Quote:
Originally Posted by shooter12
This is what I was thinking as well .
To miss the season (I would hate it), or start looking right know.
S12
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I don't know what the experts say, but expecting a 4-6 month old pup to be ready this fall is a real stretch. The experts might be saying that a spring pup would be ideal next fall at 1 1/2 years old as most are still developing body strength and bone structure until then.
I like to get a pup born in summer or early fall so they are house trained in the nice weather. It is generally easy to get volunteers in my house to watch a small pup the first fall because they are cute and sleep a fair bit. This allows one to sneak out hunting without them. They can be introduced to some hunting at one year old and by year two they are ready to go hard with another full summer of training behind them.
As mentioned above, some breeders may have a dog that was held on deposit and not taken, some might have a dog returned to them for numerous reasons and some may have a dog they held back for their breeding program that either isn't exactly as they expected or can be talked out of for a price.
I didn't want to get a new pup until my old girl was gone. When she passed in January I found several dogs 6 months to a year old available from some different and reputable breeders. I was looking for a Labrador however that is obviously more common than some other breeds. I was lucky and able to find what I wanted but you won't know until you look. Your kids are younger so maybe you would rather a young pup but for me it is just a bit of a pain.
There is a 1 year old GSP on Kijiji here that claims to be from good bloodlines but I didn't look into it. I know there is some deals to be had when people's lives change or they purchase more dog than they can handle.