A second Deer Search chapter is operating in Buffalo and groundwork for the program is being laid in Vermont and Wisconsin. Although other breeds can be used, the Wirehair remains the backbone of the program. Bred to blood-track for generations, the Wirehair offers many advantages in American forests. It moves easily through undergrowth, it is nonthreatening to the landowner when a handler needs to ask permission to cross property, and it stays close to the line when tracking, which allows the handler to interpret deer signs. Heedless of briar and bramble, its hard, wire coat repels burdocks and sticktights, and protects it against near-freezing water temperature.
Hunters are usually surprised at the size of the dog.
The hunter thinks this big dog is coming to find his deer. Then the Deer Search people open their coat and put down this little dog. Later, out on the trail, unable to match the Dachshund's tireless pace, the typical hunter will revise this opinion, Robinson notes. The wirecoated Dachshund that first appeared hunting in Germany's l9th century forests was a working dog without written pedigree. Although many of Germany's Dachshunds survived the two world wars, the separation of East and West Germany after World War II caused devastation among the Wirehairs.