![]() Our host directed us to a large oak tree to the east of a large forestry block and the guns were stationed West. They checked here and there along the ditch before three or four began to give tongue at a feral cat which instantly got up a tree out of harms way! My own Teckel Oscar seemed a little disillusioned with the entire affair as being a little over two years old, he has only until now been a lone ranger and never hunted as part of a pack. We pulled up on a narrow road which was almost a track and as I loosed the Lurchers, the Teckels were unboxed and leashed up for the short walk along the road and then onto a lane where they were too loosed so they could run alongside the Lurchers. His quiet demeanour gave little clue to the iron heart and tenacity that lay below that great wire coat. Among the dogs and bitches as well as my own two sat a little Dog imported from a breeder in Germany, sporting a GPS tracking collar that was almost bigger than him. ![]() The Teckels whined and yipped in the back, they knew full well what was coming. Here we were just a few hours later back on the road again. We had not arrived the night previous until after 9pm and we ended up going out lamping for “an hour or so” and did not return home until almost 4am. ![]() I was still groggy as we drove along the winding roads and lanes. After a very welcome and fantastic hearty breakfast, I took my own pair from the truck and we loaded another half a dozen into a land rover along with two Lurchers – my own bitch Bella and her uncle Finn owned by my pal Greg who had also came down for the weekend. ![]() Our host had some months earlier invited us down to open the season with his pack. It was a beautiful September morning when I awoke in my lodgings to the sound of a dozen or so working Teckels getting excited and ready for a days hunting in the West of Ireland. With my own Teckels I have flushed and shot pheasants, woodcock, Snipe, Grouse, Ducks and rabbits amongst other quarry. I work my own at various disciplines which includes shooting. Within these three sizes we also find smooth, long and wire haired varieties with the wire being the most recognised and worked on our shores. Standard which is the largest of the three.Zwerg (Miniature) which is the middle-sized dog.Kaninchen (meaning rabbit) which is the smallest of the breed.Teckels originate in Germany and range in size and coat. The Teckel breed has long been the “go to” dog in Europe where, as well as being worked in a wide variety of ways and at a wide variety of quarry, most owners also participate in tests and trials ranging from retrieving ducks from water to trailing a blood scent which can be up to 40 hours old. It’s in the last couple of decades however that they have risen to popularity as a working breed. They’ll even retrieve shot birds.Īccording to the Teckel Society, Teckels were first founded in the UK in the 1970’s. Teckels can work at everything from ratting to blood tracking and flushing foxes from cover to working on the beating line. As a result, they’re quickly gaining in popularity in both the UK and Ireland. One thing you can be sure of however, is that these small dogs, long on the back and short on the leg are one of our most useful and versatile breeds of all small working dogs. The Wire Haired Dachshund, Working Sausage Dog or the Teckel? Maybe you’re not quite sure what they’re called. * To listen to Steven talk about his teckels and his sporting life in Ireland, see episode 32 of The Country Gent Podcast where he’s our guest *
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