WHO IS MY IDEAL HOME?

WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WILL THRIVE WITH MY DOGS?
Active, outdoorsy dog-savvy people who:

• enjoy doing things with their dogs
• enjoy training their dogs & challenging their brains regularly
• dont mind dog hair, shedding, dirt, mud, wet beards & water in their home
• are upbeat trainers that can also be firm when necessary
• treat their dog as an integral part of the family
• understand the power of prey drive and are willing to do what it takes to control it 
• Hunters with experience using dogs on upland game, waterfowl, tracking etc.
  

WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WILL MY DOGS THRIVE WITH?
Active, Outdoorsy, dog-savvy people who:

• ​Honour them as dogs rather than fur-babies, furry children etc...
• Teach and set boundaries for their dogs
• Are balanced trainers that train the dog in front of them
• Teach dogs good manners around other dogs but recognize that as adults, our wirehaired pointing griffons prefer fieldwork and swimming to dog parks
• Enjoy more than one sport with their dog
• If they are competitors, celebrate primarily the process over the wins
• Challenge them physically & mentally most days
• Recognize that high drive does not mean tough
• ​People eager to train with NAVHDA, field dog events or simply hunt or hike in the great outdoors with their dog
  

What are my expectations of my owners?

• You have studied or previously owned Wire-Haired Pointing Griffons. To begin, we expect that you have thoroughly read and studied the wirehaired pointing griffon breed standard to ensure that a Griffon is the right breed for you and your family, if you have one. We also expect that you will have read through our website to see what type of Griffons we produce. We firmly believe that wirehaired pointing griffons are not the ideal pet for families who are too overly busy and overscheduled to add a active and intelligent puppy into their household.  These are NOT KENNEL DOGS and require to be an integral part of the family...they are VELCRO dogs that also excel in hunting and canine sports.  We expect that you have evaluated your life and have made an informed decision about whether you truly have the time and energy to add an active puppy into your household, and that Griffons are your breed of choice.
• Know your timing..aka right puppy at the right time. Once you have decided this breed is right for you, please look closely at your calendar. We do not ship puppies, so you will need to come and pick up your puppy in person.
• You have the TIME to focus on your new puppy.  Once you get home with your pup we ask that you clear your schedule until your puppy is at least 16 weeks old, so that you can focus on socialization & training. This early period in the puppies life is critical for long term development. The learning that happens within the first few months is critical and cannot be recaptured later. Invest time upfront for a lifetime of happiness with your dog.
• Your dog is a beloved member of your family. He/She should live in your home with your family and not in a kennel or the back yard, and receive premium food, professional medical care and lifelong training/work. While we prefer that buyers have fully fenced yards, we will make exceptions if you have the time and facilities to ensure adequate exercise and constant outdoor supervision.
• We prefer dog experienced owners for our dogs. Our buyers commit to appropriate daily, intensive exercise and training throughout the life of their dog, as well as weekly formal training classes with the pup through adulthood, preferably at a leading dog training facility, with a NAVHDA chapter or one on one with a trainer.
• Balanced Training. If you insist on only using positive reinforcement with your dogs, ours are probably not for you. We have found that our dogs do not thrive on all positive training situations and benefit from a well timed correction to learn.
• Premium Food. We feed and recommend Purina Pro Plan, but we accept our dogs fed Eukanuba, Royal Canin or Inukshuk foods and would be happy to discuss. Our dogs are NOT TO BE FED A GRAIN FREE DIET.
• We expect that our owners will work with their vet to establish regular & proper veterinary care for the life of their dog. It is suggested that owners sign up for pet insurance, but this is not required.
• Performance pup requirements: if you are buying a performance/hunting/show quality pups we expect you to compete with or use your dog regularly in one or more venues.  If you have a competition dog we expect that you will train and show this puppy in conformation, obedience, field, agility or other sports to a relatively high level. (CH, CD,SH, UT, AX Etc) For hunting dogs we expect them to be used regularly during the season. 
• We prefer to sell our dogs within Canada & to the USA. WE do NOT fly or ship puppies.

What should puppy buyers expect from us?

• Home Raised Puppies. All of our puppies are raised in the home, with other dogs & people so that they are used to the bustle and activity of daily home life. Our puppies are handled & socialized from birth, with individualized daily attention. They are socialized with children, other dogs and sometimes cats. By the time they go home at 8 or 9 weeks of age they will have been introduced to live & dead birds, started basic obedience intro, started housebreaking, been in crates and on car rides. Weather/season permitting they will also be introduced to water.
• Our goal is to carefully match each puppy with a well suited family, ideally in a hunting or competition home. Some of our puppies each year become family companions in active pet homes.  We work hard to match each puppy to the best home, because we know our puppies best, we recommend which puppy is best suited to each prospective owner.
• To match puppies to owners we gather information about your lifestyle, experience with dogs, goals & expectations of your puppy/dog.  We keep records of each puppies reactions and personality to assist in placement, as well as have them evaluated during their 8th week of life, with both volhard puppy aptitude test & the Avi puppy evaluation test as well as evaluate conformation.
• Our puppies receive the best care while they are with us. They are raised naturally and nursed by their mothers until they are weaned onto puppy food. Each pup will be dewormed & receives an individual exam by our Veterinarian.
• We have a lifetime commitment to all puppies we breed. We remain in contact with our puppy owners throughout the dogs life. 

What should owners/homes expect of our dogs?

• An alert, eager active dog that is strong in body and mind, which has a strong prey drive, but also high biddability (eager to please)  Our dogs are friendly in normal situations, but not push overs with other dogs. They are not calm and quiet by nature, but can be taught this skill-and should be! (Calm is a super power)
•  A generally healthy dog with an athletic structure that uses its body well
• A somewhat pushy dog that benefits from early & regular training
• An inborn genetic hunting instinct & ability
• A dog that can take part in any game or activity they want...they need the mental stimulation of working at something or they may make their own fun.