German Shorthaired Pointers - Sacramento Area - Located in Loomis, CA.
(20 minutes east of Sacremento off Hwy 80)
Winter Creek Shorthairs est. 1984
Offical Breeders of Merit Recongnized by The American Kennel Club
GSP Public Education
Guide to Help Pick Out Puppies
BUY WITH YOUR HEAD....NOT YOUR HEART! EMOTIONAL BUYS CAN BACKFIRE! GET A PUPPY THAT FITS YOUR LIFE STYLE.
We are fortunate that the GSP is basically a very healthy dog. Beginning with healthy parents and forgoing any mishaps, your pup should live a long healthy, productive, happy life. Breeders cannot guarantee everything, but good ones do all the testing available.
NUMBERED and LETTERED TESTING RESULTS CAN BE FOUND ON THE (OFA .Org.)WEBSITE.
The most common causes of early canine death include Cancer, Gastrointestinal and Heart.
There are several Health Clearances that are important when making your decision to work with a breeder in selecting your new family member. Each breed has some health concerns and there are general health clearances for every breed.
Conscientious GSP breeders routinely screen all their breeding stock for the following:
1. Hips and/or Elbows through the Orthopedic Foundation Association (OFA.Org)
Qualifying letters in the middle of the numbers are:
Hips - (E) Excellent (G) Good (F) Fair
Elbows Normal
If the qualifying letter is missing, the dog did not pass this test.
2. Cardiac Disease through a Board Certified Canine Cardiologist Result - Normal
3. Cerf. (Cataracts etc.eye test)through a Board Certified Canine Ophthalmologist. Result - Normal
Cerf. Is only good for one year as dog’s eyes, like humans change. Result - Normal
As dogs age, they may not pass this test.
4. Thyroid – Normal, Blood Panel through individual Veterinarians
5. Cone Degeneration (CD) (eyes) – Blood work sent from local veterinarian to the Optigen Clinic for screening in Ithaca, NY. A certificate of (Normal), (Carrier) or (Effected) will be issued and forwarded to OFA for posting.
6. LD immune problem - causing puppies to loose all their hair that does not return. A certificate of (Normal), (Carrier) or (Effected) will be issued and forwarded to OFA for posting.
Breeders often won’t know about seizures or epilepsy or some allergies because they usually don’t manifest until the dog is mature, but these problems can occur in dogs as young as one year. Certain bloodlines carry more than others. It helps greatly if…..Only mature dogs are bred! After dogs are tested for any of the above, paperwork can be submitted to the OFA database or kept in the breeding files of the owner. For a fee, OFA adds each clearance to their records for each dog and it is published, so the public can use this database as a reference tool.
CHIC Numbers.
“A CHIC number is issued when test results are entered into the OFA database satisfying each breed specific requirement, and when the owner of the dog has opted to release the results into the public domain. The CHIC number itself does not imply normal test results, only that all the required breed specific tests were performed and the results made publicly available”.
Example: a dog may have a number for a hip x-ray that shows that dog to be dysplastic but the breeder has done the test and has opted to put it on the OFA site.
See the CHIC section of the OFA website for full details. Follow up by checking each health area provided by the OFA website and then asking questions from the breeders.
Temperament and behavior problems, aggressive behavior toward other dogs, cats or humans are affecting a significant number of GSPs. Per the GSP Journal Health Survey published in March 2007 this had risen to 13%. This is higher than any of the health problems! Is it bad breeding, yes, sometimes it is! Can it be environmental, after leaving the litter i.e., lack of socialization by the new owners, yes, that should be considered too. But, genetics must always be considered the most important factor.
It is a California State law that puppies cannot be sold until they are EIGHT WEEKS. Good breeders have been doing this before for years but now it is a mandate. It allows for healthier pups and more socialization among the littermates.