On the weekend of August 30 -- September 2, 2001, members and friends of the North American Teckel Club met at the grounds of the Coraopolis Beagle Club in Clinton, PA for the weekend filled with many teckel activities. We were privileged by the presence of Hans Wördemann, Federal Breed Warden for Deutscher Tekelklub and Wolfgang Ransleben, DTK President.
On Saturday and Sunday Mr. Wördemann judged 34 dachshunds presented by American dachshund breeders and owners. Thirty-three dachshunds were older than 9 months and therefore eligible for "official" rating, which would determine a dog's suitability for breeding within DTK system.
The judging was conducted according to the FCI standard with emphasis on dachshund's functional conformation and movement. Dogs were judged one at a time. The judge evaluated dogs aloud and explained reasons behind his decisions. After the last dog was judged all gathered for informal session with Mr. Wördemann during which he answered questions from exhibitors and addressed several aspects of the FCI standard in more details. Mr. Wördemann demonstrated some points by going over the selected dogs and it provided for a very educational and informative experience.
Of 34 dachshunds shown, 21 got a rating of at least "Very Good". Mr. Wördemann was most impressed with the quality of mini longs. He also remarked that standard smooths tend to be too large with not enough of ground clearance. There is certainly some room for improvement in our breeding programs!