Kirby Mountain Sporting Dogs
Why Do We Raise and Train Different Breeds of Dogs?
Some people have asked, “Why do you
raise/train more than one breed of dog?” While others have asked, not thinking
that it can be done successfully, “How can you raise/train more than one breed
of dog?
After working with over 1200
dogs in obedience, pointing, flushing, and retrieving training, I believe that,
if I start with a young, well bred dog, the beginning of the training process
is the same for most breeds. Whether the dog is going to be a family companion
or hunting companion or whether the dog is trained for hunt tests or field trials,
the start to training is very similar. To see the outline of the training
program at Kirby Mountain Sporting Dogs go to our Training
page.
There are many, many breeds of
dogs in the world today. At Kirby Mountain Sporting Dogs, we have carefully
chosen the dogs we own and breed; and they all fit into one group, not one
breed, of dog: Sporting Dogs. This is a group of dogs that has been bred for
hundreds of years to work alongside human companions.
At Kirby Mountain Sporting Dogs,
we have spent the past fifteen years training, breeding, and, as a small family
run business, living with five breeds of sporting dogs: Brittanys, Labrador Retrievers, English Springer Spaniels, and English Cocker
Spaniels. Because of these experiences, we feel as though we know our dogs
inside and out. These years have also given us a good idea of the types of
owners these dogs need. Many people come to us with preconceived and sometimes
misconceived notions about the types of dogs we breed and train. This may come
from a book that was written about a particular breed, from a friend who owns a
particular breed, or from an experience the person had once when they met a dog
from a particular breed. Our goals are to introduce you to our breeds and
hopefully to match you with the best companion dog to meet your needs and the
needs of the dog. We are neither experts on every breed of dog nor experts on
every sporting dog, but we research our lines and our breeding stock in order
to continue breeding intelligent, trainable, and biddable sporting dogs.
We are totally committed to the
research and development it takes to produce the best all around dog we can.
Whether the dog is to be a general companion or a hunting companion, the goals
are the same: to produce an extremely healthy, highly trainable, and well
behaved dog that you can live with for the next twelve years.
Not every dog we breed or buy
makes it into our breeding program. The dogs that do not make it into our
breeding program are placed in appropriate homes, which can be a little like
living in heaven on earth. We take upwards of two to three years to analyze all
the dogs we own. They have to pass all of their health clearances and go
through rigorous obedience, field, and hunting training before they are even
bred. As a training facility, we are very fortunate to have half of the puppies
we sell comeback to us to be trained for obedience and field work. This is a
tremendous testing ground to see how our dogs react to all kinds of situations.
We really get to see the outcomes of our breeding program because of this.
We believe that our continued
success has also been aided through the help of others. Over the past 12 years
we have developed a mentoring system. Many of these people have been open and
sharing with their knowledge of specific breeds and specific training
techniques. This has allowed us to
advance our knowledge without reinventing the wheel, so to speak. From others,
we have bought dogs or bred to their proven stud dogs, thus our research and
their exemplary dogs have strengthened our breeding program. In opening up
their hearts and souls, they have continued to enhance the success of the dog
world. As stated earlier, the sporting dogs we breed at our facility have been
bred for their purpose for hundreds of years. The people we have as mentors are
the contemporary experts in their fields. Our program of breeding and training
is researched and a full time commitment. For more detailed information on our
breeds, go to the links you are interested in.
Links to specific breeds:
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Updated
01/2009 |
goldy©2004 |