J&A's Saturday Morning Ramble

Zuko (Bullet/Thistle)  Summer 2014

The puppy room is truly a flurry of activity!  We've managed to sleep through just a few nights lately as long as you don't count the midnight and 2 a.m. puppy check.  It's all good and some breeders will say they can't wait until the puppies leave, that's certainly not the case here.  Years ago I complained to one of our vets how totally exhausted I was by the time pups reached 6 weeks of age.  Well let me just say he was NOT sympathetic and said 'Well, Ann... you brought this all on yourself!"  Humble pie hit me right smack dab in the middle of my face.  He was right.  And breeding is not for the faint of heart at least not if you plan to take full responsibility for a litter of puppies. This responsibility begins long before the actual breeding does take place.  The scout motto 'be prepared' surely applies to all things dog breeding!  There is a specific purpose for bringing two animals together and it sure helps to personally know the background of the dogs involved several generations back and not just on a paper pedigree. Pedigrees tell you a lot though and all of that information is important.  I shun away from those who tell me they don't care about the pedigree or if a dog is to be registered.  Some believe that you should only breed show champion (CH title on pedigree) to show champion. I do want to see titled dogs and health information listed in a paper pedigree though. And for our own program, I strive to see a CH title more often than not because it does us to remain true to the very important breed standard.  We have produced 7 champions and 1 grand champion in our gundog program since in the last few years. I'm happy to say that a pup from each of the litters will be shown, and maybe more than one!

Why is the breed standard so important?  Love it or leave it, the standard is the plumb line as to whether a dog is truly built well enough to sustain the demands and the rigors of what it is expected to do, how well it does it's "job".   Do all of our dogs meet the standard?  Well, you can look at our crew and figure that our yourself.  We started with strong field trial lines and (some may not like this) but when there have been few show champions in a field line, my experience is that often they are going to be bigger unless it's a dual champion. Their height will be near the top or over the 21 1/2" limit for Brittanys. ( It's a fact and all anyone has to do is look at the cover of some, not all,  American Brittany Club magazines to see some very extreme examples.) Even so, one thing we've deliberately done in our own line is work to improve conformation where it needed improvement. Actually, every time you breed you should be hoping to improve upon what is already there. We've been successful in our endeavors and once again, it shows.  There are clearly several pups in each litter that are show quality and I am thankful for those who are willing to give showing a try as well as those who already have.

You do know by now that our primary focus is on the natural inherent hunting instincts that surface at a very young age in our puppies. Our program is purpose driven!  This is why we want our puppy people to test them in AKC Junior Hunter at the age of 6 months and not older.   It's why we encourage participation in NAVHDA.  Hunters and non-hunters alike can have fun with this and also with field trials.  We're here for those new and also for those who need refreshing. In fact we're here from the first breath to the last breath of a beloved Brittany. Let's get these pups ready for those tests!  They've already been introduced to grouse scent, and the older litter to a live bird.

So this is just an early Saturday morning ramble.  Enjoyed with a cup of coffee as I try out a new laptop. I have yet to decide if I'm keeping it or not but time will tell.

Puppy families can expect another email to come out this weekend indicating the schedule for the next month here.  We'll outline and remind everyone of the timeline.

I am looking ahead myself to new adventures as I consider and contemplate whether or not I keep a puppy.  Lots to think about!

In the meantime, have a great weekend, take care and as always God bless you and yours.  John, Ann and All Things Brittany