Welsh springer spaniels
 


Basic Puppy Information
 

PLEASE READ ALL INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE SAMPLE CONTRACT, CAREFULLY AND
THOROUGHLY BEFORE COMPLETING AND RETURNING THE QUESTIONNAIRE THANK YOU. The fee for a puppy is $2000.

INTRODUCTION


Thank you for your interest in STATESMAN Welsh Springer Spaniels. My family and I have had Welsh springer spaniels since 1975, and are still totally taken with the breed.  However, Welsh springers are NOT for everyone.  Welsh are extremely people-oriented.  They do best as members of a family--they do not fare well as yard or kennel dogs.  We will only place our puppies in homes where they will be a part of the family. 


Welsh springer spaniels occasionally are not good candidates for first-dog situations or inexperienced
dog owners. A young Welsh must be SOCIALIZED to a wide range of people and environments
or it could grow up fearful. It is not a dog that should be owned by nervous people, or people with hyperactive children and constantly hectic schedules. A Welsh springer spaniel's temperament can
often mirror the atmosphere of its home; raise it sensibly with tenderness and firmness and patience
and humor, and you'll have a lovely pet. They are very intelligent and require an owner who is willing
to learn appropriate training techniques prior to acquiring a puppy and following through with quality
group obedience classes.

EXPERIENCING WELSH SPRINGER PUPPIES

For some people a negative aspect is the activity level of the young and adolescent Welsh. 
Welsh can take puppy hood to the hilt and keeping up with them during this time can be a chore. 
As with all puppies and young dogs, Welsh springers require plenty of free running exercise in order to release their energy and provide for healthy development of mind and body (some structural anomalies are caused by lack of free running).  Walking on a leash can be good exercise BUT....all Welsh springer spaniel puppies need to be able to safely run free in order to stretch and tone their muscles (and get some of that energy out).  They cannot get this type of exercise on a leash.

Another aspect of Welsh (which can be taken as either negative or positive, depending upon your point of view) is that Welsh tend to
be "one family" dogs.  They are very loyal to and protective of their
family and property.  It is perfectly acceptable for a Welsh springer
to be reserved or aloof with strangers, though many will greet
visitors to the home with a tail wag and a lick to the face.  A great many Welsh "bark up front while wagging in the back" when visitors enter your home.  Because Welsh tend to be protective, they make excellent watchdogs.  It is very important that a Welsh be well socialized and learn appropriate behavior at an early age.   

OUR LITTERS

We breed approximately one litter per year.  Our puppies are raised in our home with us.  We take
great efforts to insure that our puppies are well socialized.  The decision of what puppy goes to which
home is a very important decision that we make.  If certain markings are of prime concern to you,
we advise that you seek another breeder.  Our main concern is breeding happy, healthy Welsh that
make excellent family companions (as well as show dogs, hunting dogs, or performance dogs as
requested). 

We insist that the puppy be raised as part of the family and in the home. 
In order to insure that both puppy and new owner get off to a good start,
we require attendance at Kindergarten Puppy Training classes
with your puppy.  We also require that puppy and owner participate in and complete at least one session of  group obedience classes, and that these classes utilize positive motivational methods of training.  Also, for evaluation of our breeding program and for the puppy and owner's benefit, it is important that the new owner maintains regular contact with us (we LOVE to get pictures from proud owners). We send out annual questionnaires regarding the health and temperament of our puppies.  If you think you may be interested in acquiring a Statesman puppy,  please read the sample pet contract thoroughly.  If you are totally agreeable to all of the terms of the contract, then please complete the questionnaire and return it to us.  After we receive the questionnaire, please call us.   Once we have reviewed the completed questionnaire and discussed our expectations/your expectations with you, we are then much better able to determine if a Statesman Welsh Springer Spaniel puppy is right for your home.

TRAINING INFORMATION

The books and videos listed below provide a variety of sound, motivational training methods which
allow you to choose the method with which you are most comfortable and confident.  Those people
who get a puppy from us receive their own copy of “How To Raise a Puppy You Can Live With” .   As teachers, we are firm believers in the necessity for all parties involved to be knowledgeable before a new puppy enters a household.  We will often quiz our puppy people on the training methods in the book to make sure that they have read and UNDERSTAND the methods.

Our FAVORITE book for new dog owners is:
- "How to Raise a Puppy That You Can Live With" (2nd edition)
   ISBN 0-931866-57-X
   by Clarice Rutherford and David Neil 

Other good books include:
- "Mother Knows Best"  ISBN 0-87605-666-4
   by Carol Lea Benjamin
- "Good Dogs Great Owners" ISBN 0-446-51675-9
   by Brian Kilcommons
-  "Purely Positive Obedience"
   by Sheila Booth

Also, if you have children or plan to have children,
then we highly recommend the book:
- "Child-Proofing Your Dog" ISBN 0-446-67016-2
  by Brian Kilcommons. 

There are also several good puppy training videos:
- “Sirius Puppy Training” (phone 1-800-462-0005)
  by Ian Dunbar 

We totally believe in crate training as a means of housetraining and protecting both the puppy
and property from harm when the puppy cannot be watched closely.  To add to the situation,
Welsh do best with firm, but gentle, handling.  Being a rather soft or sensitive breed, they do not
handle harsh treatment well at all.  A Welsh is never to be hit or smacked with your hand or other
object.  Welsh should be obedience trained while still young using the three P's:  praise, patience,
and persistence.  We use food training to teach basic commands before entering into more
structured training. 

STRUCTURE AND HEALTH 

Welsh springers have a flat, shiny, self-cleaning coat that does not tend to mat.  Unlike several other
spaniel breeds, they are not prone to ear infections.  Though most Welsh springers live 12-14
years with minimal trips to the vet, there are some inherited health problems in the breed.   

Several breeders have greatly reduced the incidence of hip dysplasia in their breeding programs by
breeding not only OFA certified dogs together, but specifically dogs with a large percentage of
littermates with OFA certified hips.  To check on OFA ratings (including thyroid and elbows) on
Statesman Welsh springers please do the following:

  • go to www.offa.org

  • Click SEARCH on the left side of the menu

  • Type in STATE as PART OF THE NAME
    (there are several misspelled Statesman dogs listed; hence, please use STATE)

  • Choose Welsh Springer from breed choice

  • Choose the health clearance you wish to review
    (though it says you can include more than one clearance at a time,
    I have found it works best to check on hips, elbows, and thyroid separately)

  • No need to designate gender or time frame-all Statesman dogs will be listed

  • Click search at the bottom of the page

There is at least one type of inherited epilepsy, which, unfortunately, is a
severe form, but the incidence is low.  Welsh do have a few inner eye anomalies, and there is some incidence of entropion and/or distichia. 
Also, it is not uncommon for Welsh to have juvenile or developmental
entropion, which they outgrow as their head matures.  Some Welsh suffer
from flea bite allergies or other inhalant, contact, or food allergies.  If you
live in a hot, humid, region where mold, mildew, pollen, and fleas are abundant, this could be a problem.  Providing a flea free environment should
be basic to every Welsh Springer's needs. 

Because of our ongoing desire to reduce the incidence of health problems in
Welsh Springers......


We require by contract that all Statesman puppies receive OFA hip and thyroid
evaluations between 24-26 months of age (NO EXCEPTIONS). 

This information is extremely valuable not just for our own breeding program, but for everyone
involved with the breed.   This information has helped us to reduce the rate of hip dysplasia to
well less than one dog per litter.  One mildly dysplastic pup from our February 1997 litter and
one in 1999 with moderate HD in one hip (unilateral) with the others OFA normal, and no
other dysplastic pups in the litters since 1997 —a total of 55 dogs x-rayed (53 normal, 2 dysplastic). 

TAIL DOCKING

As we are one of the few kennels who are active in hunting tests and pleasure hunting, we have the tails docked on all Statesman puppies.  Our first experience of living with a long tail was from our Swedish import "Alex" (Ch. Merry One's I'm A Statesman WDX).  He became the FIRST AMERICAN SHOW CHAMPION with an undocked tail - and was the first undocked Welsh springer to compete at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, winning an Award of Merit!  So, we have somewhat "paved the way" for those who do not dock.  Alex is blessed to have one of the most beautiful tails we have ever seen on a Welsh springer spaniel (short, straight, and carried horizontally with his topline), and gives the American dog show judges an example of what an undocked tail should look like.  Although Alex's tail is beautiful and correct, it does tend to get in the way.  The flushing spaniel breeds traditionally dock tails due to the hunting style - the spaniels go into the briars and rough cover.  Other sporting breeds, such as setters, are taller breeds who was not developed to dive into cover to flush a bird. When Alex was hunted, we would have to pull burrs and brambles from his tail (OUCH!) and, needless to say, it was not at all comfortable for him.  Also, there is a condition called "Cold Tail" that many undocked hunting dogs get.  It is extremely painful for them and takes a while for the dog to recover.  At home undocked tails whack coffee tables and can get accidentally shut in doors.  I guess there IS a reason tails were docked!

Therefore, we have opted to "stick with the roots of the breed" and continue to dock.  Although it sounds odd, we do it to prevent pain for the dog later in life.  It is not done for beauty, but it is instead done for practicality and health.  Tail docking occurs on the 3rd or 4th day of the puppy's life.  The nervous system of the pup is not fully developed yet.  The puppies will usually give a squeak and that is it.  They are immediately put back with mother and are content to be back near the food....being away from their dam seems to upset the puppies more than the docking does!

COST

Most Welsh springer spaniel breeders charge anywhere from $1200 to $3500 for a puppy.
The cost can depend on the area of the country that the breeder is located, the amount spent on stud fees and travel to the stud, veterinary costs (artificial insemination, C-Section, eye exams on pups before going to their new homes, health certificates, or other associated costs), and/or included books, videos, or starter kits.  Some breeders charge more for show quality puppies than pet quality puppies.  Most breeders offer a replacement puppy or a refund if the puppy develops inherited genetic diseases that are common in the breed (ex: hip dysplasia or epilepsy). 

Currently, we charge $2000 for both our pets and show prospects.  Our pets are soldwith a no-breeding contract and limited AKC registration.  Potential show/breeding prospects are sold with a show/breeding contract.  Please read our sample contracts to view details.