07/10/2025
What exactly goes into a dog who should be considered for breeding? Do breeders truly make money building a breeding program like some folks believe is their only motive?
Those letters throughout a pedigree do more than give an indication of what can be produced. It also shows the time, the dedication, and the money spent for the breeder, and breeders before them, to collect evidence on a dog worth breeding.
Developing a competitive field trial dog requires countless birds; in other words, a LOT of dollars put into arguably the most necessary tool to create perfection. It requires repetition in the competitive setting of a field trial. That’s $300 a weekend per dog, often ran on a circuit with a trial every weekend in a different state for the fall and spring season. Entry fees, fuel, lodging, and food add up.
Developing a competitive field trial dog comes with heartache. A breeder who is devoted to developing a top-tier breeding program will scrutinize every dog in front of them. They purchase potential and often the dog doesn’t hold the talent required to succeed in the sport of field trialing. Now they’ve got a dog they poured their heart and money into who needs a new home. It’s never easy to sell a personal dog (at least for me).
Developing a competitive field trial dog requires patience. It takes a minimum two years to see if the dog in front of you has what it takes to succeed. It can take a lot of trials to see those ribbons. Even the best dog can have circumstances out of the handler’s control that keep them out of the placements. Damn near every dog on that running order is running at perfection and the competition is always neck-and-neck.
So do breeders truly make money like the general public believes? It’s debatable. What is true is that these breeders put their heart and soul, everything they have, into their dogs. So do your research, know the dogs, and when you’re thinking “wow that puppy/started dog price is awful high” keep in mind what all has gone into that animal.
📸: Steve Earley
