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Upcoming
Litters
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Click here for puppies and upcoming litters.
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Breeding
Philosophy
We breed what we believe to be the Cadillac of bird dogs -- the English Pointer. What sets our program apart from others is one simple thing: we truly test our bird dogs. After just one season on our commercial guide string, our dogs have been on the ground more and have seen more birds than most dogs will have an opportunity to experience in their entire lifetime! It’s a tough test, and the dog being tested has to display an aptitude for locating birds, present an appropriate healthy appearance, and demonstrate perseverance when confronted with obstacles such as the rocks and cactus of West Texas. The dog must display its overall ability for scenting, sighting and locating birds on a continual basis day after day, week after week, and month after month. If a dog is unable to demonstrate necessary skills and an innate ability for birding, we simply do not keep it. As a result of our selective testing process, our dogs tend to be smaller in stature, quick, strong boned with a good nose and decent bird sense, and an ability to hunt all day every day. Our breeding standards are very strict, and each litter is carefully and deliberately well thought-out while keeping the following traits in mind:
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Bird Finders
Before we breed any dog, it must prove it has a knack for finding birds. Let’s face it -- if a dog does not have the ability to seek out and find wild birds, it does not matter how stylish, how broke, or how hard it runs. Did you know that a lot of
pricy, well known field trial dogs that are offered for stud service at high-dollar fees have never seen a wild bird? To me THAT IS CRAZY! That does not mean we do not breed to field trial stock. We compete in field trials, and we select trial studs that tend to throw pups with the same qualities we look for; however, field trial performance is not our primary objective. We are looking for a particular dog that digs up wild birds in all conditions.
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Heart
In addition to identifying capable bird finders, we look for dogs with heart. Heart is what separates the good dogs from the also
rans. What am I talking about? My commercial guiding responsibilities require me to have a string of dogs that will each give 110% every time I put them down, especially after completing 90 days of continuous hunting through heat, ice, cactus, and rocks. The vast majority of dogs are not able to make it more than a couple of weeks in such conditions. When their feet are sore and swollen, their legs are full of cactus needles, and a few bones are protruding on their sides, there are some dogs that can still summon the burning desire and drive to run hard and find one more covey no matter how weary they are. When I see a dog with that kind of fire in its heart, I know I have a dog worth breeding.
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Style
Who says you can’t have it all? I want a dog that hunts hard, finds birds, and looks good doing it! We look for happy dogs that have a lot of style both when on game and while moving through the country. We also place great emphasis on finding graceful, tail cracking dogs that point high on both ends and run hard. We also like to see an alert, attentive dog that is always smiling, happy to receive a pat on the head, and eager to be sent out on another cast to find more birds.
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Biddability
Life is too short to have a dog that will not stay with you, or one that is so hard headed that it takes entirely too long to break. We handle dogs that are on wild birds in rough country all day long continuously for almost 100 of the 120 days of the Texas quail season. I do not have much patience for the dog that is too difficult to handle because this kind of dog is simply too much work for me. I also will not tolerate the dog that solves handling issues by staying under foot too much of the time. Overall we expect our dogs to have the independence to go out and find birds, yet display enough cooperation to want to check back with their handler. My intense schedule also limits my patience for dogs that require lots of time and effort to train. I must find a middle ground in regards to all of the guiding, trailing, and training required for these dogs in correlation to having to train my own dogs as well as find and make time to spend with my family. When all of this is considered, it is apparent that I have no time for the dog that is too hard to break. Finally, because of these strict standards, our breeding program is full of dogs that naturally run to the front, stay in touch with you, and break easily and early.
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