Hunting up
a
Dog Breeder

This article appeared in Retriever Journal - April/May 1998

written by Butch Goodwin

of                     

Northern Flight Retrievers  

o you remember the TV series, M.A.S.H.? I think I have seen every episode. Twice. I used to get a real kick out of Charles. You remember, he wasn't just Dr. Winchester. He was "Dr. Charles Emmerson Winchester - The Third!". He wasn't just from Boston, he was born of Boston society breeding! His pores oozed with it, or so he thought. Unfortunately for Charles, in Korea he was just another doctor in a M.A.S.H. unit.

   We all have a pedigree - genealogy or lineage if you prefer. You may not know who your ancestors were or where they came from, and you may not care. But it doesn't surprise me that most people who call themselves dog breeders know more about their dogs' pedigrees than they do in their own.

   Almost anyone who breeds a litter of pups can rattle off a series of unknown, faceless names in their dogs' pedigrees and thoroughly confuse everyone within earshot, especially if they give no indication of what relationship each of these dogs contributed to establishing the desired qualities in this particular strain. Why was this dog chosen as a sire to breed to this particular bitch rather than another? Why was this particular dog chosen as a foundation for an entire successive line of dogs? What did the individuals in the pedigrees do to improve this entire breeding program; what did they do to the detriment of this line?

   Serious and responsible breeders know these things. They know the dogs intimately. They may have actually bred or at least laid their hands on many of the dogs in their pedigrees. They are dedicated to their breed.

   We need to take a good long look at the breeders who are producing our retriever pups. But before we examine the breeders, let's take a look at ourselves, ask a few questions, and try to answer them truthfully. What do you really want in a dog? Are you a serious waterfowl hunter? An upland hunter? Are you primarily interested in the "field games" such as hunt tests and field trials? Or do you simply want a pet and an athletic playmate and you have heard that the retriever breeds were easy to train and fun to have around?

   It is easy to breed a litter of pups. Producing pups that are good physical examples of their particular breed that have the genetics to do the work expected of them is another matter. My full-time business is training retriever hunting dogs. I get dogs from all over the United States and Canada to train. I can tell you for a fact that if the dogs the breeders produce have the genetics, socialization, and early training to do the work, they are easy and fun to work with. If not, training becomes a real chore.

   Also, I find that the dogs that come from breeders who are seriously involved in field trials, hunt tests, or are avid hunters who have serious hunting dogs are much easier to work with. It seems that if a breeder is seriously involved in training, they can better see the positive and negative attributes inherent in a particular and thereby make better educated breeding decisions. It is my opinion that poor breeding coming from breeders who are not involved in training their dogs for working in the field often results in retrievers that are difficult, if not impossible, to train.

very responsible and dedicated breeder should have some sort of a philosophy. Whether they breed primarily show dogs, hunting dogs, or field trial and hunt test dogs, their motives for breeding dogs and what they hope to produce will determine their breeding philosophy. If their motives are strictly to "make a few bucks" or to have a litter "because she's a great huntin' dog and we thought she should have a litter of pups before we had her spayed," then they are ignorant about the breed and what they are producing and are a detriment to the breed and counterproductive to what the serious and responsible breeders are trying to produce. This type of breeder has no interest in making any effort to improve upon the breed. Collectively, nationwide, this type of breeder does a great deal of damage to the breeds through the litters that they breed, rarely following up with pups that they produce and what will be produced ill successive generations.

   We won't discuss this type of "backyard" breeder at any great length, but they should be avoided at all costs. Likewise, a word of caution about the breeder who produces many litters each year or produces many litters of pups from several different breeds of dogs. Some very responsible breeders produce pups from two different breeds each year. When you find a breeder who consistently produces pups from more than two different breeds of dogs each year, I'd examine that breeder with caution.

   When seeking a well-bred retriever of any breed, it is necessary to learn as much as possible about a breeder, and then determine if his or her breeding philosophy is what you would desire in a dog. If you look at the current and back issues of The Retriever Journal and identify the breeders who have consistently bought advertising in the magazine, contact
these breeders and you will be headed in the right direction. A breeder isn't going to spring for advertising for issues after issue, year after year, if they are not serious about their breeding program, likewise, ask around. Word of mouth is the best and the worst advertising - a good reputation can make a breeder; conversely, when a breeder has a bad reputation, the word gets around quite quickly.

   But as you contact these advertisers, keep in mind that not all breeders of "hunting breeds" are hunters. Many very dedicated breeders have interests that lie in areas other than hunting such as: field trials, hunt tests, show dogs, obedience dogs, tracking, or agility. Before you, as the prospective puppy purchaser, can make an educated decision about a particular breeder's stock and whether it is suitable for your needs, it is necessary for you to determine where their primary breeding motives lie.

   The best way to determine this is to request that a particular breeder send you information about his kennel and his dogs. Then, based on what you read and see in his material, make up a list of questions and pick up the phone. Put your concerns about money aside, and remember - you are making a 14-year commitment to selecting a companion be it for hunting, dog trials, dog shows, or breeding stock. Most importantly, that dog will become a member of the family.

   It is vital to not be in a hurry to get a good dog. Most serious breeders who breed a limited number of litters each year have a waiting list - many of these lists are from six months to a year in length. The good breeders are not interested in selling a pup to someone Who is in a big rush to find a pup. I compare this type of person to the shopper in the checkout in the supermarket buying a tabloid paper on impulse because of the headlines on the front. We live in an impulse-buying world. But I don't want my pups to go to impulse buyers: they may not  have made a total commitment to the breed and may lose interest in the dog in short order.
I send a short note along with a booklet about the Chesapeake Bay retriever breed and my particular breeding program and philosophy to everyone who requests information. These are expensive and time consuming to to maintain, update, and mail out. But I am totally committed to the Chesapeake and feel that even if I never hear from a prospective buyer again, maybe I will have made a contribution, however small, to their education about the breed.

large part of learning about a breeder's program and breeding philosophy is learning about the dogs in his particular line. Every serious breeder's program is based on certain dogs or offsprings of certain dogs. The breeder who selectively breeds members of this family group together or outcrosses to members of another family group plans to improve his particular line. If the breeders are not improving upon these lines through successive generations, then they are wasting their time.

   Of course, no one has ever produced the perfect dog in all aspects, and no breeder produces consistently outstanding pups every time. But it is knowing how the genetic makeup of these animals will combine to produce offspring with the desired looks, traits, and abilities that this particular breeder seeks (along with a little luck) that determines a breeder's success.
Personally, I would rather do my research and decide on a particular breeder who shares my wants and needs in a dog. Part of my decision to go with a particular breeder would be to decide upon a line or strain of dogs that a particular breeder is breeding. This would, of course, have to be determined by looking at the information that the breeder sends out along with the information about his dogs.

   Now, I am going to say something that might ruffle a few feathers: I think too many novice or inexperienced potential puppy-purchasers put too much stock in the pedigrees that some breeders send out. These novices often have little or no knowledge of what they are looking at. Five generations of names and titles can often be overwhelming, and in some cases the truth about a particular dog may be hidden behind a title or, conversely, never show up on paper because of a lack of titles.

   Let me cite a couple of examples: For the sake of argument, let's take a dog named Slats, a dog that is the most-titled dog in a particular breed. Anyone would be proud to say Slats was the sire of their pup. What the novice doesn't understand by looking at the pedigree is that when Slats is bred to a strongly linebred bitch - who may not have his good looks - the pups tend to look like their dam and could quite possibly be pretty homely! The pups may have his field potential, as he is prepotent in this area, but he rarely throws his good looks.

   Now for the other side of the coin: Two generations back on the pedigree of a litter of Lab pups are several dogs with show championship titles. You have been told by your buddies to avoid show dogs because they can't hunt or are worthless as competitors in field trials or hunt tests, so you decide to pass on this litter and look elsewhere. What you don't see on paper is that several of those dogs may have been great field dogs or may have even had all of the points necessary to have been a Field Champion but never had that coveted first-place win. I personally know of one dog who has, I believe, 33 open All-Age field trial points (enough several times over to have a Field Champion title) and will be buried with no title because of never having a first-place win!

   You see, the breeder makes his breeding decisions based on his experience, expertise, and what he knows of the dogs on the pedigree. I think that a potential puppy purchaser would do well to look over the information that the breeder sends, and then put his trust in the breeder with whom he seems to share a similar philosophy about what kind of dog he wants.

arlier I suggested that after looking, at a breeder's information package, you should make up a list of questions and then call and ask them. Two points that deserve attention are: pick of the litter, and who gets this pup? Most breeders reserve the "pick" pup for themselves or charge a substantially higher price for this pup. Likewise, many breeders divide their pups into show potential and non-show potential. Generally, they charge more for the ones that they deem as good show dogs. Some breeders even charge more for females than for males. You need to ascertain when comparing breeders if this is the type of breeder that you are dealing with and if you are willing to accept his decisions about these things.

   You also need to determine ahead of time if the breeder picks the pups for the buyers or if you get to pick your own pup. This may affect your selecting a breeder depending upon how you feel about these controls. Normally, the time to voice any questions is before you select a breeder and send him a deposit.

   This brings up a couple of other very valid points to ask about, such as how much deposit does the breeder require and what happens to the deposit if there isn't a pup in the litter for me? Can I get my deposit back? Does it automatically roll over to another litter? What happens if I just decide that I have waited too long and want to go elsewhere? All of these are valid concerns and a serious breeder should be ready to answer these questions, if he doesn't already have the answers spelled out in his written material.

   Among other questions that I would ask are: Does he have any of the dogs in the pedigree on videotape? If so, make arrangements to buy a copy of the tape from the breeder. Don't expect a Hollywood production, but remember it is the best way, short of going and visiting the breeder, to get a good long look at the breeding, stock.

   Also, ask for references of hunters, field trialers, hunt test competitors, or dog show competitors (whichever suits your wants in a dog) who have bought pups from his breedings. Then call them. If their pups are out of specific dogs or bitches in the pedigrees, so much the better. But if not, they will still give you an idea of the type of dog that the breeder is trying to produce.

   Of course, the best way to assess a breeder's stock is to pay him a visit and see the dogs and meet the breeder yourself. This may be difficult, especially if he is across the country, but
I think you can tell a lot about a breeder by visiting his facilities. Although he may have previous plans that you may have to work around, any breeder who tries to avoid having you come and visit may be trying to hide something. But remember, you must be considerate; well-known breeders get lots of callers, and they have the right to maintain a home and family life. (I have had phone calls as late as 1:45 a.m. and as early as 4:30 a.m. wanting to talk about dogs - even considering the time zone changes, calling at those times is really pretty rude!)

oday's breeder is also being deluged with medical technology testing for inherited eye abnormalities, two types of hip certifications, elbow certifications, certifications for normal thyroid, microchip - the list grows almost daily. All of these things are legitimate, and every breeder should have some form of a written guarantee on the pups that he sells. If he doesn't have a written guarantee, you have the right to ask why.

   Many breeders are beginning to sell pups only under very controlled contracts. Personally, I think that these contracts are too "big city." But considering the nature of our legal system in this country today, perhaps in the future selling pups is doomed to this type of control. I have seen pups sold with rebates for titles and rebates for getting hip and eye certifications, limited registrations until the contractual obligations are met, and all manner of control by the breeder. I had someone write to me the other day and tell me that they had contacted a breeder who had sent them, in her package of information, a contract for the sale of her pups, and if the terms for the contracts weren't adhered to, it could cost its much as $4,000 in fines. I guess I was born a few decades too late, but I believe in being able to trust someone on a handshake and his word. Check it out ahead of time.

   Before we can end a discussion about breeders, I think that it is necessary to give you a little bit of the view "from the other side of the kennel fence." Back toward the beginning, of this article, I asked you to consider some questions about yourself and the reasons that you would want a retriever pup. Before you can legitimately begin calling every advertiser in this or any other magazine, you need to look at those questions again and try to honestly assess yourself and your reasons for wanting a retriever.

   And then, answer these two questions that I ask myself each time someone calls me on the phone about my pups: First, why should I sell this guy a dog; is this the kind of person that I would want to have my dogs spend the rest of their lives with? And second, if you were a pup, would you choose you?
   Happy hunting.

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