Purebred doesn’t always mean everything. When you see the term “Proven Lines,” nod your head with neutral satisfaction because talk is cheap, nothing has been proven to you yet. You could be told that your puppy will deliver you a golden egg at six months old; that would be something to get excited about. It would be great! 11 out of 10 times tho, six months would go by, and you would be tapping your wristwatch with a baffled reaction, “boy, did I really get screwed out of this deal.”
Until you have done your due diligence in researching, I would take all the Facebook-posted puppies with a grain of salt. Facebook holds more fluff than truth. Deceiving headlines and posts of what the pups are said to be can lead you astray, do not be fooled. People nowadays believe that if they post their pups on social media and use the words deer tracker, proven, purebred, they can make their next big break or fortune. You need to see hard-earned evidence. In what orderly fashion will you line up your questions, concerns, and interests to begin your investigation?
WHERE WILL YOU BEGIN LOOKING?
Even if you are dead set on a specific breed, a suggestion is to look for a versatile dog. A dog that comes from good temperamental lines will be good with humans and animals you come across. A dog with easy-going passed-down characteristics from the parents should also be given some thought. One that you can bring to birthday parties in the summer and the family Christmas dinner in winter, all while high fiving and slurping on ice cream cones in the truck the whole way, living your best lives. For the average person, versatility will make life easier and enjoyable.
If this is going to be a family dog, you can rank easy-going characteristics right up there on the list of importance with the pups working DNA. A dog that could be tracked with by your buddy, brother, or 10-year-old son without a care of any possible mishaps, in the end, will bring you the easy-go-lucky feeling. You won’t have to make exceptions for a dog or give special needs too. You can have the best of both worlds.
Overall, this dog is going to be your right-hand man, your co-worker. Seek out an excellent foundation to build this relationship on, or at least give it some thought. Remember, dogs are not just a piece of equipment you use seasonally, put away in the off-season, just to dust off when the season comes back around. They are emotional beings who want your respect and positive attention to live their happy lives with you.
If they get left in the dust when tracking season is over, they could turn the problem-solving tracking game switch off. Just like your old boyfriend or girlfriend did when the realization came to be that you only wanted to see them late on a Saturday night, and the rest of the week, you didn’t give them a peep. Eventually, they had enough of your shenanigans and blocked your number. This dog is going to be your buddy. Live the lows and the highs together. When tracking comes, their purpose and want to succeed will only be strengthened because of the foundation and up-keep of your relationship.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
What is your budget? Can you afford the best of the best? If so, the breeder will walk you through second-to-none professionalism in the tracking/breeding field that will be hard to find elsewhere. Their knowledge in the area should glow like the LED high-beamed spotlight in a crowd of cigarette lighters at a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. You can know with confidence; you will be getting the best of the best.
For the rest of us, who do not have the budget or need for all the hype, a little time is all it takes to do some homework to make a clear conscious soon-to-be working puppy purchase. The only thing needed is to learn about the pup’s family history and upbringing. Who are the pup’s parents, and what have they done? If the parents are full-time deer trackers, that should positively tip the scale.
Some basic questions to consider asking a breeder when looking at their litter would be as follows;
1. Do you have any pictures or videos of the pups or parents in the field working?
2. Can the parent’s track on the interdigital gland alone?
3. How often are the parents working?
4. Are the parents aggressive in any way?
5. Are the parents both good with kids and other animals?
6. What kind of personality do the parents have?
7. What kind of training did the parents receive?
If you are very serious and not afraid to offer compensation if need be, ask to go along on a track with the parents. This would indeed show how a dog’s demeanor, personality, work ethic, and many other things are. Just keep in mind, this may sound like a bit of unwanted work from the breeder. In that case, make an offer to show that it is important to you. If the pups are bred for tracking, the breeder should jump on that train quickly because they should want their puppies to go to “give a damn” tracking homes.
When it comes time to drive out and check out your soon-to-be pup, hopefully, most have been picked, so you won’t have to deal with the complexity of making a choice! One major tip or thing to look for in a pup would be a decent prey drive. Bringing a bit of deer hide on a string soaked in deer blood for them to play with shouldn’t make you feel like the awkward kid in class. After all, this pup will have a job and purpose. This is an excellent way to see one’s prey drive. See what pup locks on and has the highest interest, or use it as an elimination tool if one pup shows little or less interest than the rest.
Observe the different personalities. Ask the breeder if they have noticed any independent quality of each pup. After a bit of time, you will find an attraction to one or two pups. At which point it’s time to seal the deal and ride off with confidence, you and your new pup. The ride home with a new pup will only happen so many times in one’s life. It’s a great feeling that should be savored.
ADOPTING
If you consider adopting to find your tracking dog, you probably know there are many working breeds stuck in shelters with a lot of potential. Some of these dogs even come with papers letting you trace back their working ancestry. If you contact the right person and let them know what you are looking for, they will produce you some available options in due time. You can do meet and greets and do your own testing to see how intrigued the dog’s prey drive is. You know he has potential if he does not think about anything else other than the deer hide when one is brought forth. Just know it will take time to find a suitable dog.
Better yet, if you are considering adopting a tracking dog, get in contact with us here at Rite Track as we can guide you and custom fit your needs in finding the correct good dog for you and your lifestyle. These dogs will also have passed tests proving that invested training is time well spent. Once they can achieve the point of tracking the interdigital gland alone, a nugget will have been polished enough to show its glimmer of gold that lay underneath, and there are golden nuggets out there.
CONCLUSION
Be open to a dog that fits your tracking lifestyle. Commit to the breed and know what to expect. Do your research instead of blindly jumping into the sea of tracking with just any dog for the sake of tracking alone. Match your dog’s energy to you, and pick the dog that matches your energy, family members, and your lifestyle. Will you give the time, patience, and consideration needed for a balanced and well-rounded dog that will fit you?