By Mark Whitehouse
Thursday, 24 September 2009
And is the market for puppies a closed shop?
I want to buy a well-bred spaniel puppy and whenever I call the breeder of a field trial champion they tell me that the puppies were sold before they were even born and only go to field trialling homes.
Where will I have to go to find a well-bred spaniel puppy?
MARK WHITEHOUSE SAYS: When looking for a working spaniel for the shooting field, breeding is very important.
However, it is not necessary to buy a puppy that is bred from a champion to a champion.
There are lots of excellent working gun dogs with great temperaments and trainability from good, sound working stock.
A puppy from this background will become a great companion for many years to come.
There are lots of good breeders of good quality working spaniels that are bred from field trial working lines.
They can be contacted through this magazine, the internet and even your local gundog club.
In my opinion 70 per cent of what a gun dog is going to achieve is down to the training and schooling and 30 per cent is down to the breeding.
There are lots of potential field trial champions that have been bred from good quality working gun dogs that have never competed in field trials.
For more gun dog breeding advice click here
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