During my youth I was fortunate enough to hunt pheasant behind a German Shorthair or two. My friend was more interested in working his dogs and I was thrilled that he would let me be his gunner. After a few such experiences I became impressed with these brilliant dogs and their nack for finding the birds. It was amazing to see a 12 week old pup track down and bring back a wounded rooster, the rooster was bigger than he was. It was at this time that I became fascinated with bird dogs. I had grown up with a Brittany Spaniel but never saw her reach her full potential simply because I didn’t know that she was indeed a bird dog herself.

My wife and I purchased our first home in October of 2001 and I decided it wasn’t chaotic enough having three small children under 4 years old. So I bought a 10 week old German Shorthair that my young son promptly named Sniffer. He came up with the name because Sniffer was constently sniffing the ground and everything else she could get her wet nose on. For better or worse the name stuck, and we began to play with Sniffer every chance we got which wasn’t nearly often enough. Too many hours locked in the 6X12 foot kennel and too many others needing my attention sent Sniffer to a better home with a local bird dog trainer. She quickly became known as Lady and was given the proper attention and training that I was not prepared or qualified to give at that time.

The failure has tormented me every day since Sniffer was adopted. I want to have another go at it, but this time I want to do it right. My job is more flexible now and my children are older. As I am preparing myself to be a more qualified dog owner I have identified several mistakes that we made with Sniffer that set us up for failure from the beginning.

First, I let my friend pick the pup. His Male Toby was the Father so he had pick of the litter and he naturally selected the dog that had the best nose and the most drive. While this made for a great hunting dog prospect it wasn’t the best fit for our family at the time. What we needed was a model citizen and a docile pup that would be more pliable. Instead we ended up with too much dog for the tiny backyard and little time that we had available.

Second, between long hours at work and three small children at home the timing wasn’t great for a new pup. I just didn’t have the time that I new it took to train a pup and enjoy each others company. When I was able to squeeze in a few minutes of yard training I felt guilty for not spending that precious free time with my young children who waited anxiously each day for Daddy to come home. In the end my children won out and Sniffer became more and more neglected. Fortunately, we realized early on that Sniffer was getting the short end and we were able to find her a good home with a local dog trainer.

Last, the yard that we had was not nearly large enough for a gerbil, let alone a high-strung bird dog. The kennel was not bad but she spent way more time in confinement than she should have. This was more to protect my small children from her over zealous play than to keep her locked up. The yard was fully fenced just small.

In the coming months we hope to make the move back out to the country. My wife and I have made an offer on a 3 acre country estate just a few minutes south of her rural hometown. Surrounded by alfalfa and corn fields it looks to be a great place to romp and play with a new pup. A place where new adventures can begin and memories can be etched.