While reading the March/April 2008 issue of Pointing Dog Journal we came across an article called "How to Pick a Hunting Puppy" we would like to share it with you.

How to Pick a Hunting Puppy

by J.D. Nelson

   From 1970 to 1995 the average marriage in the United States lasted about seven years. The average hunting dog lives to be 12-14 years old. So maybe we should all put a little more effort into choosing our hunting partners.

   Since I've always lived in Nebraska, advertised by the Nebraska Game Commission as the "Mixed-Bag Capital of the United States", I've enjoyed breeding, training, and - best of all- hunting a number of different breeds of dogs. In addition, I've had the pleasure of hunting in more than 20 other states and quite a few foreign countries. The wonderful opportunity to hunt several species of birds in so many places doesn't make me an expert on anything, but it has provided me with a wealth of experience on what canine traits insure success with certain wild-bird species. How do I pick a puppy? I can assure you I put a lot more effort into this fun task now than I did 30 years ago. 

For example, I think the best place to buy a quail puppy is where dogs hunt wild quail, a pheasant puppy from where they hunt wild pheasant, grouse from where they hunt wild grouse, and so on. The two most important factors in picking the right puppy are the sire and the dam. If you can watch the parents of the litter hunt the birds you want to hunt, in the over you hunt, and they do a good job, you pretty much can't go wrong.

In most cases this isn't very practical. There may not be a local breeder for the type of puppy you are looking for, and litters don't always appear when you've decided the time is right for a new hunter/bootlace-chewing prospect at your house. So if you are like most of us and pick a pup over the Internet, phone, PJD, or newspaper, I would like to offer the following guideline in picking  foot-hunting puppy.

  After introducing yourself to the long-distance breeder, ask him what he does with his dogs. Sounds like a dumb question, but it is the most important question you are going to ask. If you are a hunter, you want a new puppy that comes from a hunting dogs. Be very specific when asking what the breeder does with his dogs. Does he field trial, shoot-to-retrieve, show dogs in the conformation ring, or does he actually take his dogs to the field and hunt them on birds? And if so, wild or released birds?

  Then, after you have weeded our all but the hunting parents, ask more specific questions: How many days did the breeder hunt the parents last year? Did he shoot any birds over the parents? What kind of cover does he hunt in? Do the parents point naturally? Do the parents show any natural tendencies to retrieve? Does he use an e-collar on his dogs? One of my favorite questions is, "If you turn your dog loose with no e-collar, after bathroom duties, sniffing the other hunters and dogs, loosening up with an introductory run-off, at what range do the parents settle into after the first fifteen minutes afield?"

If I'm trying to buy a grouse/woodcock dog, I always ask if the parents are always in bell range, and how much of the time can you actually see them. If I'm considering a pheasant dog, I want to know if the parents hunt without direction and handling. A pheasant dog that needs a lot of verbal or whistle guidance isn't going to point many pheasants over the course of a season. When looking for a future quail dog, I want to know if the parents are natural backers. 

  And regardless of what breed of dog I'm hunting or what species of bird, I want to know about the retrieving abilities of the parents. There is no place in the field in the 21st century for a hunting dog that will not help you find a downed bird. Retrieving to hand is a luxury enjoyed by a few luck hunters, but I'll settle for a dog that points dead, pounces on a cripple, and holds it down, or just stands beside the downed bird. Just help me find the bird that I can't smell or see.

Once you've found the hunting breeder with genuine hunting parents, you can negotiate price, shipping, guarantee, and eventually the puppy in the litter most suitable for you.