Where to Find a Dog with the Right Stuff - Part 1

Every time someone rings up to ask about finding a pup, it takes me back to me first dog, Sam. I bought Sam off a mate who had a top-notch keen hunting dog. He decided to mate his girl with a real good-looking bloke whose ancestors were famous in the show circuit. I was bloody excited about the idea of bringing home this ripper looking puppy and was keen as mustard to train him up to be a top hunting dog.

Like heaps of people, I didn't spend any time researching the breeding to suss out what this pup might end up like. If the parents were ace for my mates, then a pup from their dogs should be ace for me too. As I got better at understanding dogs, I realised I'd stuffed up buying this pup. Sam grew up with not much keenness to fetch and he was a real looker. He was a pretty average hunting dog and trying to train him for field trials just ended up frustrating both of us heaps. I was trying to push something onto this dog that his genes just wouldn't cop. Before you get a dog, take a fair dinkum amount of time to ask yourself and the seller a bunch of questions.

Ask yourself this question first. Do you want a puppy, started dog or finished dog? If you decide to start with a puppy, plan on having a patient training routine and not rushing into a situation that the pup is not ready for. Starting with a pup takes dedication on your part, but is by far the most rewarding way to go. Some people have a hard time dealing with puppyhood. They look for a started dog to avoid the housebreaking, chewing, and other things pups do to annoy their owners. Taking the started dogs forward in training saves you time but there are risks involved. Then, there are the people who need instant gratification. For these folks, you'll occasionally find a finished dog for sale. Which way do you want to go?

Let's start with the best way in my opinion, buying a puppy. Before you buy a puppy, there's gotta be a litter available. Where you get your puppy from can make a huge difference to how well the training goes. Getting a puppy from a local breeder in your area is convenient but probably not the best way to find a top-notch future dog. I'm not saying to completely dismiss local litters, just be thorough when doing your research. Grab any newspaper and the classifieds will be chockers with pups for sale. Be extra cautious with these ones. Most top-quality litters aren't advertised 'cause the puppies are usually sold way before it's time for them to leave for their new home. This is how most pro breeders do things and I reckon you should start your search with a pro breeder. The majority of folks who breed puppies for a living spend heaps of time looking into pedigrees and pour years into the type of dog they're keen on. For most, it's not just a casual pastime but rather, a serious business.

I've never seen a litter that wasn't spruiked as having champion bloodlines. What's that actually mean? To me, it means the litter owner's gotta talk up the merits of their litter because the parents might not be fully top-notch dogs. If you suss out every pedigree, you'll spot a titled dog somewhere down the line. Might be seven generations back, but there's still a champ in those bloodlines. When I'm after a pup, I'm more keen on the parents and grandparents of the litter. Having titled dogs in four to five previous generations doesn't mean much to me when I'm buying a dog.

Champion bloodlines come in many forms depending on which titles the owners wanted to chase after. When you have a squiz at a pedigree, it's common to spot heaps of different letters in front of or after the registered name. What's all this alphabet soup about? These letters stand for titles handed out by various groups that test or judge dogs on their knack for performing certain skills. Don't crack a fat just 'cause the dog's got a stack of titles in its background. Make sure those titles are in a field similar to what you're after for your dog. CH is a title given to dogs for their looks and body shape. It's got nothing to do with the dog's ability to hunt or be trained. I wouldn't recommend you to start training a hunting dog by buying a pup whose pedigree is chockers with champion show dogs.

Currently there are several groups that award titles to dogs. For the AKC (American Kennel Club), NFC, NAFC, FC and AFC titles are awarded to field trial dogs that have earned a certain number of points in particular events. Dogs with these titles have proven that they are capable of being trained to a very high level.

Other pedigrees might have titles like GMHR, MHR, WR, SR, MH, SH, JH or GRCH before or after their registered names. These titles are earned in noncompetitive field trials or hunting tests, which highlight a dog's hunting abilities. Most of this alphabet soup makes the future owner and breeder feel good about what they're up to. In my experience, I've seen heaps of these titled dogs that I didn't rate much. Politics is a big deal in the dog world, and often dogs don't deserve the titles they get. So buyer beware, just 'cause there's a bunch of letters before a dog's name, doesn't mean the pups will turn out to be top-notch dogs that their owners will be stoked with.

To be continued in Part 2 of this article series.

Always check your local and state regulations related to dog training and the use of game birds on private and public property.