Salient Advice for Prospective Dog Owners

All too often, a prospective puppy buyer goes into the venture with visions of a wonderful companion and flawless field dog. The training is to be done by him or herself. While the intentions are sincere, they are more frequently dissipated by either a growing family, domestic commitments, work, other interests or a combination there-in. We all know just how fast paced our lifestyles have become, especially if you have children in sports! More and more today, I find that people purchase their pup only to find that time as they say, flies. Pup has grown rather quickly yet your sincere best intentions of self-training do not come to fruition. The most important point I would like to make here is that young pups are like sponges when it comes to learning. All-too-often, the person I have described above has missed so many of a pup's learning opportunities that the methods used to ingrain them later on are far less palatable for the trainer AND for the dog! Had this pup's early training been a more natural progression, he would ideally walk through each ensuing lesson happily, progressively, without conflict.  Start pup's field training sooner rather than later.  Regardless of where you elect to have your dog trained, do not wait until he/she is 1+ years old.  I believe pups are very capable of learing from a very young age.  With a trainer that understands this, you can achieve your aspiratons for pup sooner while saving money.

My experience has proven that getting a "deal" on a pup that in time ends up disappointing you, can be a very difficult, costly realization. The resulting decision can be devastating especially when a young family is involved! You should also consider the dog itself in the situation I have just described.  Make sure you do the research up front.  DO NOT go visit a breeder that has pups on the ground until you have determined that this is your breed and they seem to be dedicated, knowledgeable breeders.

Do not pick a pup/breed first and then ask for a trainer to make it into something it cannot be!  Know what you will actually be doing with your dog, pick a breed that best performs those fetes, pick a breeder that best produces said breed along with those natural abilities/attributes, then pick a trainer with the most current knowledge coupled with many years of experience.

If it is a faithful companion and a capable hunter you aspire to have, look carefully at the sire/dam as well as their pedigree.  The letters FDJ or JH are not an accurate reflection of your dog's ability afield.  These acronyms could be used to mislead unsuspecting buyers.  You need to see more - much more if you choose to hunt your dog, even if it's only occasionally.

In closing, I'd like to offer that all field dogs - even those of top notch field trial champion blood lines - will make good companions in the homes of good owners.  Do not be misled by false comments insinuating that field dogs do not make good companions in the home. That is more of a reflection of the owner than the dog.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Ugo Pennacchietti
Professional Field Dog Trainer