Hunting in Eastern Idaho

Thank you for visiting. We hope you will enjoy reading about the Drent in general, and our dogs in particular.

What is a Drent?  Drent is the nickname for the Drentsche Patrijshond, an old, well-loved gun dog breed from The Netherlands.  Often called the Dutch Partridge Dog in English speaking countries, they are probably best described as being halfway between the setters and the spaniels: a versatile hunting breed that hunts under the gun, points and retrieves.  Call them a Drent, call them a Drentsche Partridge dog, call them a Drents Partridge dog, the pups don't care.  Just don't call them late for the hunting trip...... 

I recently moved to Pocatello, ID, about halfway between Yellowstone National Park and Salt Lake City, UT.  The romance with the Drent started in 2001, when I was searching for a gun dog.  Not an easy task, as the dog needed to be suitable for the variety of game birds we have the opportunity to hunt in our area.  Partly because of the unique qualities of the Drent, partly for sentimental reasons, I purchased a pup from Gerrit Kramer (Van Oudsher kennels in Friesland).  In 2004, I added Bowi, from the kennel of Rob and Tiny Key in Noord Brabant (The Gloucester).  Then, in December 2007, I tried to satisfy the growing addiction with Clio (Van 't arret).  And, is she ever a little ball of fire!  When we lost our Bowi in 2010, we kept one of his pups out of Clio, and Dutchboy's Patches now rounds out the threesome.  He is all I ever hoped him to be (and enthusiastically so!).

Over the last couple of years, the Drent has proven to be an excellent choice.  Even though a day of hunting may include birds as varied as sage grouse and chukars, and terrain as varied as high desert sage brush and aspen thickets, the dogs are capable of switching gears as fast as needed.  Best of all, they enjoy it all. Although, I suspect Anna prefers pheasants above everything else, and Clio and Patches would never hunt anything but Sharptails, if they were asked. 

At the end of the hunting day, with the spell cast by the birds broken, they once again turn into the sweet, soft and cuddly pets that the breed is renowned for.  I just wish I could get my spot on the couch back!

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