In the 1880s, a group of German hunters decided to recreate the Stober, a versatile breed mentioned as far back in German history as 1719. They produced the Wachtelhund and the breed was officially recognized in 1903. In Germany, only gamekeepers and hunters own this breed, they are not sold to the non-hunting public.
Several Wachtelhunds were brought to the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but were only bred once or twice, producing a total of 17 dogs. None were registered in North America.
In 1993 and 1994, Dave Pepe imported a pair of Wachtelhunds to the United States and bred them four times producing 38 pups. Since then, several other dogs have been imported and numerous breedings have occurred. Today, there are approximately 100 to 150 dogs in the US and Canada.