So you are thinking about being a breeder of German Shorthaired Pointers. Well you might want to think again. Are you the kind of person who can think on their feet and adapt to any situation as it arises? Because so many things well be new for you it will be easy for you to think you are doing the right thing and in fact there would have been a much better way to do it if only you would have been a better thinker.
On the good side is the fact that most breeders are no smarter than you. They don't think any better they just have a head start. So in ten years will you be the kind of person that has ten years of experience, or just one year of experience ten times over? If you are smart and can think on your feet then you don't have to do it the same way everyone else does it, but you need to have a good reason why you are doing things the way you are doing it.
To be a breeder is easy, just get a pair of dogs and let them have puppies. To be a good breeder you have to put more thought into it; however to be a great breeder you will have to try and understand the whole complete picture, and this will mean you will have to put your heart and soul into it.
You will have to understand the whole program you are working with and toward. You will be working with the number one versatile dog in the world, just not the number one hunting dog but the best and most complete dog there is. A group of dedicated breeders around the world have gone before you and did the job of breeding the very best dog and now you will have a chance to continue their work, which many have given their lives for. It's not something to be taken lightly but most people given the chance will. The average breeder will only last 3 to 5 years. In that time most people will only have bred a few litters and will not even had time to understand the breed.
The German Shorthair has one of the biggest gene pools of any breed, it is the number one Versatile hunting dog in the world. Just looking at the AKC we can see the the GSP holds it rank (Jan. 2018) of the 11th most popular dog. The Labrador for the 26th year is ranked # 1. Believe me if breeders would have done their job the GSP would be #1, and we might get into that later. The GSP in the second top hunting dog, and number one in versatility and pointing, so you can see you will be working with the very best breed and you think you are up to the task? I have my doubts.
A quick look at the breed around the world and a closer look in the United States and we can see that not all GSPs are bred alike. The different registries and clubs will give us an idea of what's going on. The Germans started all this and remain dedicated to the breed with an ongoing breeding system that involves testing in every area. The United Kingdom is doing a great job with the breed and their system of breeding. In the United States we remain the largest group of breeders of German Shorthairs. We now have the German Club here, as well as NAVHDA (North America Versatile Hunting Dog Association), NASTRA (North America Shoot To Retrieve Association), Field trials by the American Field, AKC, and UKC. All the hunt tests in AKC, and UKC, Etc.. It's your job to sort all this out because each group has a certain type of GSP that works well for that program.
If you spent 13 years in school and then decided to get a college degree it would take you 4 more years of hard work and study before you were done. Do you think that you can possibly be a great breeder with less hard work and dedication. I doubt it. If you have a full time job, and a family how much time and study, as well as practical experience do you think you can get even get in 5 years?
You will need time, money, experience, and common sense with the ability to assess a lot of information, and situations and act on them correctly. Are you up to it? Add to all of that and you will need good facilities in a good area to fully take advantage of all your hard work.
So how do we get there from here? Well I want to get something out right off the bat, and that is goals. It is said by many breeder that you should not breed without the goal to better the breed, and that every mating should be with that goal in mind. That's a great goal, however extremely judgmental. What a breeder of field trial dogs considers bettering the breed, a DK breeder might consider a terrible breeding.
So what are your goals going to be? Without goals you have no breeding program. There should be a perfect GSP in your mind that you are breeding toward. That perfect GSP should have as much detail as possible. The trick will be how to get there. How will you breed the perfect GSP that you have in your mind?
I guess we better talk about what is the perfect GSP. Do you have enough experience to understand an outstanding Shorthair? I think that most could agree on a versatile hunting dog with a good temperament would be a good starting point. A dog that is a good hunter that hunts as a team member with the hunter. A dog that is good in the water, has a natural retrieve, natural point and back, and for many a dog that is good on fur, and a good tracker. A dog that is within the standard and is free from genetic defaults.
The goal of the Germans was to breed a dog that could be a versatile hunting dog for the average man. I believe that is a worthy goal today.
After you have your goal, and it's time to start, what to do next?
There is a good chance that you are starting the same way most others did and that is with a shorthair that you already have. Most want to get a puppy out of the dog they are in love with. Good or bad it is where most people start.
The truth is you can start your breeding program with dogs that are as good as any top breeder, because you can get dogs that other breeders have spent years and in most cases many generations breeding what they consider the very best. You however have to be able to recognize a top breeder and top dogs, or trust in someone else to get you started in the right direction.
A small breeding program with 1 to 3 dogs that are very good to start with might not be that complicated but will still be a challenge. Some things you will gave to consider and be knowledgeable in are: Breeding dogs, female or females with or without a stud dog. Breeding, whelping, and rearing areas and equipment. Knowledge of feeding and health. A veterinarian who will work with you and who will be on call for emergencies. Record keeping system. A comprehensive puppy test. Knowledge of vaccines and vaccine time tables. When, where and how of cutting puppy tails, and removing dew claws. A puppy buyer program with buyer and seller agreements. The ability to train, develop, and evaluate puppies or dogs coming into your program. A network of other breeders to work with is also a big help. Don't forget that genetic testing for known breed faults is every breeders responsibility and in itself is a big learning curve.
By now you are getting the idea that even if you are running a small breeding program you will need to know as much in some areas as if you were running a big breeding program.
It is a big help if you become an expert on the German Shorthaired Pointer. So I hope you have a love of reading and learning because if you do it will be a game changer.
Keep in mind that once you become a breeder you have a big responsibility, buyers will look to you for help with their new puppy. They will assume that you are an expert in all areas concerning the GSP.
On the good side is the fact that most breeders are no smarter than you. They don't think any better they just have a head start. So in ten years will you be the kind of person that has ten years of experience, or just one year of experience ten times over? If you are smart and can think on your feet then you don't have to do it the same way everyone else does it, but you need to have a good reason why you are doing things the way you are doing it.
To be a breeder is easy, just get a pair of dogs and let them have puppies. To be a good breeder you have to put more thought into it; however to be a great breeder you will have to try and understand the whole complete picture, and this will mean you will have to put your heart and soul into it.
You will have to understand the whole program you are working with and toward. You will be working with the number one versatile dog in the world, just not the number one hunting dog but the best and most complete dog there is. A group of dedicated breeders around the world have gone before you and did the job of breeding the very best dog and now you will have a chance to continue their work, which many have given their lives for. It's not something to be taken lightly but most people given the chance will. The average breeder will only last 3 to 5 years. In that time most people will only have bred a few litters and will not even had time to understand the breed.
The German Shorthair has one of the biggest gene pools of any breed, it is the number one Versatile hunting dog in the world. Just looking at the AKC we can see the the GSP holds it rank (Jan. 2018) of the 11th most popular dog. The Labrador for the 26th year is ranked # 1. Believe me if breeders would have done their job the GSP would be #1, and we might get into that later. The GSP in the second top hunting dog, and number one in versatility and pointing, so you can see you will be working with the very best breed and you think you are up to the task? I have my doubts.
A quick look at the breed around the world and a closer look in the United States and we can see that not all GSPs are bred alike. The different registries and clubs will give us an idea of what's going on. The Germans started all this and remain dedicated to the breed with an ongoing breeding system that involves testing in every area. The United Kingdom is doing a great job with the breed and their system of breeding. In the United States we remain the largest group of breeders of German Shorthairs. We now have the German Club here, as well as NAVHDA (North America Versatile Hunting Dog Association), NASTRA (North America Shoot To Retrieve Association), Field trials by the American Field, AKC, and UKC. All the hunt tests in AKC, and UKC, Etc.. It's your job to sort all this out because each group has a certain type of GSP that works well for that program.
If you spent 13 years in school and then decided to get a college degree it would take you 4 more years of hard work and study before you were done. Do you think that you can possibly be a great breeder with less hard work and dedication. I doubt it. If you have a full time job, and a family how much time and study, as well as practical experience do you think you can get even get in 5 years?
You will need time, money, experience, and common sense with the ability to assess a lot of information, and situations and act on them correctly. Are you up to it? Add to all of that and you will need good facilities in a good area to fully take advantage of all your hard work.
So how do we get there from here? Well I want to get something out right off the bat, and that is goals. It is said by many breeder that you should not breed without the goal to better the breed, and that every mating should be with that goal in mind. That's a great goal, however extremely judgmental. What a breeder of field trial dogs considers bettering the breed, a DK breeder might consider a terrible breeding.
So what are your goals going to be? Without goals you have no breeding program. There should be a perfect GSP in your mind that you are breeding toward. That perfect GSP should have as much detail as possible. The trick will be how to get there. How will you breed the perfect GSP that you have in your mind?
I guess we better talk about what is the perfect GSP. Do you have enough experience to understand an outstanding Shorthair? I think that most could agree on a versatile hunting dog with a good temperament would be a good starting point. A dog that is a good hunter that hunts as a team member with the hunter. A dog that is good in the water, has a natural retrieve, natural point and back, and for many a dog that is good on fur, and a good tracker. A dog that is within the standard and is free from genetic defaults.
The goal of the Germans was to breed a dog that could be a versatile hunting dog for the average man. I believe that is a worthy goal today.
After you have your goal, and it's time to start, what to do next?
There is a good chance that you are starting the same way most others did and that is with a shorthair that you already have. Most want to get a puppy out of the dog they are in love with. Good or bad it is where most people start.
The truth is you can start your breeding program with dogs that are as good as any top breeder, because you can get dogs that other breeders have spent years and in most cases many generations breeding what they consider the very best. You however have to be able to recognize a top breeder and top dogs, or trust in someone else to get you started in the right direction.
A small breeding program with 1 to 3 dogs that are very good to start with might not be that complicated but will still be a challenge. Some things you will gave to consider and be knowledgeable in are: Breeding dogs, female or females with or without a stud dog. Breeding, whelping, and rearing areas and equipment. Knowledge of feeding and health. A veterinarian who will work with you and who will be on call for emergencies. Record keeping system. A comprehensive puppy test. Knowledge of vaccines and vaccine time tables. When, where and how of cutting puppy tails, and removing dew claws. A puppy buyer program with buyer and seller agreements. The ability to train, develop, and evaluate puppies or dogs coming into your program. A network of other breeders to work with is also a big help. Don't forget that genetic testing for known breed faults is every breeders responsibility and in itself is a big learning curve.
By now you are getting the idea that even if you are running a small breeding program you will need to know as much in some areas as if you were running a big breeding program.
It is a big help if you become an expert on the German Shorthaired Pointer. So I hope you have a love of reading and learning because if you do it will be a game changer.
Keep in mind that once you become a breeder you have a big responsibility, buyers will look to you for help with their new puppy. They will assume that you are an expert in all areas concerning the GSP.