A Note to Potential Puppy Buyers and Relevant Questions For Breeders

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We have had the opportunity to speak with countless people over the last few years who are looking for a pudelpointer puppy. The vast majority of these people are outdoorsmen and women who have very good intentions, and would make good pudelpointer owners, however they do not have any real knowledge of our breed and do not know the proper questions to ask potential breeders.  If you are going to make a 10-15 year commitment to a dog you should be as prepared as possible when making this decision.

 

The past few years has seen an explosion in the amount of breeders of pudelpointers.  Many of these individuals are good people who are honestly attempting the best they can to create successively better generations of gun dogs.  However,  many of these breeders do not have any real knowledge of the breed, have never actually trained a Utility level dog, nor have the breed's best interest at heart. Quite frankly, many of them are in it simply to cash in on the current popularity of the breed. It would be ludicrous to assume that all shorthairs or Labradors are created equal. The same applies to pudelpointers.  

 

A sub-par dog costs the same as a well bred dog, and if puppy buyers scrutinized breeders as much as breeders scrutinized puppy buyers our breed would be far better off.  Any breeder should welcome a buyer questioning why the breeder was creating a certain pedigree and what their experience level is with regards to not only hunting but also the NAVHDA testing system.  Any breeder should welcome the following questions.  By asking serious questions to a breeder you will be demonstrating not only a thirst for knowledge, but also a desire to obtain an above average puppy.  In turn, this will likely move you ahead of many others who have previously contacted a breeder simply looking for a puppy.

 

Questions Potential Puppy Buyers Should Ask Breeders:

 

Do you hunt your dogs, and if so, how often, on what birds, and in what conditions?Do you have any pictures/videos you can show me?Are the pictures your dogs, or dogs your clients own? Are the pictures actual hunting photographs or are they photographs taken while training on planted birds?

 

What is your experience level with NAVHDA? What chapter do you train and/or test with? How involved are you with your club? Can you give me any references from the local NAVHDA club who can speak highly of you and your dogs?

 

What NAVHDA / other hunt test titles have your dogs attained and what hunt test titles do you look for when searching for a stud dog? If a breeder has not obtained any hunt test titles on their dogs it should be a serious red flag.Anybody who simply says “trust me, the dogs can hunt” should not be trusted.

 

 Can I see the pedigree of the proposed breeding and can you explain your thought process for creating it? Can you explain the pedigree to me? The value of a strong pedigree cannot be overemphasized. Does the breeder expect these puppies to be better than the parents, and if so, why?Is there a logical expectation that this puppy will move the breed forward or was it created for convenience?

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What health testing do you perform and why?

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As a NAPPA breeder, I would welcome all of these questions and any others which a serious sportsmen may have regarding either myself or my dogs. 

 

Daniel Kremers

Lunatic Fringe Pudelpointers