Had a good day training with a friend of mine who is working with a 6 month old german shorthair puppy. We planted several hens in some cover at the pheasant farm and just let the dogs work game. I was working with my Lizzy dog, a 7 month old female american brittany from Blueridge Brittany Kennels in Texas. Lizzy did a great job with the challenging cover (thick cat tails) in a marshy area. She dove right into the cover in true britt fashion and found a few birds. When the situations were just right we shot a couple of birds over her. We were careful of the distance between her and the gun fire. And we made sure she was intent on the bird before firing. She marked both birds very nicely and with a little encouragement retrieved them both to hand. The two dogs ended up busting a couple of rooster pheasants as well in some heavy cover.
Choosing a Puppy
American Brittany, Gun Introduction, Pheasant Hunting, Retrieving
Back in September I made some great friends at the Dave Walker training seminar. Two of them are Ruth and Mike Zangara of Overton, NV. They have a small brittany kennel down there called Medicine Rockz Kennel. Their nice little female Chloe was due to have puppies right after Annie and they whelped a beautiful litter of brittany puppies on October 19th. You can see the puppy pictures here and their pedigrees. Should be some very nice puppies for hunting homes and Mike and Ruth are great to work with. If you are in the Las Vegas area looking for a good hunting dog puppy, give them a call.
Choosing a Puppy
American Brittany, Puppies For Sale, Seminars
We are so proud of Lizzy and how she is doing in the early stages of her bird dog training. She is a joy to be around and is great with my kids and other dogs. She likes to retrieve things and play fetch, and man is she one bird crazy dog. I have some bird pens in my barn where I keep chukar and quail and she will stand there for hours watching the birds. I usually have to physically remove her from the bird barn. It is worse when we go to the pheasant farm because the flight pens are quite lengthy and she goes round and round it pointing birds.
We have introduced her to clipped wing pigeons and some quail and she has the bird-drive in her. Can’t wait for a few more months when we can get a little more serious and start introducing the gun. She follows me around the yard when I do chores and loves to ride in the truck.
Choosing a Puppy
American Brittany, Gun Dog Training, Hunting Preserves, Puppy Names
Abby had a litter of 6 healthy solid liver german shorthair puppies yesterday. She had 4 males and 2 females. Anyone looking for a good shorthair pup give Cheryl a call at Idaho Hunting Dogs. There are 2 males available from this litter.
Choosing a Puppy
This is Tony from Blueridge Brittany kennels in Texas. He was purchased this week and will be going to training camp in Nebraska with David Downing to get ready for some fall hunting. David will be competing with Tony in a few trials to get some puppy points if all goes well. We are looking forward to watching Tony’s progress in his bird dog training. You can see Tony’s (Blueridge’s Race-N-Win) complete pedigree here.
I was hoping for a puppy out of this same breeding, but the repeat breeding didn’t take. After talking with David he mentioned that this male brittany was available from last years litter. After thinking it over I decided to go ahead and get this good looking male brittany from the futurity nominated litter between Rob and Kelly.
Choosing a Puppy
American Brittany, Breeding, Gun Dog Training
My friend Chris Colt at Cove Mountain Kennels had a healthy litter of yellow lab puppies this morning. I couldn’t resist running by his house on the way to work to see some cute little pups. This is a fine breeding of upland hunting labrador retrievers. I have personally hunted behind Allie on Chukar, Blue Grouse, Pheasant, and quail. She has her fair share of ducks and waterfowl too. Chris spends more days in the field hunting than I am allowed to think about so I know his dogs are top shelf. You can check out the pedigree of the dam and the pedigree of the sire. The sire is an AKC Master Hunter MH and a dang good hunting lab as well. If you have space in your kennel for a fine hunting lab puppy around the 4th of July give Chris Colt a call (435) 896-3583. They are taking reservations now.
Choosing a Puppy
I am very excited about the deposit I have on a dual quality brittany litter in Texas. The breeding is between two outstanding dual champion brittany dogs DC T’Kalis Feel The Wind and DC TC’s Match Box Racer. These puppies are due on June 22nd and should be amazing dual potential quality dogs. This is a repeat breeding by David Downing of Blue Ridge Brittanys. Puppies from last years litter are undefeated in puppy stakes and are doing well in the show ring as well. I have been waiting for this breeding to take place as I wanted to buy a brittany puppy from parents that were dual champions. For more information you can contact Dave directly by phone or email by visiting his website.
Choosing a Puppy
American Brittany, Breeding, Hunting Dog Websites, Professional Trainers, Puppies For Sale
Mowgli is the latest addition to our kennel. Mowgli was whelped on June 13th of 2008 and is a liver and white American Brittany. He was placed with us by some nice folks who found him to be more than they bargained for. He is a very high energy dog and has a little more size to him than the average brittany. He may be a little bigger than the brittany standard but after speaking with brittany expert Ben O Williams about hunting the open country I have been leaning towards the larger brittany males. Chasing chukar here in Utah requires a dog that can really cover some ground.
Mowgli was started immediately on bird introduction with a clipped wing pigeon and he showed excellent bird/prey drive. A few days later we fired the starter pistol over him while he was chasing a carded pigeon and he showed no signs of noise/gun sensitivity. We will try a 20 gauge shotgun fired at a distance and work up to a 12 gauge at closer ranges to be sure there is no problems with the gun. He loves to get out and cover ground and has won the hearts of my children. He handles well for my 6 and 8 year old daughters on walks to the park and is patient when they insist on combing his thick coat.
I sent in his AKC registration papers today and look forward to learning more about the pedigree and breeding which was from a small family kennel in Alpine, UT. Mowgli is at the perfect age to get serious about his hunting dog training so I am excited to have a second dog in my kennel while I am working on breaking Annie to be steady to wing and shot.
Choosing a Puppy
American Brittany, Bird Introduction, Breeding, Gun Dog Training, Puppy Names
This is an American Brittany puppy I am looking at out of Texas. The litter was planned and whelped by Laura Wilder and David Downing of Blue Ridge Kennels. I was looking for a strong male dog with the liver coloring. The other thing I was looking for was a puppy that had dual champions on both sides. To me it was important to have a dog with the conformation and looks as well as the bird hunting and pointing instincts. Now I don’t plan to field trial this year but I can appreciate the skills that are required to win in both field trials and dog shows.
Speaking with Dave today he said that the Dam (CH T’Kalis Feel The Wind) just received her last field trial points needed to earn her the DC title. The Sire of the litter (DC TC’s Match Boks Racer) earned his DC title at just 3 years old. The only drawback with an older puppy is that you miss out on some of the crucial socialization period when they are 8-12 weeks old. I like the breeding and am leaning toward getting a puppy from the next litter. The only problem is figuring out how to get a puppy from Texas to Utah, might have to take a little road trip.
On the subject of naming a new puppy I decided to go with a WWII theme for the dog, specifically about airplanes from that era. I am hoping to stick with this theme for any future males in my dog kennel. His official AKC registered name will be “Annabella’s B-17 Flying Fortress” and his call name will be “Bomber”. You can check out his complete pedigree here.
Choosing a Puppy
American Brittany, Breeding, Dog Breeds, Puppy Names
For the past 2 years I have been trying to make up my mind whether I prefer the Brittany or the German Shorthaired Pointer. When I was shopping I decided to buy both breeds and to train them and work with them side-by-side and see what differences I noticed along the way. First, I must say that I have enjoyed the experience immensely. In the end I knew I would have to make a hard decision because both dogs are highly qualified hunters and companions. I always intended to have a litter of pups down the road and felt like I only had the time, energy and resources to focus on one pointing breed at a time.
I have decided to stick with the Brittany dogs and currently have my german shorthair up for sale. Both are excellent pheasant hunting dogs and have been working at a pheasant preserve these past two seasons. One of the biggest things I have noticed is that the Brittanies seem to be more interested in people and human contact. As much as I tried to bond with my shorthair she just felt stand-offish and distant. Both dogs were raised in the kennel and the shorthair seems to suffer the most from this. If you can keep your dog in the house as a family companion, that is always the best situation for bonding and socializing.
I’m not proclaiming that Brittany dogs are better hunters, more friendly or even better looking. I just enjoy being around the Brittanies more. I hope to own a few other breeds througout my life and see if there are any real differences when you compare one breed to another. Largely, I think it is more about the individual dogs personality and traits that are inherited. Working as a hunting guide this year I have had the opportunity to hunt behind several nice breeds like Vizlas, Weimeraners, English Setters, Labs, English Pointers, French Brittanies, Chessies and in the end I am simply drawn to the American Brittany.
Choosing a Puppy
American Brittany, Dog Breeds, German Shorthaired Pointer, Gun Dog Training
