Picking a Breeder
 Dog breeding, done correctly, requires time, knowledge, experience,
money, discipline and a critical eye.
Which is why good dog breeders
are hard to find.
The largest percentage of dog breeding around
the world is of the “back
yard’’ variety.
It works this way:
Joe has what he thinks is a good dog. So does
Mary. The two get together and soon one is calling the local newspaper
to advertise, “Pups
for sale.’’
Perhaps one of the puppies in this litter
might turn out to be a quality dog.
But chances of that happening
are not good. And chances are particularly not good that most puppies
in the litter will be healthy and capable.
Which is why prospective
buyers are well-advised to do their homework and seek a reliable
breeder who is attempting to produce the type
of dog the owner wants and values.
Defining the ideal dog
To find a quality breeder, a prospective
owner first must determine the type of retriever he wants to own.
This
sounds easy. But it takes work. And thinking. And perhaps a visit
with friends or acquaintances who already own retrievers.
Begin
by writing on a piece of paper the qualities you seek in a dog.
Perhaps
you want to participate in field trials. But the number of people
who actually run field trials is very small compared
to the total number of retriever owners.
Moreover, competing in
field trials requires a lot of time and money.
Still, if that’s
what you want, begin by writing, “I
want a dog that can win a field trial.’’
More likely,
however — like the vast majority of retriever
owners today — you want what is commonly referred to as a “companion
hunter.’’
The reason: Most people today hunt their dogs
only a relative handful of days a year.
For some retriever owners
that number might be as few as two.
For others, it might be 20.
But not many people hunt more than
20 days.
So the goal, generally speaking, is to purchase a puppy
that will evolve into a dog that is both easy to live with and
a joy to hunt
over.
A companion hunter.
Unfortunately, such a retriever can be a challenge
to find, particularly in the U.S.
Reasons are twofold.
For decades, backyard breeders have produced
retriever “lines’’ that
have genetic faults, such as defective hips, eyes or elbows.
Many
of these dogs also tend to look different than traditional retrievers.
In
the U.S., for instance, many Labradors today are tall and thin
with snipey noses and tails curled over their backs — what
are commonly called cycle tails.
Additionally, American field-bred
retrievers, on average, have tended in recent decades to be “too
hot,’’ or
hyperactive.
Manifestations of this hyperactivity are many.
Hyperactive dogs
are difficult to train and difficult to control. They bark, whine
and jump up.
In general, they are less fun to live with, and hunt
over, than dogs should be.
The list grows
Most of us, then, want retrieving dogs that are “companion
hunters.’’
Make that “healthy companion hunters.’’
What
does healthy entail?
Let’s take a look.
Healthy means dogs with good hips, eyes
and elbows. It also means dogs that has few, if any, other physical
problems.
Allergies are one consideration. Many retrievers today
are prone to food or other allergies. Often these animals have
poor hair
coats or lose their hair altogether.
Epilepsy can be another problem.
So we want a healthy dog.
What else?
Well, we know what we don’t want.
We don’t want the
hyperactive dog we discussed earlier — an
animal that barks incessantly, moves constantly, pants and drools.
Such dogs can run over little kids, bolt into traffic and, in general,
drive their owners nuts.
Conversely, we’re not seeking a plodding,
dim-witted animal, either, one with an ineffective nose and little
desire to retrieve.
Such dogs are of little use in the field.
Instead, we want healthy
retrievers who are what we will call “two-speed” dogs:
Alert, quick and attentive in the field. Quiet and laid back around
home.
Let’s review our growing list.
•
We (most prospective retriever owners) are seeking a companion
hunter that is highly efficient in the field and easy to live with
at home.
•
We want such a dog to have good hips, elbows and eyes, and be free
of maladies such as epilepsy and allergies.
•
We want a quiet dog. We do not want the dog to be an excessive
barker or whiner. Nor do we want the dog to jump up constantly
on people or in his kennel, or drool excessively.
•
We want a retriever that is intelligent.
•
We also want a dog that is biddable — one that is willing,
even eager, to let itself be trained.
•
We want a dog with natural retrieving ability.
•
We want a dog that is athletic.
•
We want a Labrador that looks like a Labrador should look. We do
not want a snipey, leggy, skinny Lab. Instead, we want one that
has a nice, bold head, one with a deep chest, and one whose height
and length are proportionate to its size. Females in the range
of 55 pounds, perhaps a little heavier or a little lighter, are
a good size. Males between 70 and 75 also are about the right size.
We want the dog’s tail carried down, and, if not truly otter-like,
at least moderately thick.
•
We want a dog that has a soft mouth. Dogs with “hard mouths’’ also
often are hyperactive dogs. These animals tend to maul birds with
their mouths, often breaking the skin of a duck or pheasant. They
also tend to hold onto birds and refuse to give them up. These
are, largely, genetic faults that should be avoided at all costs.
•
We want a dog with a kind eye. This quality is difficult to describe
to a novice, but such animals are easy to spot. One of their traits
is that when they come out of a kennel or vehicle, they look up
at their handlers, as if to ask, “What now, boss?’’ Dogs
with kind eyes also typically want to be around people. They don’t
bolt into the distance, chasing their noses. Instead, they hang
around seeking pets and in general expecting something good to
happen.
•
Finally — which brings us to the point of this chapter — we
want a dog whose parents, grandparents and preferably great grandparents
demonstrate these qualities, or at least most of these qualities.
To find such animals, we need to find a quality breeder. |
