Frequent Asked Quetions
What is meant by show quality and pet quality?
How are your puppies matched with homes?
What health checks do you perform on the pups and
parents? What is meant by
show quality and pet quality? The answer to this question will be different for every breeder you talk to.
For us, every puppy is first and foremost a pet. Even the top show dogs and tops
field dogs are pets for many more years than they are show or field dogs. That
is why health and temperament are our top priorities as a breeder. Starting at 5 weeks of age, we do a weekly evaluation of each puppy’s
structure against the Boykin Spaniel breed standard. At 6 weeks of age, we
evaluate the puppy’s ability to learn and its desire to please using a
temperament test. At 7 weeks of age, we do an assessment of each puppy’s
conformation. We determine which puppies believed to be show prospects. We will
only designate a puppy as a show prospect if we believe that it can earn the
points required to obtain its championship title with relative ease. Does that
mean that all show prospects will complete their championships or be great show
dogs? No, that’s why they are called "prospects". How are your puppies
matched with homes? Our Family spends many hours observing and interacting with each puppy. By
the time the puppies are ready to go to their new homes at 7-8 weeks of age, we
have a good idea of each puppy’s personality. We match puppies with their new
owners based on the prospective owner’s interests and goals for the puppy and
our personal assessment of the puppy's temperament and conformation. For
example, someone who is interested in hunting would get a puppy with a strong
retrieval instinct and a strong desire to please. A puppy with a lot of
self-confidence would be a good fit for a family with an active household or
someone interested in pet therapy. A soft or sensitive dog might not be a good
fit for a first time dog owner.
What is a hobby breeder? A backyard breeder? A commercial breeder? A hobby breeder is someone who breeds dogs as a hobby. Typically they
only breed to better their preferred breed or breeds (usually only one or two
breeds). A hobby breeder rarely has more than 2 litters a year and never has
more than 3 litters. Hobby breeders usually screen parents for genetic diseases
prior to breeding a litter and they may also screen homes. Buying a puppy from a
hobby breeder sometimes seems more complex than adopting a child. A backyard breeder is someone who breeds their pet because it is so
sweet or so cute or so loved or to get "spending money". While their intentions
are often good, backyard breeders rarely perform health checks or are even aware
of potential problems in their breed. They are not breeding to improve
conformation or performance, but are breeding "just because they have a pure
bred dog with papers." Puppies may or may not be well socialized. A commercial breeder breeds for profit. The parents are rarely
screened for genetic disorders and little to no consideration is made of the
parents' personality, temperament or structure prior to a breeding. These are
the folks who generally supply puppies to pet stores. There is no focus on
socialization. We are very fortunate that Boykin Spaniels are not popular with
commercial breeders. Please be aware that puppies from all of these sources are usually purebred
with AKC and UKC papers. AKC and UKC papers are just that -- papers. They are
written proof that the parents of this dog were also purebred AKC and UKC
registered dogs. AKC and UKC papers are not an indication of quality, breeder
ethics, health, looks or temperament. What is meant by socialization? Socialization is the process of positively introducing a puppy to a wide
variety of situations and experiences. Each new experience introduces a little
stress into the puppy's world and teaches him that new situations are not
necessarily bad things. Just like children, the first few weeks, months and
years of a puppy’s life influence his personality for the remainder of his
years. Boykin Spaniels, require on-going socialization to prevent them from being
shy, insecure, or over barring dogs. Boykin Spaniels should receive lots of
group and individual socialization at their breeder's home. That socialization
must continue once the puppy joins his new family. How are Sunseeker puppies
socialized? I have a checklist of socialization activities that I follow. Click When do you
place your puppies in their new homes? We do not place puppies until they are at least 7 weeks old. Research has
shown that the best time to evaluate puppies' physical structure is at 7-8 weeks
of age. What health checks do you
perform on the pups and parents? I require that all breeding stock: Puppies will have a 2 worming and shots before going to their new homes. Can I get two puppies at
the same time? We don’t think two puppies at the same time is ever a good idea. A developing
puppy needs lots of individual time and attention to mature into a
well-socialized companion. They may be adorable playing together, but they must
have plenty of individual time with their human companions. They are likely to
be overly dependent on one another and less self-confident if you do not take
them places and do things with them away from their sibling. Most people in
today’s busy world just don’t have the time or energy to do that with two
puppies. If you really want two dogs, wait at least a year or two. Are Boykins good with children? Boykins are very good with children; however young Boykin Spaniel may be too
boisterous for small children. Additionally, no dog of any breed should be left
unsupervised with children under the age of 5. Children and puppies can hurt
each other accidentally and they both require training on appropriate behavior
with each other. Remember that adding a puppy to your household is not much different than
adding a new child. It will require constant monitoring to prevent injury to
itself or to your home.
We already have a dog. When is a good time to add another dog to the family? We prefer not to add a new dog to a home until the existing dog is mature,
generally around 1-2 years. A dog needs individual attention, socialization and
training during those formative months. Another consideration is the longevity of the dogs. When we purchased my
first dog we was so in love that we soon wanted a second immediately. A very
wise friend told me to think ahead 12-14 years. Two dogs of close to the same
age are likely to become old close to the same time, need geriatric care at
close to the same time, and die at close to the same time. That’s a difficult
thing to deal with. Because of that advice, we generally encourage people to put
at least 1-2 years between their dogs. Where can I learn about grooming? We are currently working on a video guide to grooming both for the show ring
and pet. We hope to have it ready by the end of 2006 begining 2007, so watch
this space.. When should I start
obedience training? A responsible breeder will have already started laying a foundation for
obedience training by the time the puppy joins your family. . Research shows
that a puppy’s brain has reached its full potential at 7 weeks of age. Of
course, a puppy’s attention span is much shorter than that of an adult dog, but
the ability to learn is there. Make obedience training part of your daily
routine. Two minute sessions can be scattered throughout the day. Remember to
make training fun for you and the puppy. In terms of participation in an obedience class, you should wait until your
puppy has had two sets of shots and is at least 12 weeks of age. Mentally it is
ready to attend class much earlier, but its immune system is probably not
sufficiently developed.
I
want to take my dog hunting. Where do I learn about field training? The best resource in print is probably Hup! Training Flushing Spaniels the
American Way by James Spencer. The book has been out of print for a few
years but a second edition has just been released. For a review of this
outstanding book, go to There are many Boykin Spaniel owners active in hunting, hunting tests and
field training. If you want specific references, just contact us.
Contents
(Click on a question to go directly to the answer)
Have OFA
certified hips.
Have OFA
certified patellas.
Have a
current CERF exam with no major eye problems noted.
plottnova@aol.com
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