What did the biological experiment look like – crossing a German Shepherd with a Carpathian Wolf? Today we know the result of this effort, but how did it all actually go? A conversation with the most competent of the called will certainly bring us closer to this. And guess who we mean?
To devote a whole month to the Czechoslovakian Vlciak and leave out Mr. Ing. Karel Hartl would probably be an unforgivable sin. And because he is a personality of infinite knowledge, two of us went to see him. And it paid off! So, we bring you an absolutely great talk about this national breed. So here we go again. Once upon a time...
Mr. Hartl, I personally admire your work very much – I mean everything about the Czechoslovakian Vlciak. But you and cynology, it's not only this breed, but also many years of experience with the Border Guard and dogs in general. Can you tell us a few interesting facts about your life with dogs?
In the seventy years I've had dogs, there would be many experiences with them. I got my first one when I was seven years old, and I had it for fourteen years. We spent all my childhood years together and the war, when I had to teach him to be afraid of shooting, so that he would not go through the compulsory conscription into the German army. From the time of my service, a powerful book could be written about the cases of the use of dogs in service at the state border. Personally, my dog Nurmo (NO) helped me with a group of teenagers who started harassing me in the park. He dealt with the five-member gang very quickly and accompanied one of them to the police. It is certainly worth mentioning that my Newfoundland Betyna pulled a little boy out of the Vltava River, who had begun to drown. My dogs have always been mainly companions for me, enriching my life with their presence.
Do you currently have a dog at home? And if so, what breed is it?
Until I was 86 years old, I had a Czechoslovakian Vlciak who was killed by a car when she ran out of the house. Due to my health condition and the health condition of my wife (ZTPP), I then bought a small Spitz, which I still have.
"I consider the use of electronic and barbed collars to be cruelty to dogs. It has a negative effect on the contact between the handler and the dog!"
What do you think about today's cynological trends, and what is your opinion on them? I am referring to accuracy when performing various exercises or using training aids such as a pencil, barb, electronic collar, etc.
Today's state of cynology must be judged in connection with the times in which we live. Previously, there were around three thousand service dogs in the armed forces. Today, however, there are only one hundred and fifty of them. This is also the basis for the requirement for service training of dogs. This used to be carried out in Svazarm, where there were five hundred basic cynological organizations, and the training of dogs was influenced by the requirements of the armed forces. In addition, the training of the dog also met the requirement to protect the owner and his property. The breeding of service dog breeds was also aimed at this. At present, the training of dogs is focused on the so-called sports use and the breed has succumbed to fashion trends. I am an advocate of the fact that both sport and service dog training should be recognized for breeding. I consider the use of electronic and barbed collars to be cruelty to dogs. It has a negative effect on the contact between the handler and the dog. I am in favor of training a dog that strengthens the relationship between man and dog. This can only be achieved by guiding the dog to be active and enjoy training. To look forward to the performance and to perform it joyfully. Such training can only be carried out by that handler who learns to understand his dog, to know its needs – he does not make him his slave, but his companion.
I saw you as a VIP guest at the International Service Dog Championship TART in Mělník. Do you like this race? And what do you like about it?
The International Dog Championship in Mělník corresponds to the current way of using dogs in the police and in this respect, it cannot be reproached. Although there could be more top performances, especially in scent disciplines, by professional dog handlers and their dogs.
And now let's move on to the Czechoslovakian Vlciak, a breed that, as they say, does not hide its natural origin. What is it like to be at the birth of a new breed?
But I didn't create any new breed, it was all completely different... I was mainly interested in how to return wolf resilience and performance to the genes of German Shepherds. I was also fascinated by the viability of wolves, after all, they had been persecuted in Europe for centuries, exterminated, bounties were put on them, and yet they survived it all and survived as a species.
Sure, but in the end, a new breed was created from these experiments. So how did it all start?
It's going to be a long story. In 1955, I returned from Kazakhstan, where I had been educated for a whole year in a course devoted to animal behavior and influence on them according to the theory of I. P. Pavlov. The Soviets had it worked out to the smallest detail; True, we started with camels, but otherwise it was really a detailed, comprehensive learning of how to train horses and dogs, among others, to perform at their best.
After returning from Kazakhstan, I was appointed Chief of the Border Guard's Service Canine. At that time, there were those possibilities, so I submitted a project, the result of which was the possible recovery of the population of German Shepherds in Czechoslovakia, i.e. to return their wolf abilities – resilience, fast regeneration and health. I was very interested in wolves, but nowhere did I find any other records about them than hunting ones. For centuries they were looked upon as verminous, there were no records other than the number of them that were caught, and that did not help me much in my purpose. There was no other way than to try it in practice.
If I remember correctly, the first she-wolf was named Brita. Is that right? Where did you get it?
The brother of photographer Karel Hájek had a she-wolf at home, which he got as a cub from a zookeeper in Slovakia. At that time, he didn't really know what to do with it, so he left it to us. We brought her in a pig box, emaciated and stressed, but she was a wolf and I had a fairly detailed breeding plan at the time. Brita was fed only raw meat and we didn't even try to socialize her in any way, we didn't plan to do that, we were only interested in genetics.
In 1958, the she-wolf went into heat on March 15. On the twelfth day, her behavior towards the dog, which was placed in the next kennel, changed. She rubbed against the mesh in front of him and sniffed him. On the thirteenth day the dog was let in to the she-wolf, who stood by the kennel, and when the dog came to her, she bit him on the neck. The dog jumped back, tucked his tail between his legs and ran to the exit of the pen. The she-wolf began to attack him again. The next day, a second, aggressive dog was let in to the she-wolf. The wolf's behavior was repeated, but when she attacked the dog, the dog defended itself and grabbed her by the neck from above and shook her several times. This fundamentally changed the behavior of the she-wolf. She began to run in front of the dog, they sniffed each other, and a courtship began between them. After fifteen minutes of getting to know each other, the she-wolf stopped, and the dog covered her. Four puppies from this mating were left entirely in the mother's upbringing, and when they left the kennel on the twentieth day, they were anatomically and physiologically similar to wolves, but also shy as wolves and basically useless for further training. At the time of imprinting, they lacked education from their mother dog.
This result did not turn out as expected, but fortunately it did not discourage you and you continued breeding. How did it go?
We were not discouraged and continued to use them in breeding. By mating with the German Shepherd, we mainly monitored the handling and it worked out quite well. The second generation were already going on patrols with the soldiers. They had excellent prerequisites for night work, but they were very shy and it was almost impossible for them to get used to more people.
We continued to use the second generation for crossbreeding, and because the state kennel from the Border Guard had great opportunities, we divided the breeding individuals into several places in the country and continued with the breeding plan there. We also tried the cross between wolf x NO and wolf x F2. Each station had specific tasks to monitor and with the F3 the emphasis was already on the exterior. Typical German Shepherds were eliminated as well as individuals with a color other than wolf grey. Interestingly, the wolf phenotype did not gain traction at all in this generation. We continued to breed and in the fourth generation we completely released the influx of pure wolf and dog blood.
How did you recruit other non-gene-related individuals?
We got the genuinely unrelated hybrids by a rather curious coincidence. The Public Security, i.e. the police of the time, started with a similar plan, but just like us with the first puppies, they found that they were not very controllable. Unlike us, however, they gave up at that time and offered us a relatively large group of animals that we could use for breeding.
Other individuals were obtained by crossing a wolf; his name was Šarik (he was acquired from the Hluboká Zoo), and the German Shepherds. It was interesting that the first generation of these parents was not as uniform as the offspring of the she-wolf. The father was less successful, and the upbringing of the dog mother also did its job, the puppies were well socialized and therefore better manageable.
Does this mean that these individuals may have already been trained?
Yes, at that time we started with targeted training and again we pursued specific targets in various places in the country. In the kennel of the PS in Cheb they focused on tracking, in Karlovy Vary obedience was preferred, and in Sušice they tried to train a group for detect drugs; And the results weren't bad at all.
Also, at that time, we were finally able to test the physical endurance and quick regeneration of the crossbreeds by letting them run by the bike. To check this, we have added pure German Shepherds and some other breeds of service dogs to the group of tested animals. After seventy-five kilometers, there were only the crossbreeds left in the group. Their physical abilities were incredible. The legendary Old from the second generation showed us his talents in a very pragmatic way. When a hare ran across the road in front of his nose after running kilometers, he ran after it into the bush... And his handler ended up in a ditch with his bicycle.
"At the moment when the judge Hans Hirsch awarded the title BOB to a crossbreed named Old z Pohranice stráže, who was shown there among German Shepherds, we decided to introduce a new breed!"
An acquaintance of mine told me that these hybrids had incredible stamina. So, what did they do differently than other "normal" dogs?
While the other dogs tested spent two days recovering from the run with ragged paws, our crossbreeds were able to go on a normal patrol the next day, running at least fifty kilometers again according to the pedometer. Another unique trait that our crossbreeds inherited from their wild ancestors was that they did not suffer from hip dysplasia at all. Their X-rays embarrassed veterinarians here and in Austria, because such results did not correspond at all to what they were used to... And what's more, as the icing on the cake, was the moment when the judge Hans Hirsch gave the title BOB to a crossbreed named Old z Pohranice stráže, who was shown there among German Shepherds. And that was the moment when we decided to introduce them as a new breed.
I get goosebumps when I think about it. How did it work back then?
It is the year 1967 and the judges Mr. Vodvárko and Mr. Nachtigal are at the birth of a new national breed and at the establishment of the studbook. A breed standard of the Czechoslovakian Vlciak is drawn up, which is submitted to the Department of Cynology of the Association of Small Animal Breeders, but no great success takes place. Vlciaks are reproached for not being used elsewhere than by soldiers, i.e. for being useless for civilian life. The most opposed to their recognition is a representative of the Public Security, coincidentally the same person who gave up on a similar project years ago and handed over the first crossbreeds to the Border Guard.
But you didn't give up. And I know that you were helped by the wonderful cynologist Ing. Jan Findejs...
Yes, that's right, in 1982, with the help of Mr. Findejs, we managed to persuade the officials of the Breeders' Association to recognize a new breed of beautiful and at the same time viable dogs. But it didn't end there, because we decided to turn the national breed into an international breed. We complied with our Slovak colleagues, who had a significant share in its creation, we renamed it the Czechoslovakian Vlciak and with the great support of Dr. Petr Dvořák we went to conquer the world... And we really succeeded.
The standard of the Czechoslovakian Vlciak was approved in Helsinki on 13.6.1989 and issued under number 332. The first titles were awarded to Czechoslovakian Vlciaks at the World Dog Show of all breeds in Brno in 1990.
Yes, the Czechoslovakian Vlciak was preliminarily recognized on June 13, 1989 and the first title of World Winner could be awarded at the World Dog Show in 1990. At that time, you were the judge of this exhibition. I think it had a special meaning for the history of this breed, can you tell us what it was?
The international recognition of the Czechoslovakian Vlciak by the FCI was the culmination of the inclusion of this breed among the internationally recognized breeds of the FCI. This enabled the breeding of CSVs in other countries and their exhibiting at international FCI exhibitions. Opponents of the recognition of this breed, especially German breeders and conservationists in Italy, still oppose it, claiming that it is a mixed breed and not a purebred dog.
As I found out, at the beginning of 2015 the necessity to determine the genetic profile of all evaluated animals came into force. Why did this happen with this breed and what is the benefit?
I consider it unnecessary to determine the genetic profile of dogs during bonitation, because these animals have a pedigree and are a purebred breed according to the FCI.
CSV is not a dog for everyone. It needs firm leadership and a just and authoritative leader!
Who would you recommend this breed to and what should one be aware of before choosing them?
A dog is generally a big commitment for ten to fourteen years. It's a daily worry that will completely change your life and take up a large part of your free time. CSV can't be in a kennel all the time or locked up alone in an apartment all day. It requires being around people, and every puppy needs proper socialization. So before you decide to buy a Czechoslovakian Vlciak, you should learn as much as possible about it. Meet the representatives of the breed at the show or training ground, visit a long-time breeder. CSV is not a dog for everyone. It needs firm leadership and a fair and authoritative leader.
Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to find a list of all your books and publications. Can you name them for us?
I did not keep a record of my publishing activities. For many years I was a member of the editorial board of both the magazine Pes přítel člověk (formerly Kynologie) and the international Hunde revue. I have often published in these journals.
Mr. Hartle, the result of your many years of work is a beautiful breed that often takes people's breath away. A breed that is not only beautiful and a "child of nature", but that is also suitable for sports and as a companion. We all thank you immensely for your work, because there is really a lot to be thankful for...
And thank you very much for the interview.
You're welcome, and in conclusion I would add:
At the current level of the CSV, the credit goes mainly to civilian breeders, who have gradually become involved in the breeding of the breed and its international recognition.
Translated by Google
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