The puppy breath, the insane amount of cuteness, the memories that will last a lifetime, all of this spark puppy fever in the average individual.
For me though it doesn’t end there. I am blown away by the fact that puppies are born blind, deaf, and with limited mobility but one day grow up to be hunting champions, first responders, military, special needs providers, and just a good old fashioned family companion. This is even more of a realization when you are the one raising and training these future champions.
Breeding dogs and raising puppies goes beyond just that. As a breeder and someone who owns a kennel you take a vow to put the breed at hand first. After the breed comes the individual or family who takes in one of your puppies. Then comes the individual breeder themselves. Here at Full Flight Kennels it took five years to produce our first litter of German Shorthaired Pointer puppies. Why so long? Why not just buy a male and female and breed?
Five years ago I purchased my first GSP in college and instantly knew I wanted to better the breed and raise top notch GSP puppies and share my passion with others. But where should I start? I worked backwards compared to most. I bought a male first instead of buying a female. I ran with it though, I trained my GSP myself and began speaking to some of the best breeders in the game for advice. It always seemed to point back to one main topic. That topic was to put the breed first and better it with each generation that you welcome into the world. What might this mean? I’ve come to a sad realization that there are a lot of individuals who breed dogs just for profit and often turn into modern day puppy mills. This in turn leads to dogs with major health complications, short life spans, and genetic mutations. Each breed has standards that are set into motion by AKC, UKC, NAVHDA, and others. These standards are set to better each breed. Natural ability, retrieval of game, coat pattern/color, size, composition, and behavior are just a few examples that are set by these organizations.
In these last five years I searched high and low for a female GSP. It wasn’t until a year ago she happened to fall in my lap. She was two years of age when I purchased her. She checked every box in my book for breed standards and as a hunting companion. However, there was still something that wasn’t quite right with my planned pairing. It was my male GSP. Over the years he had molded into the ideal hunting dog and checked every box in that aspect, but was not quite the ideal household dog. He had severe separation anxiety and obtained destructive habits over the years that I didn’t want to breed into a future generation of GSPs. It wasn’t until several months ago that I found a stud dog that fit the needs of both my female and of my needs as a top quality GSP. It goes without question that you don’t necessarily need to own both a male and female to produce a litter of top quality dogs.
Now that our first litter is on the ground and there are eleven of them, the fun begins. As we get to watch them grow and their personalities form, we begin to align their forever homes in place. Over the five year planning process of this first litter I learned that the new owners of your puppies come after you’ve worked hard at bettering the breed. It starts with making sure any new potential owners have the same values for the breed as you do. Make sure the family understands the breed and every twist and turn it can take them down. Not only are they investing in your business, but they are bringing in a new family member that will hopefully live with them until the pup has become old and grey. Have a clear understanding with all new owners that if for any reason they need to surrender their new canine friend that as their breeder you have first rights. You brought the puppy into this world through careful selection, it is your duty to see that puppy
has a happy life for the rest of its time on Earth. Be there for your clients in every aspect. Here at Full Flight Kennels our phones are on 24/7, 365 days of the year. We want to make sure we provide our new owners with every piece of knowledge we have to offer. Getting a new puppy can quite the experience no matter the amount of research that is done before selecting a breeder. The more in depth and responsive you are, the more they feel welcomed and at ease with their selection.
Whether you are a first time breeder or a veteran, we can all agree that as breeders we all come last. Our dogs come first, then clients, then us. I know with our most recent litter I was in the whelping room for over 24 hours. This wasn’t due to any complications with the Dam, this was by personal choice. I put her first in every aspect that I could. This will set you apart from the rest, if you put in the effort in the beginning it will be given back in the end. We spend quality time every day with both the Dam and the puppies, time that could be spent doing other valuable items. This is to ensure that the puppies have a solid foundation set at an early age. My goal as a breeder and trainer is to make it easier on both the dog at hand and the client.
Remember the breed at hand comes first, no matter what. Followed by the client then us as a breeder and owner. If you take away anything from this article let it not be the fact that puppies are cute and we all get puppy fever but rather putting the breed first. Breed for the right traits instead of the wrong. If you put in the work and effort in the front half, everything will fall into place in the back half.
As always I will leave you with a quote,
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself”
Robert Luis Stevenson
