A tip for breeders

quail hound

quail hound

Moderator
So I've been trying to find a pup, either a Britt or a setter for chukar and quail hunting. I've been in contact with a lot of breeders and I have a bit of advice from a buyers prospective. When you ask what kind of dogs I have and I say "springers" and you automatically start telling me how your dogs will out hunt a springer any day, all day, and on any game I'm already done with you. You could have the greatest dogs on earth but I don't want to deal with you anymore.

Maybe I'm weird but that just turns me off completely. Sorry for the rant but I felt like expressing this pet peeve of mine.:cheers:
 
I hear what you're saying, although I've never experienced it. Maybe what they meant is "out range" a springer, because it's hard to out hunt a well bred one. I have a springer and an EP. My EP covers a ton of ground, but if I need to bag a bird, I take my springer. That's in the upland, not to mention that my springer retrieves ducks and geese.
 
I've had them swear up and down that their dogs will put more roosters in my bag.:confused: They've obviously never hunted pheasants behind a good springer. And you don't need a dog with range to find quail here, they're all over. I wouldn't even be considering another breed of I didn't want to become more serious about chukar hunting, admittedly it is a little silly following a springer in that country.
 
I am a breeder, but I would never consider doing that to anyone. What would be the point? Pretty rude.

Now, before I ask this question I want you to know I dont have any pups. SO this question isnt a set up fro you to buy a pup from me but............ HAve you ever thought or looked into a Munsterlander?
 
mstand said:
I am a breeder, but I would never consider doing that to anyone. What would be the point? Pretty rude.

Now, before I ask this question I want you to know I dont have any pups. SO this question isnt a set up fro you to buy a pup from me but............ HAve you ever thought or looked into a Munsterlander?
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I have gone over and considered almost all breeds available and what it comes down too is my preference to get a pup from within a reasonable driving distance, 500 miles or so, and I felt those two breeds would be my best bet. Its very hard to find a good dog around here and it's looking like I should start entertaining having to ship a dog more seriously.
 
quail hound said:
So I've been trying to find a pup, either a Britt or a setter for chukar and quail hunting. I've been in contact with a lot of breeders and I have a bit of advice from a buyers prospective. When you ask what kind of dogs I have and I say "springers" and you automatically start telling me how your dogs will out hunt a springer any day, all day, and on any game I'm already done with you. You could have the greatest dogs on earth but I don't want to deal with you anymore.

Maybe I'm weird but that just turns me off completely. Sorry for the rant but I felt like expressing this pet peeve of mine.:cheers:
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I would agree that in the sales pitch from a breeder you shouldn't downgrade a potential customers dog. I mean how would they even have a clue what your current dog is capable of?

I believe each and every dog has it's own strengths. Having the multiple dogs for different situations is just a bonus. I myself own nine setters and each dog hunts differently depending on the situation. I know which dog to put on the ground based on the cover we will hunt. It's great to have that choice.

As a breeder my obligation is to provide the customer health background, references, info on the lineage, and then more detailed info on the parents(instincts, temperament, etc). In my opinion past customer approval(references) are the best selling point. Potential customers can get there questions answered unfiltered from people who already own a pup from the said breeder.
 
I think the most compelling case a breeder could make is to show me the sire and dam at work. If they're great and I like it, I'll be convinced.
 
BerliSetters, that is exactly what I want to hear and see from a breeder when I contact them. Seeing the parents work would be a huge plus also.:cheers:
 
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hunter94 said:
great idea, but that can be tough to get done.
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Yes it can, I've offered up secret spots and been met with "let's meet at a preserve". Made me hesitant enough to pass on the litter.
 
quail hound said:
Yes it can, I've offered up secret spots and been met with "let's meet at a preserve". Made me hesitant enough to pass on the litter.
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Could be they just didn't want to meet a stranger with a gun in the middle of nowhere. :laugh:
 
Toad said:
Could be they just didn't want to meet a stranger with a gun in the middle of nowhere. :laugh:
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Possibly but I got the feeling that they didn't want to run the dogs in an uncontrolled (wild) environment. I was going to give up my secret training grounds, where you can't hunt but can run dogs, that is so loaded with quail any mongrel could find a covey and they wanted to go to a preserve???:confused: I passed.:cheers:
 
It's hard to find a good dog out here.
 
quail hound said:
It's hard to find a good dog out here.
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QH,

There are a lot of breeders out there who are doing it right and producing great hunting dogs. The breeders responsibility is to provide a healthy pup that has the instincts or abilities to be an exceptional hunting dog.

The owner must take some responsibility in the process of basic training and exposing the pup to birds. Then continuing the process of multiple sessions to fine tune the pups abilities and make it a great hunting dog. This can either be accomplished by said owner or by taking the dog to a trainer.

If you purchase a pup from good lines in any breed all the components should be there, you just need to bring it out of them.
 
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hunter94 said:
great idea, but that can be tough to get done.
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Hunter94,

Getting potential customers out to hunt behind the parents can be tough. It is possible for time to time. Like I stated earlier normally references are the key to new puppy buyers. Potential customers can once again ask questions and get the answers they are looking for from people other than the breeder. Of course interested parties are always welcome to come and see the parents and evaluate them if hunting behind them isn't an option.

The actual on the ground(hunting) about 80% of the time comes in the form of possible customers hunting behind one of our pups instead of the parents of a possible litter. Normally after the hunt the party who was interested calls us to inquiry about a pup.
 
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I totally agree Chad that's why I am not rushing into purchasing. I'm more ready for a pup now than I was with JP. I have my crate, kennel, pens for birds, training grounds at my neighbors, wild training grounds, training literature and most importantly I recognize JP's short comings, as a dog not a hunter, that were my fault and I intend to not make those same mistakes. Now to find the pup with all the potential.:cheers:
 
QH,

I agree with taking your time and locating a breeder you are comfortable with and has the breed/lines you are looking for.

We ran all over the upper Midwest years ago to find the lines we wanted and were comfortable with. Now we have fine tuned the lines even further and our customers seem to be having great success. Recently we have tried to go outside of the box to find new blood to freshen our lines which is needed occasionally. We have had little to no success up to this point. That's why we have started to keep some pups from our own stock. I know exactly what I am getting and what they are ultimately capable of.

I wish you all the luck in your quest to locate your next hunting companion.
 
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quail hound said:
So I've been trying to find a pup, either a Britt or a setter for chukar and quail hunting. I've been in contact with a lot of breeders and I have a bit of advice from a buyers prospective. When you ask what kind of dogs I have and I say "springers" and you automatically start telling me how your dogs will out hunt a springer any day, all day, and on any game I'm already done with you. You could have the greatest dogs on earth but I don't want to deal with you anymore.

Maybe I'm weird but that just turns me off completely. Sorry for the rant but I felt like expressing this pet peeve of mine.:cheers:
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Why would they start lecturing you anyway when you're calling about a pup that is not a springer?? What a stupid waste of time! I'd be turned off too.
 
Hey Chad, I saw you and two of your pups on PF's "Dog of the day" today. Great looking dogs.:cheers:
 
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