At the beginning of the 1980s - when the turmoil had settled for this new breed with a comparatively small population, following the splitting into three Eurasier clubs in Germany - the board members quickly realized that talking to each other would be beneficial for the development of the breed.
And so the EKW, under the guidance of Dr. Jander, organized several symposia, which all three German Eurasier clubs (EKW, ZG and KZG) were happy to attend. The atmosphere was pleasant and matter of fact, and the conversations focussed on breeding matters.
Unfortunately, over time, the good tradition of meeting annually lapsed, partly due to changes within the boards.

First Eurasier Symposion 1986
From left to right, along the wall:
Julius Wipfel, Monika Guhrmann, Dr. Silvia Jander, Charlotte Baldamus (kennel v. Jaegerhof), Walter Nagel (kennel v. Stechersee), Dr. Werner Schmidt, Elisabeth Seywald (Founder of the ECA)
Foto: A. Mueller, ZG-Archiv

In autumn 1995, the ZG therefore took the initiative, and in February 1996, board members of the Eurasier Klub Weinheim, EKW, (Germany), the Suomen Eurasier Kerho, SEK, (Finland) and the Zuchtgemeinschaft fuer Eurasier, ZG, (Germany), met to discuss the possibility of cooperation.

This meeting quickly resulted in an agreement, because, from the beginning, the aim was "to exchange data between cooperating clubs". Therefore the date February 24, 1996, can be seen as the founding date for IFEZ.

By March 1996, the first draft of an agreement was "drawn up". It was then further improved by lawyers. The plan was to have the agreement signed by the end of 1996.

Before that date, the ZG invited all three German Eurasier clubs to a meeting at the German Kennel Club (VDH), to establish whether the German Eurasier club KZG wanted to be included in this cooperation.
The talks took place on November 23, 1996, in a friendly and matter-of-fact atmosphere. Several points were discussed, but no agreement could be achieved; the KZG did not join IFEZ.

In March 1997, IFEZ was announced to the German Kennel Club (VDH) as an International Cooperation.

In May 1997, the Eurasier Freunde Schweiz (EFS), a Eurasier club in Switzerland, applied for membership. In November 1997, the Eurasier Club Austria (ECA), who had also applied for membership, was invited to join. Both clubs were accepted.
In 1998, the certificate for Eurasier puppies that were bred according to the IFEZ quality rules was approved. The contents of this certificate had been carefully discussed. The layout - the header with the official drawing of the FCI Standard Eurasier - was designed such that everybody would recognize the IFEZ by this logo.

The discussion concerning the new edition of the standard 291 in 1998/99 at the German Kennel Club (VDH) officially involved the KZG again; the possibility of joining IFEZ was discussed once more, but again without success.

In 2000, during the celebration of the 40-year anniversary of Eurasiers by the EKW in Mannheim, Germany, an IFEZ meeting took place to which Eurasier clubs from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland were invited. Interesting talks took place, followed in 2001 by the application of the Eurasier Club of the Netherlands, EVN, which was approved.

In 2004, the Eurasier group in the Spidshundeklubben in Denmark was accepted as an associate (Denmark did not have its own Eurasier club at the time). In 2005, the Intressengemeinschaft Eurasierfreunde Schweiz, IGES, another Eurasier club in Switzerland, was also accepted.

In 2005, the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) accepted IFEZ as the Eurasier World Union.
IFEZ wants to establish a worldwide platform for discussions of fundamental issues concerning Eurasier breeding, including those countries that are not members of the FCI. First priority is the adherence to the FCI standard 291, manifesting important health and character requirements for breeding, as well as standardized minimum requirements for the breeding, raising, caring for and keeping of Eurasiers as family pets.

In 2006, the association of the USEC followed (the United States Eurasier Club), and in 2007 the association of the ECB (Eurasier Club Belgium). In 2008, the Swedish Eurasier Club (Svenska Eurasier Klubben) introduced themselves during the IFEZ conference and applied for a cooperating membership with IFEZ. This application was accepted, so in 2009, the IFEZ may welcome the Swedish Eurasier Club as a further "IFEZ Club".

More than 15 years of IFEZ can be summarized as follows:

From the very beginning, a strong federation has evolved that unites seven international Eurasier clubs plus the associated Danish Eurasier friends. Recently, in 2006, the associations of US Eurasier Club, USEC, and in 2007, the Belgian Eurasier Club, ECB, were accepted. The data of more than 15,000 Eurasiers has been collected, and intensive discussions about breeding matters are always possible between the board members of different clubs.

In future, surely more Eurasier clubs will want to join and cooperate with IFEZ, the Eurasier World Union.

Gisela Aach /Head of the ZG Breeding Board

© Zuchtgemeinschaft für Eurasier e.V.

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IFEZ Meeting in Fischingen, Switzerland, 2006