We are
located just outside Chinook, Montana, in the Northcentral portion of the
state in the Milk River Valley. The Milk River Valley is a network of
irrigation ditches, drainage ditches, sloughs, creek bottoms, grain field,
alfalfa fields, cornfields, etc. To the south of us
are the Bear Paw Mountains and to the north is wheat fields and prairie.
Pheasant, Hungarian Partridge, Sharptail Grouse, Ducks, Geese, etc...
abound in this area, providing unlimited hunting opportunities for the
upland bird and waterfowl hunter. We hunt a variety of game with our dogs
with Pheasants and Huns being what we spend the majority of our time
pursuing.
Our goal is to breed a dog that excels in the field, yet
is comfortable to have in the home. The majority of hunting dogs double as
the family pet, so temperament is very important to us. We strive for the
dog that has the drive to get out and find birds, yet is docile under
pressure and has the ability to "switch gears", so to speak, and to be
calm and mannerly when in the house. To the best of our knowledge, we have
never produced a Chessie or Springer with a poor temperament. We will not
tolerate and have no use for an ill-tempered dog.
Conformation is also
very important to us. As hunters, we spend most of the time in the field
watching our dogs work. A dog that is built properly will hunt hard and
not tire as easily as a dog with poor conformation and is a joy to watch
work.
We are hunters. We think we understand the type of dog most
hunters are looking for. We've bred top quality gundogs for many years. I
grew up with hunting dogs and understand the bond that develops between
hunting dogs and their families. We are committed to only breeding the
finest Chessies and Springers we can. While we love to hunt too (the
understatement of the year!),our primary interest is in breeding top quality
dogs. I love researching pedigrees, talking to other breeders about
various dogs in the breed, genetics... etc. We absolutely love having
puppies and placing them in good homes. We look forward to a new litter of
pups like a kid looks forward to Christmas! When I decided to get into
breeding dogs, I decided that I was going to either breed the best dogs
possible or I wasn't going to do it at all! The bottom line is that
breeding "top of the line" dogs is my primary interest... "It's my
thing."
We feel that socialization during the time we have
a pup before it goes to its new owner is what makes the difference between
a good dog and a great dog. Socialization is not just about a pup's
interaction with people. When we use the word Socialization, we are
talking about socializing a pup to the world it will be living in. This
not only includes a pup's exposure to people, but exposure to the field,
other dogs, to various noises, exposure to the scent of birds,
etc.
Our puppies are born in our living room. They stay there until
approximately 3 weeks of age. By having them in our living room, we can
not only keep a close eye on them, but it exposes them to all kinds of
sights, sounds, and smells. The family plays with the pups... every pup is
handled several times a day.
When the pups outgrow our living
room, we move them to an area we have set up in a separate
building behind our house near our kennel runs. As they
get older, they have access to an outside run where we
have various objects for them to play with (a ramp to
climb, balls to play with, etc.). When the pups are old
enough to get around, we take them on daily walks so
they can explore their outdoor world. We start our pups
on retrieving as soon as they can see enough to fetch a
rolled up sock. We continue this until they are retrieving a
pheasant wing and a small puppy dummy. We keep homing pigeons for training
purposes. Your pup will be introduced to pigeons before you take it home.
In a nutshell, we would be willing to bet that you will not find a better
socialized pup anywhere. As you have probably figured out, we feel that
socialization is abosolutely critical in the overall development of a pup.
This is the most enjoyable part of what we do with our pups before you
take your pup home. By having just a litter or two a year, we can take the
time to ensure that your pup receives the best socialization and overall
care possible. We believe that what we do makes a difference.
We only
have a couple litters each year. By keeping things on a small scale, we
feel we can give each pup the attention it deserves and it keeps
everything fun instead of being a lot of
work.
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