Our PhilosophyTwo Gun kennels is dedicated to two versatile pointing breeds: the Drentsche Patrijshond and Spinone Italiano. Since 2006 our goal has been the pursuit of the ideal Drent. In 2021 we included the Spinone. With both we intend to apply our vigor, to create beautiful, companion hunters who are able and willing to succeed in all sorts of adventurous activities. We focus on breeding well-structured, gorgeous dogs who can work in the field day after day. The result are dogs that can also excel in a wide range of dog sports such as agility, tracking, barn dogs, rally and more, while still having the temperament for therapy, search and rescue, and even certain types of service work.
We are a small kennel with a limited but well-planned breeding program, typically having 1 to 2 litters a year. This means that each breeding is of tremendous importance to us and that we concentrate our efforts into caring for and socializing our pups. Consulting with mentors in our breeds of choice is important to us, and we use Raymond H. Oppenheimer's 20 Principals as a guide to ensure our breeding program not only grows but flourishes. From the home to the field we believe in creating beautiful Drents & Spinoni ready for a rich life of adventure, and cozy sofa snoozes. We breed for: Temperament, Conformation, Working Ability and General Health |
Fowler retrieving a Sharptail
Powder & Fowler after a day of making a client happy
|
Temperament: For Drents we look to use dogs who measure up with the three pillars of the breed: to be a versatile hunting dog, farm yard dog, and playmate to the children is something we insist upon. We look for self-confident dogs. These animals take life in stride, are stable when faced with most circumstances, and are comfortable with their position in the world. Self-confident dogs are able to make independent decisions and need owners who are able to handle and manage these thinking dogs. Self-confident dogs need clear training to ensure that their goals are also those of their owners. We believe the work of a versatile pointing dog requires a dog that is also intelligent, active, biddable and that have a strong desire to work side by side with their human partner. The final component of temperament we demand is friendliness and reliability. We expect our dogs to accept polite, appropriate dogs of all ages and types and to be comfortable with men and women of all ages. Positive, Force-Free, LIMA training methods work optimally with the dogs we produce.
Conformation and Working Ability: Here we look for sires that complement our dams by building on their strengths and correcting their weaknesses. We use conformation dogs to strengthen or solidify type and we use field dogs to strengthen or solidify working ability. Ideally we find dogs that have both exceptional structure and working ability but these are rare and must also meet our criteria for temperament and health. We look beyond the dog himself, and take note of the strengths and weaknesses of his pedigree. We know some lines that meld well with our girls while others, despite how much we respect these dogs, simply do not. We make a concerted effort to meet each sire we use in person, ideally seeing them interact with other dogs and, if possible, working in the field. When we cannot meet our sires in person, we conduct Zoom meetings where we observe the dogs and utilize multiple trusted third party accounts to verify all aspects of the dog.
Health: producing healthy dogs usually lends to them being also being long-lived. However, the very nature of purebred dogs makes this a challenging venture. We take all forms of health testing seriously, and do everything we can to mitigate problems. We use dogs meeting or exceeding all breeding standards present at the time of breeding and do as much additional research the various databases can assist with.
All of this means that our dogs fit well into active homes where they will have serious jobs and regular training and exercise. We seek hunting or competition performance homes for the vast majority of our puppies. A few pups each year may go to non-working pet homes but these are not your typical pet homes where the dog gets 15 minutes of walking a few times a day. Rather, they are homes where the dog is a respected working companion rather than a spoiled pet, homes where the dog participates in many if not most of the family’s activities, homes where training and working with the dog is a top priority. Our dogs are not appropriate for parents seeking primarily to teach their children about responsibility or those desiring to quiet their children’s’ pleas for a dog.
Our ideal Drent/Spinone:
- meets the Breed Standard in size: height & weight,
- who moves like the athlete that she or he is,
- is immediately identifiable as a Drent or Spinone,
- has a lovely, correct head with a pleasant expression,
- is a moderately high energy dog willing & able to hunt wild pheasant, quail, geese or ducks for a full day in the field but settles well in the house afterwards. (If you would describe your ideal dog as calm and low key requiring minimal exercise, it’s best if you look for a different breeder.),
- has the natural hunting abilities, biddability and intelligence to be a capable hunting dog, to be shown in a variety of events, and be an excellent canine athlete,
- loves the family’s children and tolerates dog-appropriate handling by them, as the Three Pillars require
- gets along well with other dogs and being capable of functioning as a normal dog,
- is healthy and sound, with no chronic illnesses of any kind, including allergies, hot spots and orthopedic problems,
- lives a long and healthy life as a beloved member of the family.
We follow the DPCNA Code of Ethics and the Golden Rule in our dealings with other Drent/Spinone fanciers, our puppy buyers, and the general public. We do all we can to treat our buyers fairly and to use our interactions as a means to educate them and the general public about dog behavior, the responsibilities of dog ownership, and when needed, good animal husbandry.
r/
Brian & Jenna O'Connor
- Fowler, Jorja, Powder, Ember, Tule, Ila, & Fizzy
Brian & Jenna O'Connor
- Fowler, Jorja, Powder, Ember, Tule, Ila, & Fizzy
Ila at 15 weeks
