Breeding

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LITTERS

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Here at Altiquin we understand the importance of those early months of a puppy’s life.

There is so much written about….

'life’s learning curve'

How it accelerates at an alarming rate in a puppy’s first 12-weeks of life.

Because I understand all about this, and take it very seriously, I want to make sure I know what experiences my dogs have had. I am not interested in a pup that has been locked in a kennel, never seeing the light of day, never acclimated to human voices and the activities of life.

I want my pups to have experienced A LOT, yes…….

Plenty of wonderful discoveries, under mindful supervision.... wildlife, children, noises, tall grass, rough ground, ditches, cover, scents, other dogs, motors, music, etc. 

For these reasons I like to breed my own stock for Field Trialing competing and breeding purposes.

I know exactly what has happened in their early days, and I am happy about that.

We are not commercial breeders.

We have one litter a year, occasionally we may have two litters. We breed for ourselves, and so we keep back pups from all our litters to raise and train for field work.

The pups we do sell are the highest quality---from the bitch and the sire---right through every stage in how the pups are raised.

The litters are whelped inside our busy home.

As their senses come alive, they hear the continual 'hum' of family life. At around 4-5 weeks, they are then re-located into their heated puppy quarters.

I like to keep a radio going through the day in their cozy house. They are fed outside and do spend a considerable amount of their time --- that is, weather permitting --- in a grassed enclosure that is regularly moved over onto fresh grass.

The puppies do very quickly get into the habit of toileting outside, as they have been nurtured in the correlation between toileting and the 'great outdoors'.

This way of living fashions them into ‘clean’ dogs.

As soon as they are able, I take the pups on little excursions to experience the sights & sounds of the country environment, the rough and wild rugged rural Irish Northwest.

You will find very few Altiquin pups about.

But what you do see, have been bred for all the right reasons.

There is so much demand for an ALTIQUIN PUP we would be delighted for you to fill in our form if you are interested in purchasing one of our future generations: Altiquin Waiting List.

BITCHES

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Here at Altiquin we are uniquely dedicated, well-practiced, very very knowledgeable, experienced and seasoned in the field and at home on the subject of the Labrador Retriever breed.

We understand the importance of high quality bitches.

The key to a good litter is a quality bitch with excellent health clearances, put to a compatible quality dog with equally excellent health clearances, and given quality care throughout pregnancy and beyond. On the whole, this is more likely to be achieved by an experienced breeder.

That is why people come to Altiquin.

When you are buying a Labrador for gundog work, you must make sure the parents of the litter you want to view are from working stock.  Looking for a few FTCH and FTW (field trial champion and field trial winner) in the pedigree highlights only part of the picture.  Viewing and researching both Sire and Dam and their ancestors completes the picture.

You are wise when you check The Ancestry of both the dam and the sire.  Bloodline and the inherent traits are of the utmost importance when choosing a puppy that will become your hunting dog.

The 1st bitch I bought here in Ireland was brought to my attention by a good friend whose friend was selling a nice hunting bitch. She was only 9-months-old when I went to see her.

Her owner wanted to show me what he had done with her. I said to him, ‘Just give her a retrieve’.  He told me she may run in, to which I replied, ‘Don’t worry about that.’

She went out with style and grace. She literally flowed across the ground. That was all I needed to see.

I bought her on the basis of that one retrieve, and then I looked at her pedigree.  Sired by British FTCH Pocklea Remus (Winner of the British Retriever Championship multiple times) and then, on her dam’s side, quality Irish dogs, most notably International FTCH Theoweir Turramurra Teal : Holly had a pedigree to dream of.

I trialed Holly in the field and she won trials and tests in both North and Southern Ireland.

Her litter brother Carraigairt Adam rose to prominence and became one of the top stud dogs in Ireland.   Holly herself earned the distinction of being an International Field Trial Winner (FTW).

Holly produced some really great pups.  My only regret is that I now have nothing left from her.

When looking at bitch pups, however, you do not have the luxury of looking at their movement and their style and game-finding ability.  The major thing you can go on at a pup’s young age is their lineage, their heritage, their ancestors.  And then, to take that lineage, that heritage and do as much research as possible on those ancestors.

Ask yourself:

• Are there traits that I see in those ancestors that I would like to see in my kennel?

With my ALTIQUIN bitches, either bitches I have bred myself or bitches I have bought in, I would not consider them for breeding unless I saw in them the traits I want to carry on in their progeny, traits for which I want ALTIQUIN Labradors to be recognized.

This scrutiny is coupled with a thorough and routine examination of their health:   hips, eyes, prcd-PRA, CNM.

I am looking for nose-to-the-ground hunting prowess, game-finding ability, style and drive, courage and looks, and quiet, calm, gentle temperaments.  These are the qualities that describe a perfect gundog and hunting companion, one welcome in both kennel and in the home.

At  ALTIQUIN we have just one litter each year of top quality puppies for our own field trialing purposes. On rare occasions we might have a second litter in one year, although this does not happen often.  We sell any surplus to quality trialing, hunting, and/or pet homes.

We are breeding to trial with the best.  For that purpose, we only use the best.

DOGS

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When we breed, I may keep back 2 or 3 dogs from that litter.

I will keep those dogs and work with those until I see the natural traits coming through that make that dog special. Some of these traits can be trained into a dog, but — when you see them coming through naturally — you know you have something special.

These qualities will be called upon throughout the dog’s life, and it is hoped, these qualities will be passed onto their progeny.

The first thing I am looking for is Fearlessness.

I am looking for that dog that will be the first. First to cross the stream. First to traverse the gorge. First to hit the heaviest cover. First to greet strangers. First to chase that ball regardless of what lies ahead.

As the young dog is going through his early training, I am constantly assessing and reassessing the dog.

How biddable is the dog, how clever is he, how stubborn is he, how easy (or difficult) is our relationship, and how much drive and passion has he.

As his training develops and he comes across early bird work, I can quickly assess his game finding ability. Can he take that runner? How efficient is his nose, how much natural game sense has he?

Only when he ticks all these boxes will I consider him for my Field Trialing competition dog.

But, after all this, what if he has health or genetic issues?

I am looking for the quality of the game finder, the worker, the companion. If he has no health/genetic issues - for me that is a welcome bonus.

If he has health/genetic issues that do not jeopardise his life or health if I run him, then I will run him. He is still the same quality game finding dog I was always looking for. With all these tests currently available, in my opinion, folk are going down the wrong road if they take a genetically ‘clean’ bill of health above everything else.

Remember nothing was made to be perfect!

SIRES

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Here at Altiquin when deciding on what Sire to use to cover my bitch, I am looking for the very best dog available.

Looking for that ‘best dog’ however, is not that easy.

There are many considerations to factor in, each with their own plus points and minuses. These considerations must tie in with what I want to see in my dogs.

I do not mind where I go once I have found the best Sire.

I consider and study in great depth each pedigree.

What would I like to see coming through?

What would I not like to see coming through my dogs?

I consider the dog and his ancestors’ attributes:

Which sires and dams were distinguished for their natural game finding ability and which were not? Which were celebrated for their pace, their drive, their style? What negatives can I find about the dogs? They all have them.

I consider their prowess in competition, and what type of competition have they excelled in.

The majority of my work would be to sit through Drives, cast and handle well on blinds, and have the ability to work independently and hunt to find game.

I am also looking for a dog to Mark WELL! I therefore have to be very careful when choosing a dog that has made its mark by, for instance, just competing in Walked-up Trials.

Would his progeny be able to *SIT QUIETLY* through a ¾-hour Driven pheasant or partridge shoot at the annual Irish Retriever Championship?

45-minutes of excitement, tension and temptation....

What is a Driven Pheasant Shoot?

CLICK HERE to Experience a Driven Shoot Online on the Fieldsports Channel

Are the dogs calm and collected, with the ability to work for 10-minutes with passion and style, and then switch themselves off and be my peaceful, kind and gentle companion?

I consider their looks, their style and drive.

I want a dog that looks like a Labrador. A dog with a nice head and kind face. I want him to be well made, and then travel with style and pace. I want something that would catch the eye.

Lastly but, for me, the very most and critically important characteristic: I consider their game finding ability. Have they proved to effortlessly put game in the bag? Are they required to be over-handled when sent for a retrieve, to the point where it seems the handler is finding the game for the dog, not the other way around?

Does the dog have its own sense of belief, that when out of sight of me the handler, does the dog have the confidence in itself to continue his/her work and show his/her Game Finding Ability.

2013 Irish Retriever Championship Results

2012 Irish Retriever Championship Results