At Buckwood Kennel we strive to produce affectionate dogs with calm temperaments and exceptional natural hunting ability. We look for qualities in our breeding dogs that will compliment each other to ensure dogs with high drive in the field and that incredible “off switch” in the house. When we evaluate dogs for breeding we look for dogs with natural hunting ability, cooperation, versatility, confidence, intelligence and dogs that will make great family companions.
TEMPERAMENT
The most important quality when looking at potential breeding dogs is temperament. A dog’s temperament is a highly inheritable trait. With that being said, we look at choosing breeding dogs who have sweet and loving temperaments towards humans and other dogs. We are also looking for dogs who want to work with us with great cooperation. Puppies with a lot of cooperation will look to their owners often and be more willing to do tasks for their owners. I feel one of the best qualities of the Small Munsterlander breed is their sweet temperaments. Puppies and adult dogs will definitely try and give you kisses and usually want to sleep next to you. These dogs are wonderful family dogs and I look to keep this amazing quality within the breed.
HUNTING
When looking for a potential breeding dog we take high consideration into a dog’s hunting ability. We want dogs who are bold hunters who expand in open cover and range closer in thick cover. Our dogs need to effectively use their nose on land and water to find downed game. When looking at our dogs as a potential breeding dog, we like to evaluate their hunting style and their longevity during a hunt. We pair our females with stud dogs who will compliment their hunting ability or studs that will improve the next generation. We want to produce dogs who will excel in all aspects of hunting for their new families.
NAVHDA TESTING
Buckwood Kennel looks to test their potential breeding dogs in NAVHDA Natural Ability Test, as well as the GDT and UT tests. We encourage all puppy owners to test their dogs in at least the NAVHDA Natural Ability Test (North America Versatile Hunting Dog Association). This is the foundation registry and testing organization used by the SMCA (Small Munsterlander Club of North America). NAVHDA is a great organization to become a part of to not only learn how to train your dog for these tests but also to meet many like minded people. Testing your dog in NAVHDA also allows me to decide future pairings for litters. Even if you are not interested in testing your dog, the NAVHDA test system is great to learn how to develop a dog who will excel in all aspects of hunting.
CONFORMATION/STRUCTURE
Each of our litters are planned to improve the breed. We evaluate our dogs conformation compared to the breed standard. It is important to breed dogs with correct conformation so that these dogs excel in the field with their high athletic demanding jobs. A dog with poor angulation will have more risk to injury when hunting. Keep in mind no dog is perfect, but we strive to improve the structure of our puppies by selecting pairings that improve each other. When looking at conformation we don’t just evaluate this ourselves, we take our females to an international dog show at 18 – 24 months to be evaluated by trained judges. The conformation judges are trained in looking at a dog’s structure, not only when the dog is standing, but also as they move. The judges feel the structure of our dog, feel their coat and look at their teeth as well. Many judges will identify qualities that should be improved on our dogs so that we can look for an acceptable stud dog. We evaluate our puppies at 8 weeks of age for their conformation through the Pat Hastings Method. This helps us determine the best puppies for future breeding dogs.
GENETIC TESTING
We test all of our breeding dogs and require stud dogs to be tested through Embark DNA health testing. Embark tests for 250 plus genetic health risks for dogs. Overall the Small Munsterlander breed is very healthy and has minimal health risks. Even though they are healthy dogs, we want to do our best as breeders to reduce genetic health conditions within the breed. If we can prevent health concerns in our breed by doing a genetic test before breeding our dogs, why wouldn’t we make that commitment? The alternative to not testing dogs, is that if issues start to pop up in puppies down the line, then we would need to trace back to which parent or grandparents passed down those genes. This can be very difficult to determine. We are deciding to take the proactive approach and test our breeding dogs. We also offer Embark DNA health tests to our puppy buyers if they are interested.
RAISING PUPPIES
We are excited for each litter of puppies here at Buckwood Kennel. Puppies are a true enjoyment to have and we want to make sure they are raised to become loving family members. We raise all of our puppies in our home to provide the early socialization and development that puppies need. We believe in the benefits of Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and Early Scent Introduction (ESI). We follow practices that shape the puppies to be bold and confident in their environments by doing ENS and ESI when the puppies are 3 – 16 days old. Please reference the articles on Breeding Better Dogs and Puppy Culture. During the next several weeks at our Kennel the puppies are raised with Puppy Culture. Through Puppy Culture our puppies have age appropriate socialization, exposure and training to better prepare each of them for their new homes. The puppies walk on different surfaces, go in water, go on walks outside, go on car rides, have socialization, have initial steps in training and are introduced to birds and gunfire before going to their new homes. We offer a 3 year health guarantee on all of our puppies. All puppies are sold with first shots, wormed, and microchipped.
Please contact us if you are interested in a Buckwood Kennel puppy.
Buckwood Kennel 