FSSA Breeder Referral

puppy for breeder referalThe USA Parent Club maintains a Breeder Referral Committee, Lee Hildebrand & Kris Frayne wawayanda@taconic.net, to assist prospective Field Spaniel owners in contacting breeders and gaining additional information on the breed.

The Field Spaniel Society of America does not endorse any breeders. However, the individuals who appear in this website are members in good standing with the Field Spaniel Society of America and have signed the club's Code of Ethics. Purchasers should research the breed, ask lots of questions and use good judgment in purchasing a puppy from any breeder.

Guidelines for buying a Field Spaniel Puppy:

  1. No matter what breed you get or who the breeder is, ask for a written health guarantee (a contract). The contract should include ( among other things) lifetime return policy, health guarantees, a spay-neuter agreement for pets, a visit to the vet within a specific period, etc. You might ask to see a copy of the contract early in the discussion.
  2. Inquire about the parents' , grandparents' and their siblings' hips ratings(OFA* rating and/or Pennhip rating*). For breeding purposes, the parents' hips are usually rated fair, good or excellent by the OFA.
  3. Ask about eye checks on the parents (CERF*).
  4. Ask about thyroid problems in the parents' and grandparents.
  5. Ask to see a paper copy of the OFA rating or Penn hip rating and the eye checks. Hips, patellas, heart, elbows and eye check results are available on line at the OFA* website if you have the registered names of the dogs.
  6. Inquire if there is any epilepsy, heart disease, cancer or auto-immune problems that the breeder knows of  in the pups' pedigree. These however, are not common problems with the Field Spaniel.
  7. Some breeders will have the pups' eyes checked before you get the pup. The breeder might also microchip or tattoo the pups.
  8. The breeder should be able to provide you with a 4 or 5 generation pedigree and  litter registration papers for the AKC*, CKC* and/or UKC* ( sometimes the AKC is  slow at returning papers but the litter registration should have been sent in at least by the time the pups are a month old.)
  9. An up-to-date record of inoculations and a veterinarian's certificate of good health which is dated within the last 10 to 14 days should be available also.
  10. A copy of the pups' evaluation(s) on structure, temperament etc. if such evaluations were done on the litter.
  11. A "puppy packet" for you with the above paperwork plus feeding suggestions and vaccination time lines.
  12. Newly purchased dogs should be examined by your veterinarian within 48 hours of purchase.

Trust your intuition when buying a puppy.  If things do not seem "right" after you have asked questions, it is best to look elsewhere for your puppy.

If you have any questions about what the breeder is or is not providing, free feel to contact the FSSA breeder referral representative, Lee Hildebrand & Kris Frayne wawayanda@taconic.net, preferably before you give the breeder any money and/or make a commitment to buy.

Read our article on choosing a healthy Field Spaniel.

You might find these web sites helpful when looking to buy a puppy:

*OFA = Orthopedic Foundation For Animals "http://www.offa.org"

*CERF = Canine Eye Registration Foundation "http://www.tctc.com/~maplerg/cerf-.htm"

*PENNHIP - University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program "http://www.vet.upenn.edu/ResearchCenters/pennhip/"

*UKC = United Kennel Club "http://www.ukcdogs.com" *CKC = Canadian Kennel Club "http://www.ckc.ca/"

*AKC = American Kennel Club "http://www.akc.org"

The Breeder Referral Officers, Lee Hildebrand & Kris Frayne wawayanda@taconic.net, can help you find a breeder in your area who is planning or may currently have puppies available and answer questions you may have about Field Spaniels.