Question: I had an English Setter for fourteen years that recently died. In looking to replace my old hunting partner, I have been looking into some of the more exotic breeders and am quite surprised at the high cost of many of these breeds, even for an eight-week-old pup. Can you give me some insight into what makes them worth so much?
James K., Royal Oak.
Answer: I don't think most of these high-priced breeds are worth half of what the breeders are asking. Many of them are bred from show lines that happen to have some field instincts. The breeder will run their dogs through the American Kennel Club Hunt Test program at the Junior level, which is the lowest level field title in AKC competition, and then tell puppy buyers they have field titles on their dogs. A dog can be any age and compete for a JH (Junior Hunter) title. All a dog needs to do to pass the Junior level is run around and act like it is hunting, not be afraid of a cap gun, and point a bird for several seconds. Hardly a gauge for a quality field dog.
Every year, I encounter people who have purchased one of these high-priced pups thinking that an AKC recommendation and a pile of money is all it takes to get a good bird dog puppy. Would you spend $1,200 for an eight-week-old puppy simply because it was different?
The list of breeds that we here at Wing Shooters have had the most problems with when it comes to desire to hunt and the ability to be trained are the same list of dogs that come from the high priced breeds. Some breeds, Weimaraners in particular, refuse sight unseen because their lines are so weak on hunting instincts and are so problematic. In the last 25 years, I have seen maybe six Weims that could be classified as good bird dogs. It was so bad that I joined the Weimaraner Club to see what they had. You won't see many North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) titles in the Weim ranks. Mostly, there's breed-specific AKC titles. I am not a fan of AKC and see them as nothing more than a money-making dog registration company with little concern for quality dogs. Their main focus is on making money from their own events. In the world of hunting setters, the AKC register is the weakest in the world.
Those of you who know me know that I don't back down from a fight and I am not afraid to speak the truth. I am not concerned with titles or competitions because our emphasis is on companion hunting dogs and you cannot determine a good hunting dog in forty-five minutes when the average hunt will last three to four hours. I have seen some of the highest-titled dogs that were awful to hunt behind. Unfortunately, we are seeing more people who rarely hunt but are constantly training for one title or another. The motivation is typically ego-driven and has nothing to do with enjoying your dog's company.
I don't care what breed or what breeder you choose. You will be able to find someone who loves it and claims it is a great hunter, and buying a puppy can be like buying a used car, so don't expect to get all the facts from the person selling you the pup. Breeders who charge large sums for pups are, in many cases, motivated by money and can be inflicted by what I call kennel blindness. They refuse to see the faults and short-comings of their particular group of dogs and their breed of choice in general. To get the real story, you need to talk to a professional trainer. Find one who has many years of experience with many different breeds and try to stay away from someone who calls themselves a breeder/trainer, as they will just try to sell you their breed.
Let me close this out by saying a good dog is a good dog. I have seen wonderful dogs from all the bird-hunting breeds, but I cannot ignore the fact that some breeds produce far more problem dogs than they should.
Charlie Linblade
Mighigan Wing Shooters Hunt Club
Michigan Pheasant Hunting
Michigan Bird Dog Training
