Choosing a Breeder
Do your homework!
As a college professor, I made it a point to share this secret of success to students - “Do your homework”! Often repeated, though seldom heeded.
I do not consider myself a breeder but I did choose some of the dogs I have owned for that purpose. Of course, I had chosen them as pups for the attributes their parents exhibited. Indoors, they were calm with a friendly, sometimes comical, demeanor and, most importantly, there was loyalty, ability, and controllable enthusiasm.
Choosing A Breeder:
Okay, you've narrowed your choices down to a single breed (or two). Not an easy task, I assure you. Now, finding a good breeder - with available puppies - is not as simple as it may seem either. The reason I don’t consider myself a dog “breeder” is because breeders, that is to say, well established and successful breeders, have taken years to bring their version of the specific type of dog into being. I simply wished to keep and share pups that displayed the characteristics that the parent dogs already possessed; not develop towards a perceived “perfect” specimen with my own set of specifications.
Some of the specifics that may be bred for would include color, size, pace (speed afield) and many others. For example, I was looking for English setters that would be comparatively small, tri-colored (white with black and tan markings), was bred to a hunter's pace (not of horse back - field trial stock) and retrieved.
Depending on where you live, and your level of patience, you may find everything you want in a dog within a day’s drive. Visit the kennel, see examples of the dogs they produce and witness their ability to perform. Make sure that the breeder guarantees the pup's hips (dysplasia), eyes, joints and other defects that are known to occur occasionally in some breeds. There are differing opinions, I choose to purchase a puppy at about 49 days old (7 to 8 weeks). The pup should have had its puppy shots at 5 to 6 weeks, wormed twice and dewclaws removed, (a preference).
Want a dog for a specific task? Require specified genetics.
Make sure that they can produce all the paperwork required to prove both parents are registered pure-bred stock. I don't say this to be a purest snob; hundreds of years of careful breeding practices was used to develop specific genetics - what gives a breed the characteristics you were looking for. Without the pedigree, you might as well have purchased the pup in Walmart's parking lot for a lot less dough. That’s a dangerous spin of the roulette wheel, my friend.
Many opinions on the subject of dog breeds are not worth the paper they are printed on. Like donning the cap of the last World Series winner, those new to the sport may choose a breed based on current popularity. Use what you have learned while searching for the breed of dog you think would suite you. Any contacts you made while attending upland dog club meetings or field trials should take you a long way toward locating the source(s) from which an excellent pup can be obtained.
If you’ve done your homework, you will increase the likelihood of finding the kind of dog you were looking for. Those that do often remain committed to a breed (or two) for life.
Project Upland
Hunting Dogs | Popular and Successful Upland Breeds
By: AJ Derosa
