(Article reprinted from the Spring 2004 Wire~News, The Journal of the GWPCA)

 

Breeder's Forum

Note: This is a continuing series focusing on various GWP breeders, their success and struggles. Hopefully, this will allow all of us to learn from their experiences and accumulated knowledge.

 

Backwoods - A Driving Force

By Laura Reeves

 

Greg and Liz Dixon, Backwoods GWP, have built steadily into a team to be reckoned with in the field trial world. At the same time, they are active in the ranks of breeders working to create dual-purpose Wirehairs.

The first litter Greg and Liz bred together in 1996, produced Ch. Backwoods Mo Kick. Whelped in a camper at a field trial, Mo is the dam of the 2002 and 2003 GWPCA National Field Champions DC Backwoods Sure Shot Marley and FC Backwoods Sure Shot Wilson. Greg and Liz bred, trained and handled both Marley and Wilson to their national championship wins, field championships and Marley's show championship.

The story of how the Dixons'  produced two national championship winners in their second generation of breeding, in just seven years, is comprised of a little bit of luck, solid foundations, good research and a lot of hard work.

Greg got his start in Wirehairs in 1988 with a show dog. After hunting pheasant over Brittanies for six years, Greg says, "I really liked the Wires. They were everything I was looking for." The dog's sire's owner gave Greg a membership to the Twin Cities GWP Club where he was first exposed to hunt tests, NAVHDA tests and eventually, field trials. That's where he hooked up with Liz, who by that time had been trialing for several years.

Liz's first Wirehair was a rescue that was surrendered to the vet clinic where she worked in 1982. This "little roan dog" sparked Liz's interest and went on to earn American and Canadian CD titles. He also was her introduction to the TCGWPC. In 1984, Liz gave herself a Christmas present named Drew - Ch. Liebenwaid's Doc's Drieka, SH. In 1985, when club members found out Liz had a horse and trailer, she was encouraged to come to her first field trial.

"I was hooked. By '86 I had my first Walker. It's in my blood now. What could be more perfect than combining horses and dogs," says Liz.

That combination has produced not only a successful line of Wirehairs but a breeding program of Tennessee Walking Horses that are in high demand.

The Backwoods luck started, according to Greg, when he met Don Paltani at a trial in the spring of 1993. Paltani gave Greg a dog - that dog was Archie, Backwoods Flexible Flyer (Rawlee Gene's Delight x Rawhides Dizzy Lizzy).

"I got to know Paltani and went to Texas training with him. I learned more about field trials and training dogs," Greg says. "From there, I went out on my own and worked my ass off."

"At the National in '93 I saw Jay Collins' dogs run," Greg says. "We really liked what we saw, so we got a dog from him. That was Zip, FC Jay-Mar's Blakes Blue Angel (Haag's Director x Rawhide's Flake). She was similar to Archie on paper, but more trainable." Archie and Zip provided the bedrock of the Backwoods foundation. Archie to Zip was the breeding that produced Mo and also her sister FC/AFC Prairiewood's Easy Rider.

"You pick what you think is good", Greg says. "Liz liked Rocky (NFC/DC/AFC Sure Shot's Hot Rocks, MH) when he was the (1996 Field) Futurity winner. So we bred (Mo) to him, got those puppies (Marley and Wilson). We saw a lot of line breeding. Breeders didn't do a lot of outcrossing. So, we just decided that we were going to look for what we thought were the best dogs. It didn't matter who said what about them."

Greg recalls seeing a pup from a breeding Ron Wilson had done that combined the Sure Shot line with Archie's full brother from an earlier litter, DC Uodibar's Bushman. The puppy was "just awesome" and helped trigger the idea of the Rocky x Mo breeding.

"We don't breed a ton of dogs," Greg says. "They're not suitable dogs for the average hunter. They just have too much motor. We like to breed a litter to keep trying to produce a nice all-around dog - a dog that can finish in the show ring and be competitive in any trial.

"Wherever we go (in a breeding program) we're looking for more power and more style. We want to see a lot of heart, a lot of drive, style and intensity. We want them to have a lot of class on the ground, be pleasing to look at running. We've ridden just about every brace at every national we've been to. A lot of times the dogs we like don't do anything. That doesn't mean anything if it's the right kind of animal for us."

Greg identifies trainability as one of the biggest issues they encounter. "I see dogs that will look you in the eye, then run to the horizon looking for birds," he says. "They either have it or they don't"
"One thing," Greg says, "We don't pick that hard on coat, because you can have it in one generation. It's pretty easy to put a coat back on 'em."

The Dixon's kennel, located on nearly 200 acres in Spring Valley, Wisc., is home to 10-14 adult dogs of their own, as well as an average of 20 client dogs. "Eighty acres is in pasture," says Liz. "The rest is in CRP or woods. There is a ton of area to hunt the dogs. Plus, we put bird pens on the edges of the CRP. It's pretty much classic Wisconsin farmland. The back of the property is rolling, surrounded by little rivers. There are turkeys, deer, grouse, pheasants, quail - lots of game birds in the hills."

An idyllic setting for a hard-working team with a little luck and a style all their own - a winning combination in any game.

        

Greg and Truman

DC/AFC Keystone Upwind Double Dippity

"Roddy" Owned by Ron & Julia Bonar

Send mail to SWMBO with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2003-2007  Rock Creek Walkers & Backwoods Kennels
Last modified:  October 14, 2008