I made the mistake of going up and looking at the prospects of puppies to be Grady’s and my hunting partner today. Big mistake. I started counting the days until the opener this year. But what an education I got.
I had no idea they would be that small. It’s hard to believe that by October, a pup this size would be hunting chukars. Every pup I’ve ever picked up in the past was never seen by me until 7 weeks old.
Diamond V puppies had a great setup. Plus, they are setting a camera up so that I can keep updated on the progress of the pups. I got to meet Kate, the dam of the pups, and what a sweetheart. She let me crawl right in with the pups as she was feeding and gave me a kiss. Maybe it was her way of saying, “Please take one of these guys”. That jerking on the tit stuff has to hurt. Enough on that. Barb and I have made a preliminary decision.
She looks to be the darkest. Yes, I said she. She will be the first female dog I’ve hunted behind in over 35 years. Almost everyone I hunt with has females, and they get lots of birds. So I knew it didn’t really matter. Hey, I’m a macho kind of guy, and of course us males are tougher than females. I’m sure my blog will get shut down, and I’ll be in cuffs within a week for saying that.
You can see the color coming out in this picture. She was the last puppy born and the smallest. I’m excited to see her progress. Another pup crossed my eye after we looked at the pictures we brought home with us.
This yellow-collared pup shows some potential of being darker. I don’t know much about that, but the owner, Melanie Vining, showed me how to look for that. I can’t remember if it’s a he or she, but as I mentioned, it doesn’t matter. Once the pup comes home with me, it’s part of the family and will be here forever. Even if somehow I find a way to screw her hunting abilities up, she’s my girl.
I’m going to try to document the life of this pup from now until we retire from the Chukar Mountain. It’s something I wish I had done and had the tools to do 30 years ago when Tucker was born. I hope it doesn’t bore the readers to death, but it’s one of those things that will help me keep busy with my passion for dogs and chukars even when the season is open. I don’t know what it means to push the like button on computers, and I don’t think there is one on my blog, but I’ll be able to tell if you think I’m a little crazy if the number of readers goes down.
We’re fortunate to have such a great resource to chase with great dogs. No matter what the breed. I have a huge passion for dogs and chukar hunting. I love every aspect of it and promise I take criticism well. So don’t hesitate to help me out.
The Reigning Chukar Champions 
Heidi and I look forward to the adventure life of this new pup! This pup hit the jackpot with you and Barb as parents!
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Thank you, Erik and Heidi.
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Larry. Over many years I have had only Pudelpointer females all spayed after one or two years of age. The famous Pudelpointer breeder Bodo Winterhelt told me you don’t need a male any more unless you are a serious breeder.
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Wayne, I’ll be having mine spayed also. I kept my first shorthair intact for three years, and he was the sire to my second shorthair. The others were fixed as soon as they could. I have heard of the problems a horny male can cause. And after watching that litter of puppies today, I couldn’t handle the breeding thing. I fall in love with dogs too easily, which would create a problem of letting them go. Plus, I’d have to stay home too much. But I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on what Bodo said. My males were the best dogs I’ve ever hunted behind. Of course, I’ve only raised males. There must be something to it, though. All of my hunting partners have females. Thanks for posting.
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