A German Hunting Terrier

From Russia

The Jagdterrier


By: Yuri Rulin


A shot, and an injured boar got lost in thickets... a Terrier was turned loose. The boar was about to rush at the dog, but the dog evaded his strike and bit the boar from behind. This gave the hunter a chance to make another shot. This boar was 600 pounds.

A small, durable dog, early starting to work, dark, not bright colored, with coarse hairs not requiring special trimming, not demanding of conditions of keeping, convenient for transportation in the airplane and to take backpacking as well. This is the Jagdterrier, the youngest hunting breed, which is particularly popular today among hunters in Russia.

German cynologists Werner Fox and Gerhardt Maash wrote about the following steps in the history of the Jagdterrier ("German Hunting Terrier", Berlin, 1986). In the beginning of the 20th Century, German hunters were enthused with the Fox terrier and Welsh terrier. They were used not only in burrow hunting for foxes and badgers, but also for wild boars, deers and hares. The colorful and pretty look of these dogs attracted the attention of not only hunters. Many dog fanciers kept them just as a companion dog.

This led to the deterioration of the hunting qualities of these breeds. Scenting ability, endurance, persistence, hearing and vision were affected. What is really important so that a hunting breed should be attractive only for hunters? Two German dog breeders, Zangenberg and Chekk, made their task for the first time to create a working dog, the appearance of which would be not peculiar, but which would possess practical and functional qualities and would not become a fancy show dog. In 1923, in the kennel of Chekk, near Munich, four puppies with dark color were obtained as a result of crossing the Fox terrier and the coarse-haired English terrier. In 1932 a successful crossing with the Old English terrier took place and in 1933, blood with the Welsh terrier was added. By the 1940s, the breed of the German Hunting Terrier had been basically completed. The dogs had all the qualities which breeders wanted to see; hunting drive, aggressiveness, scent and vision, the capability to chase with barking, not afraid of water, inclination for retrieving the game and to be controllable. As to the not so pretty look of the small, dark terriers, it encouraged only hunters to buy them.

After World War II, in Germany, only a few Jagdterriers remained. Careful work in the restoration of the population began. For this purpose an attempt to cross Jagdterriers with Lakeland terriers was made. However, this experiment appeared not to be successful and was rejected. In 1951, 32 puppies from 9 litters were obtained and in 1952 there were already 75 puppies. In 1952, 79 dogs participated in the first field test. In 1956 there were 144 puppies obtained. After a short time, the breed became well-known. The following fact is evidence of this.

In 1965, in the International Dog Show in Brno, Czechoslovakia, an international contest in burrow hunting dogs was conducted, among which 29 Jagdterries participated. Despite the fact that their number was not great, by quantity and results achieved, they surpassed all the other burrow hunting breeds participating in the contest. This included 26 Fox terriers, 12 Taxes and 8 Walsh terriers(I. Zoinel, "Breeds of Dogs in the Past and at Present," Berlin, 1976).

Because the number of existing Jagdterriers was not great, the restoration of the breed was conducted by inbreeding and selection was made in favor of working qualities. As a result of the inbreeding, different genetic faults began to appear; hair quality, wrong bites, size increase and dogs with incomplete teeth appeared. Since 1937, in Germany, complex analysis of hereditary faults was conducted. This analysis was important, because the Jagdterrier is a versatile hunting dog and, therefore, selection by any character alone would create a dangerous bias at the expense of other qualities of the breed. Thus, in 1968-1973 in the linebreeding of Jagdterriers, dogs with great working qualities were obtained. However, in their lower jaw, some teeth were missing, which was a real danger for the breed. Sometimes dogs selected by their scent only had excellent scent but were reluctant to take a track. Only a complex approach creates a correct basis for selection and permits one to evaluate most objectively, parents by all their characteristics. This would include hunting qualities and hereditary faults, hair quality and body conformation.

The Jagdterrier makes an impression of somewhat intense attention, alertness and fearlessness. He is robust, durable and mistrusting of strangers. The dog has a sturdy structure, well-developed muscles, elastic and tight skin. Males are 13-16 inches and females are 12-15 inches at the withers. By their hair, Jagdterriers are divided into two kinds, the wire-haired and smooth-haired. Hairs are straight, coarse and dense. In the wire-haired, hair on the body and legs is longer than in the smooth variety, but in the latter one, hair is never as short as in the smooth Taxa. The wire-haired Jagdterrier should have a beard, the smooth one does not have it.

The tail should be cropped at 2/3 its length when puppies are five days old. The tail may be used as a handle when helping the dog to pull the game out of the burrow.

In Russia, Jagdterriers were imported from Germany in 1972 by scientist/cynologist A. Blistanov. In 1975, in Moscow, one dog was registered and in 1987 there were 400 registered dogs. Formerly, Jagdterriers were placed in the group of terriers, but in 1990 a resolution was accepted to distinguish the German Jagdterrier as a special group of versatile dogs.

According to European rules, the following requirements are used in field tests of the Jagdterrier. In work with the badger or fox, he must kill the animal in the den and pull it outside. In wild boar hunting, he must be able to find the animal, chase and stop it by biting from behind. The Jagdterrier must chase a hare or rabbit in full voice. In duck hunting, the dog should be able to work in water overgrown with vegetation, find the shot bird and retrieve it from deep water.

After coming to the USA, I bought my first dogs from Russia in 1992. They were used in hunting wild boar, deer, raccoon, squirrel, rabbit and armadillo, and they proved their high hunting drive on, new for them, American game. Hunting conditions in this area of the USA are similar to the European west. This allows the use of Jagdterriers in professional hunting and hunting sport. I am a professional hunter and in Russia, with the Jagdterriers, I killed brown bears, boars, moose, bagers, foxes, raccoon, squirrels, hares and waterfowl. I should mention that during my seven years of hunting with these dogs I never lost and injured animal. Every one of my dogs worked with great enthusiasm on any kind of game and in any weather conditions.

I am sure that hunters will be grateful to this dog, which got the nickname of Fireball. I think that as a motto for the new breed, the words of German cynologists Fokke and Maash would be fitting: "The beauty of a dog comes through their usefulness."
Translation of the book




DER DEUTSCHE JAGDTERRIER


... seine Pflege, Abrichtung und Zucht


von Wolfgang Bierwirth






THE GERMAN HUNTING TERRIER


... his care, his training and his breeding




HOW WE CAME TO THE GERMAN JAGDTERRIER


by: Carl Erich Gruenewald (a charter member of the German Jagdterrier Organization who describes in this chapter the Foxterrier in Germany during the years from 1911 through 1927).




In 1911, I arrived in Munich where I especially looked for the company of hunters and hunting dogs. At this time, the fox terrier was much more a "fashion" dog than the poodle is today. Also at this time began the movement to stress the breeding of a beautiful, English standard dog on the one hand, and a dog with outstanding hunting qualities on the other hand. The fox terrier represented a wide field of variety at dog shows, which met with the approval of the British judges. But controlled by England, the native land of the fox terrier, the breeding qualities took several directions by concentrating sometimes on smaller dogs and then at other time on larger dogs. Hunters preferred the smaller breed especially since ground hunting was very fashionable. The breeding also was directed towards shorter wire-haired breeds that did not need trimming, and towards the dark-haired dog, often with a black coat and light-haired legs. A dark male dog by the name of "Oacroyd Darkie", which was also a very good worker, was imported to Germany and used for extensive breeding there. With each litter the darker color became more dominant. I, as a young hunting cynologist, was lucky to be acquainted with the best fox hound experts. My best teachers became Walter Zangenberg and the young forest ranger F. Friess, a well-known Wachtelhund (Spaniel) expert. Both men were also specialists in every kind of ground hunting.


We spent many happy hours together and were very successful with our fox terriers. It happened quite often that our dogs unearthed five to six badgers at a time, not counting many foxes. We worked with five foxes and badgers, but tried to avoid as much cruelty as possible. We had beautiful premises outside of Munich where we trained our dogs to perfection hunting foxes and badgers. Our dog's hunting instincts sharpened, but the wild animals also developed better instincts and tricks as well. Yet in Munich, as in other cities, there were many friends of the fox terrier who only were fascinated by the beauty of the dog and only bred this beautiful looking dog. For these breeders the first prize in a dog show was their goal. As hunters, we could not take these people seriously, and we smiled about their ambitions. Yet the basis for the breeding of the pure hunting dog became ever so narrow, and it was necessary to take a champion dog for breeding once in a while that had no hunting qualities whatsoever--as most of the British imports did not. The results were disastrous. Keenness, nose and hunting instincts weakened drastically. At our meetings we wondered what we could do.


The First World War began, and I took part in it from the first to the last day. During this time I had a female Wachteldog (Spaniel) and a very good straight-haired fox terrier from an Austrian Kennel for my companions. The fox terrier was a very keen dog that fought in the Balkan mountains several times with wild sheep dogs. Upon my return to Munich I met my old friends again and we picked up our interest in the fox terrier.


In one of our conversations with Zangenberg I learned that, after breeding with an import English male dog, an almost black female fox terrier bore a litter of four black puppies with red marks at the known places, two females and two males. Since these puppies could be entered into the fox terrier stud book only with the remark "not in conformity with our standards," the owner offered them for sale at a very low price.


I advised Mr. Zangenberg to buy this litter immediately. W. Zangenberg bought the four black and red wire-haired terriers and named them "Werwolf," "Rauhgraf," "Morla" and "Nigra" von Zangenberg.


We had the pedigree for these dogs in our hands. Now every cynologist will skeptically ask how it was possible that two pure-bred fox terriers could produce a black with red wire-haired fox terrier litter? Those who are knowledgeable in international cynology know, though, that more than 100 years ago a smaller breed of black and red wire-haired terriers existed in England. This breed was called "Old English Terrier" and is described in literature and paintings. I own a color etching by the famous English painter of animals, Moreland, that is over 100 years old. It shows next to two spaniels a black and red terrier. He looks exactly like today's German Jagdterrier and not like a Welsh-Terrier, tawney in color with just a black saddle. Here, too, like everywhere in the English dog breeding history, mixed breeding was very common.


Among the pack of hounds during hunting dogs, the Old English Terrier was used to bring an escaped fox back in front of the horseman. In order for the terrier to look like the "hounds," white, straight-haired terriers were mixed into the breeding, and so today's fox terrier, both wire-haired and straight-haired, evolved. The straight-haired fox terrier is the older breed. Every effort was made to keep white as the dominant color.


Yet, it is understandable that--within so many different color bloodlines--the dominate black color continued to reappear so that still today very dark puppies appear in many fox terrier litters. These dark puppies were killed right away, and breeders who very often didn't know why some of the puppies were black would not acknowledge the existence of such black puppies.


We too were not able at that time to explain why the puppies that Zangenberg had bought were only black and red. We realy didn't care. We were glad to own fox terriers with the hunting color, and we hoped to use these four puppies successfully in breeding to establish a hunting fox terrier breed (jagdfoxterrier-stamm). From the viewpoint of hunting these four dogs were not bad, although they left much to desire. First we tried inbreeding, pairing brothers with sisters. But the results were not good. No wonder--after all, the parents weren't real hunting dogs.


The picture changed, though, when we bred our four "originals" with our well-trained old hunting fox terriers. The beautiful dark color continued to be dominate. Dogs with alot of the white color and spotted dogs were selected and eliminated from further breeding.


Thus developed our much desired and planned Deutsche Jagdterrier (German Hunting Terrier)--the breed being further developed and refined by strict elimination. To eliminate once in a while strong white marks which still occurred on the chest and on the legs, we bred our line twice with "Old English Terriers" that we bought from English friends. This was done under the recommendation and supervision of the famous cynologist Dr. Lackner from Koenigsberg, and only those "Old English Terrier" were used that were proven to be good hunters.


This is all there is to tell about the secret surrounding the German Jagdterrier, who is in the meantime known world-wide as one of the best hounds, with great keenness, a sensitive nose, a great ability for scent and great passion for water, commonly great toughness, and well behaved on the leash. These are all qualities and characteristics which the fox terrier who was bred only for his good looks did not have. We cannot deny that this breed originated in England, but we turned the breed into a terrier for the huntsman and his needs.


There are almost 30,000 dogs entered in the stud book in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is hardly possible to fullfill the worldwide demand for this dog, following the organization of many breed owners. The Deutsche Jagdterrier is a small service dog that can do everything with the exception of retrieving large game, and he is not a pointer.


He achieves outstanding results in the ground hunt (small game) and is a very good harrier (tufter), especially for hogs. He also works very well as a bloodhound and as a retriever of small game, and he finds excellent use for any kind of hunting in water. He is a sharp watchdog. The intense breeding work of about 50 years is now paying off.


Of course there were many disagreements and fights among fox terrier experts during the first breeding years. Today we are all getting along well, but in the beginning the Association of Fox Terrier Breeders offered to enter our dogs as pure-bred black fox terriers in a special section of the fox terrier stud book, but we stickily declined this, because than all of our efforts would have been in vain.


Today we are happy about every good litter, and there are still many good ones. We are giving the hunting world a dog which it cannot do without if it wants to hunt in a good huntsman-like manner. On April 3, 1927, our dogs were introduced to the public for the first time. The interest was quite large.

THE GERMAN JAGDTERRIER


Copied from the 1962 German Jagdterrier Stud Book


In 1945, Max Thiel Sr., lost everything in his homeland and he and his family fled to Bavarie. The Jagdterriers which he had bred and hunted with since 1938 were now lost but when settled again he purchased Asta vom Mairhof and Naja von der Kammlach, two females. In June of 1951, he and his family came to America bringing with them Naja, and in August of that year Asta, being bred, followed; from that litter came the old Freia von der Walkmuhle. Starting this new breed in America was slow but in 1954, Armin Schwarz Sr., imported the Champion Sire Axel vom Elsterbusch. The basis of today's fine stock of American Jagds is credited to these bloodlines and to subsequent enrichment by further importations. With more Jagds being whelped in this country more people became interested and in March 1956 nine members met in St. Louis, Missouri, and formed the Jagdterrier Club of America.


The Jagdterrier bred in this country holds a registration paper from the German Jagdterrier Club and would, if exported, be recognized in all competitions by the International Club of Europe. The American breeders have maintained continuous records, including paying German registration fees for all puppies sold, thus assuring purity of lines for all stock in this country today. The American Jagdterrier Club handles this service for its members and pedigrees also sent through this organization, the papers being a record of all Jagdterriers in this country. The ultimate goal of the J.C. of America is to gain recognition by the A.K.C. with intent not to over-popularize the Jagd but to place him more readily in homes and with hunters. Likewise, American breeders appreciate that a stimulus to maintaining good type would be provided by participation in conformation classes in approved A.K.C. Shows.


For over 40 years the German Jagdterriers has been developed in Germany exclusively for hunting. Many other things have entered into this breeding to make the Jagdterrier a valuable asset to anyone's household. The Jagd had been developed through the years as a small hardy fearless dog. A selective breeding program has been followed, using only proven Field Champions as breeding stock and by keeping, at the most, 6 puppies per litter. Thus eliminating all weaklings and nourishing to the full extent to strong. In breeding the Jagds proven in field work it was also required that they pass conformation test. Through going back to the Old Foxterrier and the Black and Tan Wire Terrier and through endless effort the breeders in Europe developed the German Jagdterrier - Jagd meaning to hunt in German and Terrier to name his type, one meaning to hunt under-ground. Jagd is pronounced Yak, long a.


Bred for reasons of hunting, his abilities would amaze anyone; the Jagdterrier if trained may be hunted on all marauding game, fox, squirrel, fowl and ducks. He will retrieve anything he can carry. His manner of hunting fowl is by flushing and retrieving. Marauding game represents an excellent chance for seek and kill. He has been used successfully on Wild Boar; the Jagd maneuvers, from any opportune angle, to the side of the Boar and grabs the ear, hanging on and in this manner slowing and hindering the boar. He has been used in bloodhound work tracking wounded game, given the scent 36 hours after the track was made. He will retrieve from land or water.


The Jagdterrier is an intelligent canine, thus he is active and outgoing. He is ever watchful and an excellent and affectionate companion for children. Being small he is easy to keep in the home and travels well in a car.


GENERAL APPEARANCE: The German Jagdterrier is, in appearance, tense, determined and fearless. He serves in hunting as a fighting dog under and above ground, as a trailing and flushing dog above ground and in water. Also, he is a "blood" hound and retriever of small game. His height permits keeping in the city and as a companion in automobiles. He needs a lot of activity. He is unmindful of injuries obtained from counter-attack of marauding game. He is a hardy dog and mistrusts strangers.
Spirit of a Hound

German Varmint Dogs

By: Guy G. Ormiston


Germany has an honorable history of breeding great dogs. We coon hunters know the U.K.C. Plott Hound is said to have its roots imbedded in German soil. Many other sporting dogs have originated in this Western European country; one only need look at any chronicles of dogs to learn as such. I have gone to museums here in Germany and seen proof of their hounds of yesteryear. Statues and paintings stand silently in cold galleries as mute evidence of staghound packs once used on the chase. German castles dating back many hundred years have hunter's chambers with dens built into the walls; dens which once accommodated hunt-weary hounds.

As I searched for a modern day German hound, one used as we use them in America, the trail continued to lead to a different type of dog. Talking to German boar, fox and deer hunters, they reported that they do have hounds in the mountains. Some hunters use them to run deer. There are no tree animals except the squirrel in Germany. The squirrel, however, is not considered a game animal and is not hunted. So hounds with treeing inclinations are presently unknown here. I decided then to write on the German varmint dogs.

Some varmints in Germany are similar to those we have in the states. Wild boar is plentiful in certain areas. Red fox is the most prolific and widespread. Badger, rabbit and weasel make up the rest of the game available to German varmint hunters. The dog breed used to hunt these animals is not a hound at all. It is a terrier. A terrier which gives voice on the spoor of these varmints, no less. I had never heard of an open-trailing terrier before. This little game dog is known as the Deutscher Jagdterrier (German Hunt Terrier).

The world "Jagd" means hunt in German. Substitute a "Y" for "L" in the word logged (Yogged + terrier) and you come close to the pronunciation of Jagdterrier. It is a young breed, comparable in age to American coonhound breeds, being developed only since the turn of the 20th century.

Open trailing was a characteristic uncommon in the foundation of the breed and has only been perfected in the last 20 years. The foundation of the Jagdterrier was primarily two terrier breeds from the United Kingdom, originally brought to Germany as ratters. Fox Terriers selected for their gameness were the dominant breed used. Add to that Welsh Terriers for dark color and handling ease, tempered by almost fanatic culling for 80 plus years, and you have the contemporary German Hunt Terrier.

Rigorous and complicated field tests were devised early on during the breed's conception to determine which Jagdterriers were good enough to be used as breeders. Today, as then, a panel of three discriminating Judges still evacuates each dog submitted for consideration. Each dog must pass the test before the Deutscher Jagdterrier Club e.v. will qualify them as brood stock (this includes both male and female terriers). Almost a hundred years of this diligent selection has resulted in a very game breed; one which is reliable on the hunt.

The examination course tests a Jagdterrier's bravery in underground fox dens, quickness at fetching downed game, blood trailing ability, desire to work in water and willingness to retrieve game from water. Trainers work with their dogs from summer through fall in preparation for the test. A terrier that passes with an impressive score has a monetary value of ,000.00. Test scores are published and stud dogs are assessed based on scores earned by their progeny. The researching benefit of publishing progeny scores is not unlike the P.D.A. information offered by U.K.C.

An analogy to breeding rules enforced by the Jagdterrier club would be comparable to our kennel club registration only pups from unions between Grand Nite Champions, and doing so for close to a century. These shrewd German breeding rules have been officially enforced since 1926. Considering the strict selection adhered to for early foundation stock prior to 1926 and the fact that only hunters have owned these dogs since one can imagine the gameness and courage of today's Jagdterriers.

The breed conformation standard is liberal, though practical. A German Hunt Terrier cannot be higher than 40 centimeters (roughly 16") at the shoulders, simply because a larger dog cannot enter the fox and badger burrows. Another important reason for maintaining a small stature is to insure their safety on wild boar hunts. The boars used their tusks like bayonets. A larger heavier canine body gives resistance against razor sharp tusks, making the body easily penetrated and disemboweled, while a lighter Jagdterrier is merely flipped in the air by a boar's snout and comes down fighting. The white color of the early English Fox Terriers was bred out by crosses to the darker Welsh Terrier. The black and tan coloration is much more difficult for wild game to see, thus preferred by hunters (colors will be expounded upon later). Smooth haired Jagdterriers are more common that wire-haired, but hair length is immaterial to hunters, and dogs of both coat types are interbred freely.

A typical boar hunter begins with hunters locating a herd's stamping grounds by tracks in the snow. Stalkers surround a large timber tract and close in on the herd. Hunters are stationed in strategic locations throughout the woods. The most experienced Jagdterriers are loosed to track and locate the herd. Once the strike is made, more terriers are released to assist in putting the herd at bay. A total of eight to ten dogs are used. With the herd at bay and ready to fight the Jagdterriers aggressively pursue the hogs. The porkers quickly discover it is best to scatter that to stand and fight. The scattered hogs are pursued by the terriers in their various directions throughout the woods, thus increasing the chance of more hunters getting a shot. It is not unusual for six to eight hunters in the group to have their shot at a boar. The wild boar cannot be hunted and killed indiscriminately, however. Officials of the various German forestry departments keeps tabs on the wildlife and scrupulously assure that the valance of nature is weighted in favor of the wild boar. The German hunters work closely with forestry officials in a spirit of cooperations, all striving for abundant wildlife and wide-ranging habitat.

Fox, badgers and weasels go to ground in Germany just as they do in other parts of the world. The Jagdterrier is bred to chase and pursue them underground. This tradition is deeply ingrained in the antiquity of the hunt. In centuries past, every kennel of staghounds in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms as did the latter foxhound packs of England, had its strain of kennel terriers.

Always a sporting dog in England and a part of a country squire's sporting establishment, the breeding of terriers had been a source of pride for centuries. Kept around hound kennels and horse stables, those little dogs assured that the rats and other vermin were always in check. Taken along on hunts with hounds, the terriers were able to rout the fox from a den. Something large hounds were unable to do. Terriers with sterling working qualities were such a source of pride to an early-day hunters as were his high-bred running hounds.

Since hunting with deerhounds and foxhounds in early England was more or less the dominion of the well-to-do, terriers were often "the hound of the common man." Although terriers had humble beginnings, I have indicated they were later developed for service in support of hound packs and to keep vermin under control around kennels of the wealthy. But it was the poor farmers who originally put many a nondescript terrier on the track of tricky henhouse pests or crop pillagers and surfaced the need for such a useful canine type. Finally, many variation of the original "earth-dog" emerged. Over 40 terrier breeds are acknowledged today and probably as many more have faded off into the timeworn mists of extinction.

Admittedly my knowledge is limited, but I only know of three terrier breeds still bred exclusively as varmint dogs. Those would be the Jack Russell Terrier, the Rat Terrier and this black and tan Deutscher Jagdterrier.

It is interesting to note the black and tan coloration of Jagdterriers strive for by German breeders has gone full circle. As stated, tri-colored English Fox Terriers were the foundation rock from which the German terrier was developed. Way back in history, a predecessor of the Fox Terrier was called the Black & Tan Terrier. Unfortunately, as Black & Tans backed out of the vermin den with the varmint-rogue in tow, the terrier's posterior was often mistaken for the vermin itself by both hound and hunter. Many a game terrier was killed in error by too anxious a hound pack or hunter. Thus, early English breeders developed white or tri-colored terriers from the Black & Tans to avoid such unfortunate incidents. The Germans, not using hounds, wanted to reinstate the camouflage benefit of dark coated terriers. The Welsh Terrier, also a descendant of the old time rough-coated Black & Tan Terriers, still maintained this desired coat color and were used by the pioneer German breeders to regain this desirable color characteristics and reestablished a grizzly black coat on the Jagdterrier.

In my opinion, what the German breeders essentially have done with the Jagdterrier is to recreate the original Black & Tan Terriers of yore. Those old time Black & Tans became extinct but were the sound foundation of almost every breed of European vermin dogs. The Fox Terrier and Welsh Terrier both descended from the early, and now extinct, English Black & Tan Terrier.

Herr Max Miller of Bubenhausen, West Germany, is a present day Country Group Leader for the Deutscher Jagdterrier Club and served as my information source for this article. When I asked him about the intelligence of these muscular terriers, he answered, a bit tongue in cheek, "They are smart, but not to smart." According to Herr Miller, if very smart, they would know better than to pursue a vicious badger into its lair or attack a big tusked boar in the midst of a briar-tangled forest floor.

Actually, the Jagdterrier is highly intelligent and an amiable dog, although very intent and courageous in pursuit of wild game. Breeders over the years have taken care to incorporate a friendly demeanor in the Jagdterrier's character. One which would accept strangers and be trusted with children. This was an important priority.

The German Hunt Terrier is one of the few terriers still used in practical pursuits. The breed is rarely kept as a pet and is rigidly culled by experienced huntsman. Studying the history of the Jagdterrier is an intriguing lesson to one interested in breeding better working dogs. Thanks to Herr Max Miller of the Deutscher Jagdterrier Club e.v. for his insight into the breed and a special appreciation is extended to Mr. Hans Holzhammer for serving as my interpreter.

KNITE KENNELS/TRADIOTIONAL HUNTING DOG MAGAZINE