Please read the following information carefully.  It should
answer many questions that you might have.  After you've read
this page, you can use our contact form to request our
Puppy Buyer's Questionnaire.

Because our puppies and their welfare are very important to us, I'd like to tell you more about the breed, our breeding goals, and our expectations for puppy owners.  Like other Welshie breeders, I’m committed to helping safeguard the breed for the future and keep Welsh Springers out of shelters, pet stores, and the hands of commercial and backyard breeders.  Raising a puppy properly requires a large commitment, and I expect you not only to take good care of your dog but also to make it an integral part of your family.

For all of their appeal—their devotion to their family members, their sensitivity to your emotions, their vivid red and white coloring, and those soft, expressive spaniel eyes—this breed is not the right dog for everyone.  Welsh Springer Spaniels can be independent, and although they love to please their people, it’s not always the first thing on their minds. Puppy socialization classes and additional obedience training are essential.  Welshies are bright but highly sensitive, and they don’t respond well to harsh training methods. 

Welsh Springers are energetic sporting dogs and require daily exercise, with frequent opportunities to run and stretch their legs in a safe place off-leash.  Unlike many sporting dogs, this breed has not been split into show and field lines, and it’s easy to bring out the instinct for birds.  It’s not unusual to see a dog in the field one day and in the show ring the next.  What this means for the pet owner is that Welshies are fascinated by creatures that fly or run on the ground – birds, chipmunks, and squirrels are always a delight to a Welsh!  They like to follow their noses, but at the same time, they’re very attached to their people and need to live inside, where they can be close to the center of activity in the house.  They can be reserved with strangers and hesitant outside the home if they haven’t had a continued chance to experience new places, people, sights and sounds.

We don’t keep a waiting list between litters, since we don’t breed often, nor do we sell puppies on a first-come, first-served basis.  In placing puppies our goal is to find the best home for each one.  There are always more inquiries than there are puppies, and we want to take time with each potential puppy buyer before making a commitment.  I’ll ask you to complete a questionnaire about your family and home, any experience you have with dogs, and your plans for taking care of your dog.  Your responses help me determine if the Welsh Springer is the right breed for you and match the puppies with appropriate owners. During this getting-acquainted period, I’ll want to talk with you by phone and e-mail so that I can answer your questions and share details about the puppies’ development.  I want all family members to visit and meet our dogs, so we can be sure that we are a good fit for each other and that all of you like the breed and its personality. 

As a breeder my goal is to produce healthy, good-natured Welsh Springers with correct breed type, structure and movement.  Welsh Springers are generally a healthy breed.  Although hip dysplasia and epilepsy can be a concern, I carefully research pedigrees and consult with other breeders in order to minimize risks.  Although I can’t promise that the dogs I breed will never develop any of the ailments that dogs are prone to—allergies or ear infections, for example—I do assure buyers in my contract that if their dog develops hip or elbow dysplasia or epilepsy severe enough to require euthanasia before the age of 5, I will refund the purchase price or replace the puppy, based on mutual agreement and my breeding plans.

Show and breeding prospects are sold with full AKC registration, which allows them to compete in the breed ring and to have their purebred offspring registered with the AKC.  Companion puppies not headed for the show ring are sold with limited AKC registration.  This designation is for dogs that are not show and breeding prospects; they can’t be bred or compete in conformation shows, but it allows them to compete in any other AKC dog sport.

The puppies in this litter will cost $1800.  I charge the same price for all puppies in a litter, be they show prospects or companion dogs, because they all benefit from the same careful breed research, health testing of the parents, conscientious care and socialization, and life-long breeder support.  Typically I ask for a $400 deposit when the litter is two to three weeks old, in order to hold a puppy for you.  This deposit applies to the purchase, to be refunded if we’re unable to place an appropriate puppy with you.  While I try to meet requests for a particular sex, your chances of getting a puppy are better if you’d be happy with either.

After the puppies are born, caring for and socializing them will be our major priority.  The litter will be whelped in a small room just off the kitchen, where the mother can have privacy yet we can keep a close eye on her.  In the first two weeks, they will be entirely dependent on their dam’s care for food, warmth, and nurturing.  My family and I will handle them several times a day, including twice daily weight checks the first week and daily checks the second and third.  We perform Bio Sensor exercises between the ages of 3 and 16 days.  The Bio Sensor method involves applying six gentle stresses once a day.  It was designed by the U.S. military to improve the performance of dogs used for military purposes by strengthening their early neurological development.

At 3 weeks, the puppies will begin climbing out of the whelping box, so at that point we move them to a large pen in the kitchen, the hub of our household, where they will discover the sights and sounds of our busy family. They’ll hear clippers, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, music, television, and clanging pots.  They will also meet a variety of people—adults, teens, and children of both sexes—and experience nail trimming, grooming, and handling on the grooming table.  They will wear a collar for short periods, and each puppy individually will travel in a car, sleep in a crate, and go for brief leash walks.  And, of course, we will continue to give them lots of cuddling, affection, and stimulation.

As the puppies grow, we observe their developing personalities as we consider which individuals or families would offer a compatible home. The puppies are temperament-tested and evaluated for structure at 7-8 weeks, and at that point I make final decisions about the appropriate match.  Depending on their development, puppies are generally ready to leave with their new owners at around 9 weeks.  When your puppy goes home, it will have been examined, vaccinated, and wormed by a veterinarian.  We’ll provide you with all health and veterinary records and send you home with a small supply of the food that the puppy is accustomed to eating.

An adult member of the family will need to be able to devote plenty of time, energy, and training during the crucial early months. Managing the home environment by puppy-proofing, crate-training, and close supervision will also make the training process much easier.  I ask you to enroll your puppy in two obedience courses in the first year: a puppy kindergarten class and an introductory obedience class for older puppies or young adult dogs.  Even if you’ve successfully raised and trained other dogs, your puppy needs to socialize frequently with other puppies, and it should have consistent training during the first year in order to become the well-behaved family member you would like it to be.  Look for a teacher who emphasizes positive motivation and reinforcement.  Additional training classes and formal activities will strengthen the bond you share with your dog.  Young Welshies love puppy agility practice, and many teachers incorporate it into their classes (without the jumps; avoid jumping your Welshie before it is mature).  Rally obedience, a less formal competition than traditional obedience that allows lots of encouragement and praise, is ideal for Welsh, because their desire to please you depends on your making it fun for them.

Because the health of the breed is important to me as well as to other breeders, my sales agreement requires you to have your dog’s hips and elbows x-rayed and thyroid function tested between 24 and 26 months and submitted to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, with copies of the results provided to us.  My puppy-buyers’ cooperation with health screening will contribute to the breeding decisions I make in the years to come. The contract will also require companion dogs to be neutered or spayed after the age of 12 months. Your pet will run fewer health risks when neutered and be easier to live with.  It should not be done earlier, however, because several health problems have been associated with earlier neutering, and reproductive hormones help the growth plates of the skeleton to close.

I ask puppy buyers to stay in contact with me for the life of the dog and to provide updates of their dog's health, including illnesses and any medication or vaccination reactions.  I also ask for photos in profile and from the front and rear, taken at 6 months and 2 years.  These reports and photos help me learn more about the way my line is developing and what breeding choices to make in the future.  At any time, though, I’m happy to answer your questions. 

My family loves to hear about the training, activities, accomplishments, personality and behavior of the dogs we have bred.  We welcome visits, and as many candid pictures as you can send us.   If you’d like to learn more about Welsh Springer Spaniels, feel free to contact us.