One Dog for Every Hunt
In Germany in the late 19th century, hunters sought to create a truly versatile dog: a single hunting companion that could retrieve waterfowl in frigid waters, point in the field like a setter, track and engage any size game much like a terrier, yet deliver all prey delicately to hand. The outcome was the Deutsch Drahthaar. Boasting hardiness against the elements and a legendary reputation for performance in the field, the drahthaar became Germany's most popular hunting dog.
The hunting determination and passion of the Drahthaar is unrivaled, and the best breeders have progressed in adapting to modern hunters who - depending on their area or preferred game - may require a refined pointer, an indefatigable tracker, or both. Ca' Rigada is the only directly VDD-registered kennel to have relocated to the USA. Puppies born in Italy will have FCI registrations, while puppies born in America will have NAVHDA and/or AKC registration.
Bred to a
Higher Standard
The German Wirehaired Pointer is the English name for the Deutsch Drahthaar, a breed originating in Germany with its FCI breed authority founded in 1902. For generations, breeders in Europe and globally followed the breeding regulations maintained by the organization which attempted to guarantee improvement of the breed with objective criteria, rigorous measurement strategies, and robust testing and documentation procedures. As the Drahthaar's population has expanded, registries have expanded beyond the FCI countries to include registries such as the American Kennel Club (or "AKC" - the FCI reciprocal registry in the USA), UKC, CKC, NAVHDA, and others. Different registries have different customs or requirements for breeding. The most likely a prospective owner is to encounter are explained below.
Health Testing Requirements
In the German Wirehaired Pointer or Deutsch Drahtaar and other breeds, we recommend prospective owners seek breeders that volunteer verifiable documentation of the health of their producers according to the highest standards of the latest best practices - not simply the minimum requirements or custom of breed registries. Our kennel's practices have evolved over time to reflect this stance as a matter of ethics. The German Wirehaired Pointer has a unique advantage in its background when it comes to health testing: historically, Drahthaar breeders registered with the German breed authority have been required to document the health clearances for hip dysplasia and osteochondritis dissecans of the shoulder (OCD) with the breed authority. Now, the best kennels in Europe and abroad test for more. This is our strategy:
Genetic Clearances - Ca' Rigada uses Embark DNA testing (results in dogs' galleries) for the most complete picture of health, including breed-specific disease such as von Willebrand Disease (vWD), and phenotype indicators such as furnishings and coat quality.
Heterozygosity - Critically, Embark DNA testing provides the genetic Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI) for our sires and dams as well as the estimated COI for litters. As stewards of the breed, Ca' Rigada seeks to produce the lowest COIs possible (at minimum, no greater than the breed average) to reduce the chance of deleterious recessive disease/mutations, and to preserve a healthy breeding population for the future. To learn more about how low COI reduces disease incidence and increases canine lifespan, click here.
Orthopedic and Organ Health - Ca' Rigada has adopted the USA-based Orthopedic Foundation for Animal's (OFA) recommended elbow dysplasia, heart, eye, and thyroid testing in addition to the traditional breed screening for osteochondritis dissecans and hip dysplasia.
PennHIP - Given overwhelming evidence of the superiority of the USA-based PennHIP's hip dysplasia screening method in actually reducing hip dysplasia in breed populations, Ca' Rigada is now testing all dogs with PennHIP. To learn more about PennHIP, click here.
Hunting, Obedience, and Behavioral Requirements
A variety of organizations around the world offer a battery of trials, awards, and certifications designed to objectively quantify the hunting performance and behavioral characteristics of individual dogs, some with testing requirements to approve dogs as suitable reproducers. In the country of origin and those abroad following the German breed authority's practices, hunting trials are governed by the Jagdgebrauchshundverein (JGV) - a hunting dog testing authority for not just the Deutsch Drahthaar, but the Deutsch Kurzhaar (German Shorthaired), Weimeraner, Musterlander, etc. These tests include: (1) the VJP, held in the spring to test the natural or instinctual aptitude of puppies, (2) the HZP or fall breed test, and (2) the VGP "utility" test. Additional designations exist for hardness certification (härtenachweis), armbruster halt (Armbruster-Haltabzeichen), 20 and 40 hour blood tracking, dead game baying, and others. Judges at performance trials document the character of participating dogs. In Italy from which Ca' Rigada hails, breeders are additionally expected to complete the broader FCI registry's suite of hunt testing as well as conformation evaluations. The Italian breed club further selects amongst dogs qualified with the breed authority via additional testing (the Prova di Abilitazione alla Riproduzione - Proof of Reproductive Ability, or PAR) to designate those individuals most worthy of passing on their genetic material. Our foundation stud Nonatula Pan II remains the highest scoring PAR in the club's history. Here in the USA, we have enjoyed learning about the variety of local clubs and their practices, from NAVHDA to AKC to UBT.
Conformation Evaluation
At Ca' Rigada we believe fiercely that health and temperament trump any concern about aesthetics, and question the deviation from this historical breed stance that came with the assignment of form/hair scores and "nobility". We breed according to the FCI standard authored by the breed club, but only as an afterthought to health, temperament, and hunting performance. For deutsch drahthaar, there are only two opportunities for evaluation for breed conformation: three judges must issue a single score ranking a drahthaar's body "form" and fur (or hair) quality on a 12-point scale. 12 is the maximum possible award. (While this helps mitigate the risk associated with systems that allow for extensive showing until enough partial judges are found to amass sufficient points for titles, it does encourage popular sire breedings or breeding based on scores.) This score is typically abbreviated to "F/H 10/9" for a dog with a score of 10 for form and 9 for fur. While it is by no means our focus, Ca' Rigada dogs nevertheless have performed admirably in the conformation ring.
GCH CH Nikita della Ca' Rigada | JH (in Willamette GWP)
Owners of Ca' Rigada dogs benefit from our unflagging commitment to health, temperament, and hunting performance before all else. Our philosophy exceeds the requirements of any particular registry; our goal is to produce the finest dogs we can while never neglecting our responsibility as stewards of the breeding population. At Ca' Rigada, we encourage owners searching for their next companion of any breed to inquire into the breeding practices, regulations, and testing of individual prospective kennels or breed authorities. Together, we can demand a future in which all dogs are afforded the start in life they deserve, and maximize the chances that they will achieve their full potential throughout a long, disease- and pain-free life beside their owners.
CH Cora della Ca' Rigada | F/H 10/11 | VJP-77 HZP-186 | AH, Harte | HD(A)/OCD/ED Free
German Wirehaired Pointer or Deutsch Drahthaar?
The Verein Deutsch Drahthaar maintains the breed standard for the Deutsch Drahthaar (DD), and is the authoring club for the FCI. Formal reciprocal clubs, such as The American Kennel Club in the USA, among other kennel clubs in non-FCI countries, recognized the Deutsch Drahthaar by its directly translated English name as the German Wirehaired Pointer starting in the mid-1900s. The populations remain as interrelated as any other breed, with the FCI countries freely shipping and importing globally. Each country has its own traditions for the breed and places relative weight on various considerations such as health testing, conformation, temperament, and performance. Individual breeding programs have further influence on the nature of the puppies they produce depending on their knowledge and investment in best practices. Ca' Rigada Kennel is the only FCI Drahthaar kennel directly registered with the VDD to have relocated to the USA. Our puppy owners and training clients benefit from the expertise and experience of our breeder and lead trainer Simone Favalli, whose background of FCI hunt and conformation, VDD testing, and experience throughout Europe and the USA afford him unique qualification in understanding the past, present, and future of this breed.