When to start looking for a pup?

[Trickyd66]

Hi All,
After much family discussion, we are looking at welcoming another dog into our house.
Due to planned holidays etc, it wouldn't be able to join us till next August. After that all attention would be on said dog.

I appreciate that litter timings aren't an exact science, but when is it best to put out feelers for potential litters? (Should I post a wanted on SD now, or wait till the for sale adds come up?)

Used champ dogs etc. For previous 3 dogs so will be looking there as well.

Thanks
TD66

 

[Yosemite Sam]

What breed are you looking for and what work will it be asked to do?

 

[Trickyd66]

What breed are you looking for and what work will it be asked to do?

Cocker spaniel... pet first and foremost, but potential to track.
I appreciate (more than my family) that they are energetic dogs who need a job of some description!

Currently custodian of a Flat coated retriever (unemployed) and previously owned a placid GR and NSDTR.

Cheers

 

[WirehairedKiwi]

I think timing it perfectly is impossible but if you know you have a gap coming up I'd start looking now. It took me about 12 months total to find mine, about half of that time was just keeping an eye on breeders, internet pages etc periodically.

It depends on how picky you are and how rare the breed is, the breed I wanted is hard to come by and many litters are often spoken for long before they pop out, so I had to keep my eye out constantly.
It turns out someone had a litter just over the hill, and it couldn't have been better timing. I wouldn't have found it if I hadn't had my nose to the ground though.

So I would say the pickier you are with breeding, type of dog, distance from you, timing of litter, pedigree etc determines how long you should plan ahead. If you wanted any old black lab and didn't care where it was and what its parentage consists of then you can leave it until the day of. However if you want something properly papered from pedigree lines from a kennel the next town over then you might have to plan a year or two ahead. I think the habit of looking online once a week, roughly 3-6 months ahead of your perfect due date is ideal - then you can jump on something when it comes up and start adjusting your plans to suit.

You'll need to go have a look and check out the pups before making a decision if at all possible (unless you trust the breeder 100%). I knew I wanted a wee mate that used his nose more than the others and was a bit on the shy side. My only mistake was not checking his teeth because he has narrow canines and will need dental treatment, but that's what you get by not going to a papered breeder I suppose.

 

[Covert]

It used to be that gundogs were ideally bred to be born in April/May so they had the summer to be pups , trained the following year ready to start work that season. Has stood me in good stead for over 40 years.

 

[countrryboy]

Must admit i wouldnt worry too much.

Ur after a pretty common breed and u dont have any specific lines in mind or any interest in FTs etc.

Do u rough shoot or know many beaters/keepers?
If so i would sound them out towards the end off season.
For wot u want id just be lookung for a pairing of 'normal' beating line dogs as long as quiet and biddable and nothing too 'hot'
Not in all cases but some super well bred Ft lines can be a PITA when not working hard or properly motivated.