Genetic Package? or Timing?
Genetic Package or Timing? Which is more Important to You?
Good afternoon to all of you out there! Spring looks like it has FINALLY arrived here at the kennel – and boy is it overdue. Today is Sunny and 60 degrees! It is with no hesitation then that tell you I am writing this post from the back of my pickup in the sunshine! Truly a great afternoon.
As the weather moves from spring into summer we begin gearing up here for summer pointing lab litters. A time of hard work, lots of fun and scheduling challenges!
What on earth, you may ask, do scheduling challenges have to do with puppies?
Well lemme tell ya – I would argue that the timing of a litter is almost more important in people’s minds than the genetics they select. Let me give you an example:
Customer: “Hi my name is So&So and 10 years ago I purchased a dog from you folks…Named him “Awesome” …he was a great dog, our family loved him to death. We had to put him down about six months ago. It was a very sad day”
HPK: “Very, very sorry to hear of your loss – the good ones are never around long enough.”
Customer: “No, No they are not. Well, in any event, we are in the market for another dog. Would you be so kind as to look up what male and female Awesome came from? We would like our new puppy to be out of similar lines. This is VERY important I simply can’t imagine owning a dog that is not related to Awesome!”
HPK: “Absolutely this is something that we would be happy to do. Let me do some archival research and I will get back to you.”
….A FEW DAYS LATER….
HPK: “Hi So&So, we did some research and found out that your dog’s Sire was HPK’s Amazing and his Dam was HPK’s Freaking Brilliant. Took a bit of digging…and we have good news. We recently bred HPK’s The Bomb Diggity to HPK’s Best Dog Ever. It just so happens that the Sire, HPK’s The Bomb Diggity is a from the same breeding as your old dog – just a later pairing.
Customer: “That is awesome! Wait till I tell my wife. She will be thrilled!!! When are the puppies due?”
HPK: “The litter was bred in May and will be ready to go home in July”
Customer: “Oh….(followed by an awkward silence)…that’s not gonna work”
HPK: “????…isn’t that the litter (more importantly the genetics package) you wanted?”
Customer: “Yes it is, but there is no way that will work. My family and I are going to Cucamonga on a vacation and there is simply no way we could take a puppy home until after September 1 st ”
HPK: “OoooooKkkkkkkk…well let us talk about what we have coming in September”
If I have learned anything over my many years of running a dog kennel, it is that puppies can only go home if the timing is right. As I already stated there are times where it seems like the timing is actually more important to some clients than the genetic packages they select.
As a kennel, it is our job to pair you the clients with genetics that make you smile, fit your needs, don’t tear your house apart, and hunt like hell all wrapped up into one. Please understand, we LOVE doing this. Unfortunately, mother nature is the one in control of when dogs come into season – and when puppies turn 8 weeks old.
Which is more important to you? When you take a puppy home? Or the genetics that the dog contains? While there is truly no right answer to this question, it is one of those thought-provoking concepts that bears hashing out in your search for your next hunting companion. Also letting us know this on the front side will drastically help our ability to help you!
Hope you have a good week! As always call with questions!
HPK
