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THE CHA CHA CHRONICLES: PICKING A PUPPY
Puppies from my Archie x Wendy Breeding
If you are wondering why - in the previous post - I focused on picking a litter, instead of picking a puppy ...The reason is this ...
I am pretty confident that anyone who puts the effort in can find a good litter. I am much less confident that same person can pick a good puppy. In this regard, I speak from extensive experience.
Over the past several years, I have raised numerous puppies. Of the ones that remain, none of them are puppies that I picked. Yet, several litter mates of the puppies that I picked are topnotch field trial competitors.
For example,
CNFC Carronade’s O’Rylee Factor (FC/AFC Chena River Chavez x CNFC Dippomarsh Kerensa of Carronade)
FC Running with the Devil, 2001 National Derby Champion (FC/AFC Dare to Dream x FC/AFC Trail Creek’s Blue Dacey)
AFC Sky Watch Live Wire (NAFC/CNAFC/FC Ebonstar Lean Mac x Autumn Run’s Talking Tailwind)
Moreover, four of the dogs from my first effort at breeding (Archer's Paradox x Trumarc's Wendy) look like they are going to be consistent competitors. The puppy I picked is now in a hunting home.
To what do I attribute my success - or lack thereof?
Puppy testing is a very inexact science.
Most importantly for field trial competitors, there is no way to measure what a puppy's marking ability will be when he/she matures.
Moreover, puppies are growing and changing at such high rates that it is difficult to project what they will be when they mature.
This is why I put much more faith in litter picking than puppy picking. Do I still want to test puppies if I have a chance? You bet.
Do I really believe it makes a difference? No way.
So, in a few hours, Stephanie and I will be meeting Cha Cha at the airport - a puppy from a litter I picked, but whom I did not pick individually.
Ted
My question is then what do you do with the remaining pups out of the litter? Train and sell them as started? What do you recommend? Thnaks, Jeff of WA
Jeff Evans (Email) - 03 08 07 - 20:10