About Kennel Chasseur D’argent
Hi, I’m Vlada Kutlesic and I am a breeder of Weimaraner hunting dogs.
Choosing a dog
The choice of Weimaraner as a hunter’s assistant came quite accidentally. In 2010, I left without my hunting dog, a female German Shorthaired Pointer. The dog was stolen at the beginning of the hunting season.
I did not want to buy an adult dog, so I did not hurry to buy it. Looking for a new puppy of a German Shorthaired Pointer I have never managed to find a dog that suits me.
My fellow brother helped me in finding a suitable hunting dog. He asked me why I did not buy a Weimaraner dog.
It’s the beginning of a search for my first Weimaraner. I also searched for a dog in Serbia and abroad in Germany. It took me about 7-8 months to find the first dog.
Breeders in Germany were not willing to sell my dog because it was difficult to prove that I am an active hunter. I had to prove that I was ready to examine the dog on the breeding exams, so I chose the original female puppy.
In August 2011, we first came in close contact with the breed of Weimaraner dogs. It was the female I called Beta (Daria stood in the pedigree).
Meeting with Weimaraner dog breed
Meeting with a new race from the first moment began to create a special relationship. From a young age, I was in contact with dogs of different races. Together with my grandfather who introduced me to the world of hunts and dogs, I hunted first with German hunting terriers, with Bretons, German Shorthaired Pointer.
However, that puppy Weimaraner, who became a member of the household for two months, had something special in himself. In a special, inexplicable, the way she got us all under the skin and became a pet of the whole family.
As she grew up, she also started a training course, which, unlike all other dogs, created a special relationship with me. For the first time, I had the feeling that my dog understood what I was saying.
Of course, training itself did not differ in any way from all of the previous ones, but a special relationship was created between her and me.
The first real contact with the kinology
During training, I spent a little more time with a schoolmate who at the same time had a young German Shorthaired Pointer. He was a cynological judge for work and dog exteriors. That’s when I first learned what the spring and autumn breeding exams I was talking about with the breeders in Germany while I was looking for a puppy.
My Friend persuaded me and I took the dog to a spring breeding exam and it was a moment when I stepped seriously into the world of cynology and began to work on the creation and development of a breeder who today successfully breeds versatile hunting usable dogs.
As the puppy became a grown dog, Beta (dog) grew into one extraordinary feminine Weimar, I began to think about mating.
Second Dog
Looking for an adequate dog with whom I would manage my female I saw an ad where a young male aged 11 months was sold. This dog was a year younger than my female. I went to see a dog because I certainly wanted a quality dog with which I would have my first litter.
Of course, I was lucky, the dog I went to look at, I liked it, because at first glance, although young, I gave the impression of an extremely dominant dog. In a conversation with the then owner, I decided to buy it. So I became richer for an extraordinary dog named Balthazar-Bak.
Already in the first exits in the field, the dog showed top quality. He had a lot of potentials. His state of training was at a very low level, but every day I trained him more and more and he made great progress.
It gave me a special will to spend time with him in the field as in basic training. In a short time, he was able to master everything that was required of him and he became my favorite pet.
Exhibitions
In addition to the exceptional hunting characteristics, Balthazar-Bak had an exterior potential. I started to perform it at the exhibitions and slowly, getting acquainted with the exhibitions, I stepped into the second part of the cynology with which I had no experience.
Balthazar-Bak began to achieve remarkable results and quickly acquired a condition to be proclaimed a young Serbian champion in beauty. In addition, he had several placements where he was the second or third-placed dog at the show among all the dogs of Group VII.
Parallel to the exhibitions, now YCH SRB Balthazar-Bak has also passed the breeding exam and exam sharpness. In a short period of time, he acquired a condition to be declared a mature dog of the Serbian champion for the category of beauty. In order to do this, he had to make a placement in a dog match.
Without any special preparation, he participated in the international dog competition where he needed the placement to complete the championship. Of course, in the strong competition, he received the rating very good and thus became a mature champion of Serbia in beauty.
Third Dog
After my success with the Balthazar-Bak dog, I contact Marija Plenković from Zadar, the owner of the Dianas Argentum kennel, and I come in for another outstanding female Dianas Argentum Inke, who was my third Weimar.
This woman was very quick, maybe faster than a male, mastered all the tasks and became a complete hunting dog very quickly. Together with the male, she achieved success at the exhibitions and in a very short time became the young champion of Serbia in beauty.
She placed her breeder exams and was an outstanding assistant in hunting.
When it was time to leave the offspring, she suddenly died. By exploring its origins, I realized that its quality originated directly from Germany.
Starting a kennel
Recognizing the quality of dogs from the motherland of origin, I wanted to take my first dog, a female Beta, to Germany to mate with some of the best hunting dogs at the time. Naturally, all previous work and the idea to go to Germany influenced my work to be completed by establishing a kennel.
Then in 2016, I register a kennel named “CHASSEUR D’ARGENT FCI 100/16” which means “Silver Hunter” in translation.
At the same time, I also arranged to mate my first dog Beta in Germany with the dog Edmund von Walhalla, one of the best and most complete dogs in Germany. This dog was raised by Walhalla growers of the owner Nadia Frazer, widely known for the quality of their dogs.
Of course, I used the opportunity to meet and visit some great kennels and keep in touch with them. These friendships, which I have acquired by going to Germany, are of great benefit to me because I very often exchange experiences.
In the meantime, I met some other breeders in Germany, and with frequent exchange of experience, I came to the valuable information about the breed of dogs I raise.
Development of a kennel
The mating of my dog in Germany was the first litter in a kennel. The litter had 6 puppies, four male and two females. My plan was to keep one female in order to enrich a kennel with a dog that has the genetics of the best hunting dogs.
Of course, the choice was not easy, and after 6-7 months of follow-up, I chose a female named Chasseur D’argent Daisy and actively started work with her.
Immediately saw what kind of quality it was, because Daisy overcame even the toughest tasks with ease. Thus, the kennel became richer for one extraordinary female who is now a topmost hunting dog.
Also, the increase in the number of dogs has also meant the need to expand the capacities of the kennel itself. However, the limited space made me make a difficult decision. I had to give up one of my dogs. The choice fell on my first dog, Beta.
A customer from San Diego, the USA, the owner of the kennel Hanson Weimaraners, came out very quickly. the deal was to first match with my dog CH YCH SRB Balthazar-Bak and then send it to the USA.
In this way, the dogs I grew up went to another continent. Four exceptional puppies are now with their owners all over California and I often receive information from the owner about the outstanding results they achieve at hunting competitions.
Litters
Since the registration of a kennel in 2016, 3 litters have been in the kennel. The first was the litter I had with a dog from Germany while two litters remained where my father CH YCH SRB Balthazar-Bak and the mothers of two exceptional females were imported into Serbia.
One is Greywalk Misty Morning from Croatia and the second is Hilkka von Walhalla imported from Germany from the same kennel where I also led my female.
From these three litters, 14 dogs found their owners who are almost daily with photos and information about dogs. The 15th puppy stayed with me, the Chasseur D’argent Fee, which should be the kennel’s support in the coming period.
Getting to know the race and carefully choosing dogs that will have descendants have given results. Almost all of the puppets have become the true pride of their owners who already give their owners unforgettable moments in hunting and living.
A few of them did not go into the hands of hunters, but they went into the hands of the true fans of the race and certainly enjoyed it. The quality of puppies that grew into adult dogs gives me the strength and motive that every next litter is better than the previous one, as far as it is in my capacity.
Of course, the job is not easy, but with the help of the parent club in Germany and a few people from this club think that I am on the right track that the quality of dogs is the maximum quality that can be found only in Germany, the home country of the breed.
Plans
In the following period, the kennel Chasseur D’argent plans to import a single male puppy of exceptional origin. The selection has already been made, but I would not give details until everything is agreed.
If these plans are fulfilled in the spring of 2019, German hunting blood will finally come to Serbia. Until then, a young female, also of a superior German origin, should complete the entire training and become a real hunting dog.
Of course, in addition to training, there are exhibitions planned in 2019, when I hope to show in this field the quality that is undoubtedly possessed.
When it comes to some long-term plans, the aim is for dogs from the kennel to come to the breeding examinations organized in their homeland, Germany, at the earliest. In this way, the dogs of my kennel would be presented.
