The old adage “good things come in small packages” certainly applies to the sprightly and spirited teckel breed. (Photo By: Damon Bungard/Jaeger Tracks)
You may also see or hear them referred to by “dackel” or “dachsund,” and these little dogs may at first glance look like your grandmother’s yappy, overweight, wiener dog, but the true teckel is anything but. To put this comparison into simple terms that most sporting dog owners should understand, true teckels are to America’s daschund what the Deutsch drahthaars are to German wirehaired pointers. Today’s teckels are a product of the strict German testing and breeding standards, with stringent regulations that are in place to preserve the integrity of what these dogs were originally bred to do hundreds of years ago.
Bigger Isn’t Better
Mike Schlapa owns and operates vom Mountain Creek in northwest Georgia, where he is the only rauhaar (rough hair) teckel breeder in the United States. His family, originally from Germany and Denmark, has long been involved with hunting dogs. Growing up, Schlapa and his family regularly kept a kennel of dogs, from beagles and hounds to retrievers and pointers, as they pursued everything from doves and deer to quail and wild hogs. About a decade ago, Schlapa aspired to cut back on the amount of dogs he kept and wanted a single dog to do what four to five different breeds were doing for him.
He initially started breeding and raising Deutsch-drahthaars, but after a few years, saw where a smaller-bodied dog would be more advantageous, as he became interested in doing nuisance control and earth work. He also continued to hunt most every game in season and developed a need for a blood tracking dog. “I knew of the teckel’s reputation,” Schlapa said, “So I made my mind up that it would be another good option for me. I began my search to find the type of dog that I was looking for and it took me years to find the right dogs.”
With family ties and connections to Germany, Schlapa went through a rigorous screening process before he was able to import his first teckel. After his first dog, he became interested in breeding them and has been strictly following the standards of the German system. These standards were originally developed in 1888 when the Deutsch Teckel Klub (DTK) (under the umbrella of the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI)), was established in Germany. Their mission is to preserve the standards of the breed, with testing and evaluations that look at physical confirmation, hair/coat, temperament, hunting ability, health clearances, obedience, tracking skills, field and water work, and gun handling, just to name a few factors, and it only takes one of any number of things to fault on to disqualify a dog from breeding.
History and Development of the Teckel
The short-legged teckel originates from Germany and was bred to be a versatile hunting dog in the truest sense. Schlapa describes the teckel as the original forester’s dog; one dog to do it all. “Back several hundred years ago, hunting was about food and function, not sport. A forester worked for the state to manage the forest and manage the game that lived there. Royalty also had a forester to take care of varmints and predators and to procure meals. They would use teckels to drive out and kill fox, badger, and wolves. Teckels would go into the animal dens to run out the varmints and either catch and kill them or flush them out for hunters to shoot.”
Schlapa mentions that in addition to underground earth work, teckels were also utilized above ground on driven hunts to kill birds, small game, and big game for food. “Legend has it,” Schlapa adds, “That all teckels came from some of the original Kurzhaar over the years, but as hunters wanted dogs better at doing the earth work, they likely bred some terrier into them to get them smaller, and with it came the rough hair variations.”
Teckel Characteristics and Traits
The teckel comes in nine total varieties of three different sizes based on chest circumference (teckel, miniature teckel, and rabbit teckel) and three different coat varieties (smooth-haired, wire-haired, and long-haired). Color coat varies widely, from single to multi shades of red, brown, and black, to merle and brindle with inclusions of tan and gray.
According to the FCI, teckels in general have a long, strong muzzle and a low, short-legged, elongated, muscular body. They are quick, energetic, and agile, bred to flush and track game above and below ground. Their demeanor is described as friendly, and neither fearful nor aggressive, with an even temperament and a passionate, persistent hunting drive with an excellent nose.
Hunting with a Teckel
In Germany and throughout much of Europe, the teckel is still one of the most widely-used hunting dogs. Schlapa adds that teckels are so effective partially due to their size, as game may not be quite as threatened and may not run, making it easier for hunters to shoot at game compared to that of a pack of larger hounds.
Over the years teckels were introduced to the United States through immigration, but largely as a result of military soldiers returning home from Europe after World War II. In the U.S., teckels are used primarily as blood trackers and big game recovery dogs, but as Schlapa describes, “They’re very nose-driven and have a ton of prey drive. They’re capable of retrieving work too, but it’s not their forte. Having some hound decent, some teckels will tree game, but the main thing limiting their performance is the length of their legs. They’ll do almost anything you ask them to do but they’re not going to do well in deep snow on a mountain hunting for (mountain) lions.”
You may baulk at their short stature and wonder how they manage to do it, but Schlapa reiterates these dogs were bred to be an all-purpose working dog and will flush all sizes of game and it’s not out of the realm to have a teckel retrieve ducks, tree a squirrel, run a wild pig, track a wounded deer, and flush quail.
Who is the Teckel For?
Because teckels are still being used for their original intended purpose, one that includes a wide array of versatility, the teckel is likely not going to make for a great couch potato pet, or even be a good match for the weekend warrior hunter. Schlapa cautions that this rare hunting dog breed is not for everyone and are not intended to be your next pet project. “They come with lots of responsibility. They’re the biggest little dog you’ll ever meet, and they may be cute as puppies, but they are a serious versatile hunting dog. If you’re not willing to make the commitment to train the dog and provide them the outlets they require and a consistent means to work, you’re going to get into trouble fast.”
Schlapa mentions that he maintains a strict diligence when screening potential owners in his breeding program, a progression that can sometimes take several years. “It’s not a quick or easy process and I’m not here to provide pets. I want to do what’s best for my dogs and my ultimate goal is to make sure they’re going to a working home where they’ll be well cared for.”
If you would like to learn more about this unique hunting dog breed, Schlapa encourages readers to do some research and look to online resources such as the Deutsch Teckel Klub or the North American Teckel Club to get a better idea of what these dogs can really do.
