Looking for Panamint... (breeder) General Chat

If a working dog has such terrible hips that it means it can't do it's job the dog would more than likely be got rid of and not bred from, so it would be very difficult for it to cause a problem in such a breeders lines.

Any breeder that line breeds and doesn't score will have a much higher chance of breeding dogs with health problems imo though.

Less severe HD can be hidden if muscles and ligaments are built up they can continue to work without many outward signs until the dogs are older. I know of a couple of collies with HD that compete in agility- no outward signs there....yet.

Thank you for explaining.

grrrrrrrrr!

I am only on page two of five but I can assure you that there is someone round here who breeds working spaniels and his litters have had awful HD

Fortunately word has got round and his last litter weren't sold - its a small world, the gundog world

I take exception to that comment

That is certainly not true round here. Most of the working Springer people that I know take great pride in breeding a good healthy dog.

I have a Lab with terrible joints - I certainly haven't "rid myself" of the dog to buy a new puppy to start the training all over again - his problem is managed successfully.

You seem to forget that you cannot even start to work a gundog until the age of two anyway - its hardly likely that ""the majority of working dog owners" are going to go through dogs that quickly!

Don't panic PH - you are doing a grand job just by coming on here to ask questions

Not many people would take the time and effort to reseach a pedigree like you are and I hope a lot of your questions have been answered and you have had a little bit of insight


Just to make you feel better, my spaniel is Gamekeeper bred - no health checks done whatsoever, just a mating of two very good working dogs. It wasn't done for money it was done to create another excellent working dog. I only managed to get the very last pup of the litter and my God he is just the best working spaniel (and fabulous family pet) anyone could wish for - he is 6 now and has no health problems whatsoever.

My labrador on the other hand has an excellent FT pedigree with some of the greatest names in red - but he has the worst joints ever - poor boy. My only truly, well bred dog and constant vet bills, stress and upset

I personally think you are being very responsible to research a decent sire

& if they are bred BEFORE the problems show up?

HD in a working dog can be very well hidden if the muscles are really tight .

My dog has HD & his never showed itself until he was 6, because he was so fit. Obvisley i knew because i had him scored, otherwise i could have used him, ALOT!

I don't want to go too OT here, but haven't you had border collie pups from RG? Does he do any testing, other than the ISDS specified eye testing?

But who is to say that the parents of this pup had bad hips/high hipscores? That is the problem I have with hipscoring - generations can be hipscored and have a low score and decent hips and yet still produce pups with awful hips. One doesn't necessarily follow the other.

no,but at least you have done what you can do...and can have a clear conscience.!!!

They do in this area & why do dogs have to be 2 before you can start work/training ?? I have a friend whose son trained his dog from being a puppy & he was working on shoots well before he was two. Jack(working cocker) was very popular with the guns too

My Dad had loads of firends who were keepers & he used to get very angry at the number of dogs they went through.

If the working Gundog breeders are so keen on breeding healthy dogs-why do so few health test ???

Both my dogs that I have had with severe HD(both scored over 50)had/have no problems with their movement & Brett(who is no longer with me sadly)died from cancer aged 13 & never had a days problem with his hips(he was scored because I score all my dogs). Jessie(who is still with me)has no problems racing around & being a very typical BC