with, he didn’t name them Stichelhaar. He really known as them Hessian rough-beards. However his concept, or what he proposed, was that no, no, no, no—it’s not a cross between something. It’s an historical breed of Germanic canine discovered solely right here in Germany and loved by our wonderful forefathers. It’s been round for the reason that yr dot.
And a 3rd concept was proposed by individuals who thought that no, it was simply a wide range of GSP with a protracted coat. You see, again within the day, genetics weren’t fairly understood as they’re right now, and the concept several types of coats developed due to the local weather was really extensively accepted. Folks believed that if you happen to took a short-haired breed and put it in a really chilly local weather, that that short-haired breed would, over time, with none involvement of man, merely develop its personal long-haired coat.
And so they could have some extent in Darwinian evolutionary phrases. In the event you put a short-coated animal in a local weather that requires a protracted coat, finally that animal will develop a protracted coat. However we’re speaking a whole lot of hundreds, if not tens of millions, of years. That’s how evolution works. It doesn’t work, you realize, in 50 years or one thing. You possibly can’t take a line of GSPs and stick them on the North Pole for 50 years and are available again and anticipate that each one these GSPs will nonetheless be GSPs, besides they’re gonna have an extended coat. That’s not how that labored.
Nevertheless, again within the day, there have been individuals who believed that, and that’s what they thought the Stichelhaar was. They figured it was GSPs that have been developed in northern Germany, the place it’s barely colder than in southern Germany, and voilà—after a couple of generations, have a look at that good wiry-haired coat you’ve bought.
I imply, you’ll be able to even see how extensively that concept was held as a result of supporters of that concept even managed to have the next line included within the 1883 German stud e book. In there you will notice that it says, quote, “The Stichelhaar was initially a wide range of our smooth-coated or short-haired canines,” unquote. And so, in consequence, the primary commonplace for the Stichelhaar was based mostly on that of the GSP, of the Kurzhaar. The one actual distinction was that the Stichelhaar had an extended, rougher, wiry coat.
Then in 1888, after years of continued debate, supporters of the three competing theories lastly got here to an settlement. They revealed an official assertion reversing their earlier positions. They declared that the Stichelhaar was really a rough-haired model of what they known as the outdated German chook canine, or the German Hühnerhund—excuse my German pronunciation—and not at all was it a climatic number of the GSP or the Deutsche Drahthaar.
And so they based mostly their choice primarily on “research” performed by a man named Dr. Hans Kadí, a well-regarded skilled on the time. Apparently, Kadí had analyzed the top shapes of all these completely different breeds and in some way got here to the conclusion that the Stichelhaar had an historical German origin as a result of it had an historical German head form.
It’s fairly apparent right now that his conclusions have been based mostly on the type of racist pseudoscience that was in vogue on the time, however supporters of the Stichelhaar accepted them as completely legitimate and used them to take away the griffon. Korthals’ canines have been kicked out of the German stud e book as a result of they have been a French Griffon with a French-shaped head.
Pay attention, the more than likely situation for the event of the Stichelhaar is that breeders like Bontant and others began with the rough- and long- and shorthair canines they present in and across the Hesse, Bohemia, Bavaria, and Austria area, and so they crossed them with different pointing breeds. As we’ve seen elsewhere, canines with tough, wiry coats glided by an entire bunch of various names. They have been known as every part from Polish or Bohemian to even Icelandic water canines, and so they most likely represented varied strains of experimental, unintended, or incidental crosses of short-, long-, and curly-coated searching canines from in every single place.
Because the canine system with its studbooks and requirements began to develop round Europe, it simply so occurred that canines of these sorts that have been present in Germany—effectively, a few of them have been known as Hühnerhunde. Others that have been present in different areas like Bohemia and Moravia, which finally grew to become the Czech Republic, effectively, they have been on the opposite facet of a border. They have been in a distinct system. They finally grew to become generally known as the Český fousek. Genetically, they have been roughly the identical factor, solely divided by the areas or nations by which they have been discovered.
In 1892, there was a membership fashioned for the Stichelhaar, and it stored its personal registry for rough-haired breeds, however they stored the Stichelhaar separate from the Korthals griffon. However at the moment, there was a global type of rough-haired fraternity, and so they thought that all the rough-haired breeds have been of the identical household and that they need to be bred collectively. So from 1907 to 1913, Stichelhaars have been registered within the griffon studbook—the one which was based by Korthals a few years earlier than.
Then after 1913, nationalism was rising to a fever pitch. Stichelhaar breeders as soon as once more started registering their canines individually. In addition they tried to take away the traits they felt had crept into the breed due to the crosses to griffons. So that they got here up with tighter and tighter breeding necessities and even prohibited such ridiculous issues as having an overlong beard, or hair overhanging the ridge of the nostril, and even eyebrows that didn’t curl simply the fitting approach.
And so they held quick to their perception that if they may solely simply breed pure Stichelhaars—with none international, i.e., English, blood in there—effectively, they may enhance the breed. As we speak it’s typically agreed that these attitudes have been those that the majority hindered the event of the Stichelhaar. As a breed, its gene pool grew to become dangerously restricted, and to make issues worse, plenty of Stichelhaar breeders really left the breed and joined the Drahthaar motion. However they introduced a few of their greatest Stichelhaars with them to inject into this new experiment to create the drahthaar.
In the long run, the Stichelhaar was sort of relegated to the outer margins of the gundog world, however not as a result of any lack of capability. I imply, Stichelhaars have been extremely thought to be searching canines. It was primarily the narrow-mindedness of a few of the breeders and the actually excessive choice course of they clung to so as to maintain their canines “pure.”
Regardless of all that, a small variety of Stichelhaars continued to be bred. They gained a good repute for sharpness—particularly on predators—and have been prized by foresters within the north for his or her sturdy protecting intuition. However then once more, World Battle II got here, and the next division of Germany proved practically deadly to the breed. At warfare’s finish, there have been solely a handful of Stichelhaar remaining, primarily in Thuringia and northeastern Germany. There, a breed membership was reformed within the early fifties, and in East Germany a couple of breeders continued to breed a couple of Stichelhaars right here and there.
And within the Czech Republic, the Český fousek grew to be one of the crucial well-liked gundogs amongst Czech hunters. In Germany right now, the breed continues to lag far behind all the different breeds. In truth, after I first began photographing canines and compiling notes for my first e book, I selected to review the better-known breeds since, you realize, it was a lot simpler to search out data on them. And apart from, I knew the place to search out hunters who owned some. So I began with drahthaars and pudelpointers and GSPs as a result of they have been simple to search out.
However after I began wanting into the extra obscure breeds, issues bought a bit trickier. Not solely was stable data more durable to search out, however monitoring down house owners and breeders of these breeds—effectively, it was powerful. Within the case of the Stichelhaar, not solely did it take some digging, I additionally wanted a little bit of luck to lastly see some within the flesh.
So I actually had a heck of a time discovering data on the breed, and I couldn’t even affirm that it was nonetheless round. I imply, the one illustrations I noticed have been outdated work or fuzzy black-and-white pictures in lengthy out-of-print magazines and books.
And after some time, I simply began to assume that perhaps, yeah, perhaps the Stichelhaar was actually extinct. Then in 2001, I attended a hunt in northern Germany organized by a man named Hans Schmidt—a pal of mine, really. He’s a famend breeder of long-haired Weimaraners. Whereas I used to be there, we have been taking a break from the hunt at some point, and I virtually simply casually talked about the Stichelhaar.
I stated, “Hey Hans, have you ever ever heard about this canine known as the Stichelhaar?” I absolutely anticipated him to inform me that the breed was extinct, or that he had by no means seen one or knew nothing about them. As a substitute, I used to be surprised when he replied, “Oh yeah, I do know all in regards to the Stichelhaar. I hunt with them regularly. My pal has some, and there’s a bunch of them on this specific space. They’re sturdy hunters, you realize—they’re a really outdated breed.”
He then steered that we go go to a breeder—in reality, the secretary of the Stichelhaar Membership—as a result of he didn’t reside very distant. Twenty-four hours later, I used to be on the residence of the secretary of the Deutsche Stichelhaar Membership.
Once we arrived on the breeder’s home, we pulled up the driveway, exited the automobile. We exchanged some handshakes and introductions, and I took a couple of minutes to debate the sort of images I would like to take of his canines. As soon as we agreed on a plan, he let his canines out of the home and into the yard.
And as these two massive, rough-and-ready canines got here bounding up in direction of us, I couldn’t assist feeling just like the scientist in Jurassic Park when he laid eyes on a real-life dinosaur. Lastly—proper there in entrance of me—have been dwelling, respiratory, tail-wagging Stichelhaars, a breed I virtually thought had gone the way in which of the dodo chook.
These days, in fact, due to the web, there’s much more details about the Stichelhaar round. Even the German breed membership now has a fairly respectable web site. Nonetheless, the breed is—and at all times has been—a marginal participant on the German gundog scene. For many of its historical past, it’s been barely hanging on, and I’ve solely seen a couple of Stichelhaars, and each one in all them was in northern Germany.
I’ve spoken to some house owners and breeders, together with that secretary I met from the unique membership. I’ve learn a couple of copies of the membership’s newsletters, and I’ve been following the ups and downs of the breed through the German web sites and a few on-line boards and Fb teams. I’m removed from an skilled, however I actually know extra in regards to the breed now than after I first learn that it was extinct.
And the primary time I photographed Stichelhaars, I bought the impression that they have been extra like griffons than they have been German wirehaired pointers—and that may most likely freak Stichelhaar individuals out, I imply the outdated guys who didn’t just like the griffons. However yeah, they appeared slightly extra griffon-like than, you realize, drahthaar-like.
They appeared pretty laid again and easygoing. Their coats appeared longer and harsher than lots of the drahthaar coats I’ve seen, however not as bushy because the coats on some griffons within the subject. They confirmed a ton of drive. They ran at a medium gallop, and so they have been good pointers. They pointed staunchly and sort of stylishly. Additionally, within the water—my goodness—they have been like otters. So I feel that’s one of many fortes of that individual breed.
Sadly for the Stichelhaar, it’s at all times been membership politics that has threatened its survival. Over all of those years, infighting amongst membership members and the wrestle for management of the Stichelhaar’s future got here dangerously near killing the breed a number of instances. And from what I’ve seen within the subject, forest, and water, it could be a crying disgrace if the breed ended up dying out.
Fortuitously, these days—and solely not too long ago—it appears like cooler heads have prevailed in Germany, and that the breed is at the moment on a delicate upswing over there. Their new web site appears nice. It appears like there’s some younger blood by way of membership and management within the breed. I feel there are extra breeders now than ever—and I imply, that’s not a fantastic quantity; there is perhaps a dozen or so in all of Germany—however that’s far more than again in 2001, and issues simply appear to be slightly bit extra settled for the breed.
You possibly can test them out on-line. Simply Google “Verein Deutsch-Stichelhaar,” or German Stichelhaar Membership of Germany, and have a look. There are some nice images. It appears like there are some actually devoted breeders on board proper now, and I actually hope this continues. The Stichelhaar is a fairly cool breed that actually deserves a much bigger following.
I imply, in any case, it contributed a key factor to the world’s hottest wirehaired breed—the drahthaar—so why not give it some love? Take a look on the membership web site. Take a look at these canines, and hey, within the feedback, let me know what you assume.
Properly, there you may have it people. That was our episode on the Deutsche Stichelhaar. I hope you loved it, and I hope the membership actually does get issues shifting in a constructive course. Plainly they’ve. Their web site appears implausible, and the individuals I’ve contacted there not too long ago appear devoted and keen to maneuver the breed ahead.
If you wish to study extra in regards to the breed, contact the breed membership, try their web site, and in addition you’ll be able to learn the chapter in my e book about them. There’s a ton extra element, and a few extra pictures.
Subsequent episode—effectively, we’re wanting on the high canine by way of the wirehaired breeds from Germany: the Deutsch-Drahthaar, or the German wirehaired pointer. Keep tuned for that. It’s coming alongside very, very quickly.
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