Male or Female?

For many, many years I had a bona-fide preference for the female.  I always had girls and if I wanted to do a breeding, I would take them to a stud owned by someone else.  But when I decided to breed Blue Picardies, I knew I was going to have to get my feet wet and buy my own male to use as a stud.  Well, the jokes on me because I've discovered that boys are wonderful too!  In fact, Flint, my primary stud is bar none the sweetest, most easy going dog to walk the earth.  I adore him.

So my advice to perspective puppy buyers is not to get too fixated on the sex you are choosing but instead to focus on the qualities of the dog you are looking for and finding the best match for your family and situation.  You would think that all people are looking for the same thing in a puppy, but that's far from the truth.  When I take a deposit on a puppy, I ask lots of questions of my buyer.  Why do you want a puppy?  Why a Blue Picardy Spaniel?  What qualities are you looking for in an adult dog?  Do you work at home?  Do you have children?  What ages?  Do you have other pets?  Have you had a dog before?

Some people put the emphasis on the way the dog will look--beauty is important to them.  (As it is to me and why I chose such a lovely breed).  For others, they want a really fun, really safe, easy going dog for their kids to grow up with.  Some are looking for dogs to train for hunting.  Others are interested in a high-spirited, fast thinking dog for agility or obedience work.  Some want the excellent nose to use in search and rescue operations.  Some want a super quiet, super sweet puppy that will be able to go into service work at elderly facilities or library reading programs for young children.  Some want a constant companion who is funny and light hearted and a real character and don't mind a little bit of strong will to work with.......so many, many choices.  I work with my puppies every single day and come to know them really well.  I see the quiet butterfly girl and the boisterous boy and the hunter's nose all develop and do my very best to match them to the perfect home.

And all that being said, I can only tell you what I have experienced with my own dogs between the sexes.  The males are usually a bit bigger and have that extra "glamour" gene.  They are sturdy and statuesque and handsome, with broader chests and wider heads.  My boys are usually much less challenging to train and more likely to comply the first time I ask them to do something.  They are very, very sweet and affectionate and tolerant.  With the boys, a grumble is usually all you hear to get a situation handled.  They are goofy and fun loving and like a good roll in the green grass and the morning dew.  And they are equally content lying on the concrete or up on the canvas dog bed.

My girls are a bit more incorrigible.  They like to mix up the waters a bit.  They take some stronger boundaries at times because they want to be involved in everything, and think they have some input.  My females, especially the ones who have been mothers, tend to be a bit bossy and might revert to a stare down or a snap to get their point across to a younger dog.  Then all is forgiven and we move on--as long as it is clearly understood that they are in charge!  They are sharp and loyal and watchful, quick to pick things up and just as affectionate.  But the girls are more likely to paw at you if you stop petting them or "talk" to you in their excitement to get their point across.  Females are smaller and lighter in build but just as lovely in a softer, feminine way.  And they will always choose the best spots, like the princess on the pillow!

Both males and females are beautiful dogs; they are both affectionate and playful and bond with their owners.  Both are great with kids.  Both are athletic and love to run.  Both are sweet and love to snuggle.
Both can have personality plus.  Just like us, each brings their own uniqueness to life.

The variety within the breed

It always fascinates me to see the variety within the purebred dog.  Granted, over years of breeding you do develop a "look" that is recognized as the specific breed.  But many people forget that to create that look and "pure breed"; you had to combine a variety of breeds to get it!  So at heart, all purebreds are mixtures and this lends to variety of types within each pure breed.

And the Blue Picardy is not different.  The three main breeds used to create the Blue Picardy Spaniel are the French Spaniel, the English Setter and the Gordon Setter.  The French Spaniel is mainly a flushing dog, they are very heavy bodied and built low to the ground.  They have thick, heavy ears and a longer coat like most spaniels, and love the water.  The English Setter is a pointing breed, much longer and leaner and lighter in body with much less coat and boundless energy.  The Gordon Setter is bigger than the English and heavier in build.  They have the longest legs and height, are also bred to point, and have great stamina.
All three breeds are friendly, athletic, eager to please, and have great noses!  So these three breeds have combined to bring their best traits to the Blue Picardy.  The Blues have incredible noses and great stamina.  They are long and lean and can cover ground quickly.  They are a dual hunter, in that they will point the birds, but also are extremely willing to flush and retrieve both on land and water.

In my research and experience, there tends to be two main varieties that show up and they each favor in turn the spaniel or the setter.  The look I prefer and am breeding toward has more setter characteristics.  These dogs have shorter coats with less fringy hair--just a touch on the legs and ears.  They have full, long muzzles and long necks and bodies-giving them a wonderful elegance.  I prefer the darker, almond shaped eye and longer legs.  The body should be slightly long in relation to the legs and perceived as rectangular over square when viewed from the side profile.  Some have heavier features like the Gordon Setter and some slimmer like the English Setter, but in both the heads are smooth and elongated.

The other type is more spaniel in appearance.  These dogs are smaller and have more coat and fringe especially on the chest and ears.  They also tend to have a lighter eye going towards golden sometimes and a sag to the eye lids-again, reminiscent to the spaniel heritage.  The heads tend to be a bit blockier and more square with a wider, bonier skull.  Some of the dogs I have found in France actually resemble a large Cocker Spaniel to me more than the proper Blue Picardy!  These dogs can have the proper outline, but slightly shorter legs and a much heavier body, and bigger features-wider heads, bigger feet.

The consistencies in both types are in temperment and energy.  All the Blues have sweet, devoted personalities, and a softness to their nature.  All of them are good, sturdy physical specimens that can play for hours on end.  The coats, whether short or with a longer fringe, are still soft and silky to the touch even as adults.  And the coat coloring is consistent, beginning at birth with pure white and black and softening as they age to black with silver tipping.

And while it is nice to have a preference in type, with such a rare breed, you cannot limit yourself to one line or kennel.  Instead you have to find the animals that produce the look you are seeking even though they themselves may not have the perfect look.  As a breeder I am always striving towards a picture of what I am developing without sacrificing things I want to maintain.  Or abusing the breed by randomly breeding without a thought to a vision and a program.  And it is also why as a breeder, I ask for my puppy owners to sign an agreement to neuter.  Breeding is a big responsibility and takes education and commitment.  You have to be willing to spay/neuter an animal that isn't producing the traits you want even if it is a sentimental favorite or you've invested in buying/rearing the animal to breeding age.  I personally will not sell a puppy to be bred unless it is an animal I feel is worthy of breeding and contributing to the line and the perspective owner shows me that they understand and wish to undertake the responsibility of learning about the breed and making the tough decisions.

No matter the best of intentions and plans, Mother Nature still has the final call in any breeding!  But it's a sweet, sweet feeling to have studied pedigrees and heritage; chosen your foundation stock;  reared them to healthy adults; planned for a breeding and successfully whelped a litter of lovely puppies.  Watching them grow into beloved pets and beautiful animals is so fulfilling.  And that's why I hope this blog is successful in documenting this process!

Why A Blue Picardy Spaniel?

I get asked this question so much!  How ever did I find a Blue Picardy and why did I choose one?  I have had a very long love affair with dogs and have worked with many breeds-mostly working and herding.  I have always been attracted to beautiful dogs, but dogs that were intelligent and fun to train and watch move.  It's one of my most favorite things to take my dogs out early and watch them running the fields in the early morning mist--such a fascinating scene of poetry in motion to me.

My family had just said good bye to our Portuguese Water Dog after a long and happy life and I wanted a pup for my then nine year old son.  At that time, I was married and the only dog my husband and I could ever agree on was an English Setter.  I love sleek, beautiful dogs and he preferred scruffy, rough lookers.  But somehow, we both liked the English.  My research on the breed wasn't surprising:  the "show" English were beautiful but lacked sound bodies and minds and were too large....in the 90 pound range.  The "field" setters were sound physically and smaller, but lacked the beauty I wanted and were too intense on hunting to make the companion I was seeking for my son.  I wanted a beautiful dog, middle sized, easy to train, lovable, athletic and sweet.  I wanted a "safe" dog for my son's first dog of his very own-nothing with aggression or too hyper.  And I wanted a breed that hadn't been ruined with poor breeding policies or that had gained such popularity that again, the breed had suffered from being bred for profit only.

So I spent many, many hours at the library looking at rare breed dog books and happened upon the Blue Picardy Spaniel.  From the photograph and the description, it was exactly what I was looking for. But when I started to research for breeders and puppies online I quickly saw that it wasn't going to be easy to get one!  I didn't want to spend years on a waiting list!  But good things always seem to line up for me concerning these dogs and I found a breeder in Canada who happened to have a litter right then and available pups!  I was on the plane toot sweet and brought home our first Blue Picardy Spaniel.  I still have such a vivid memory of placing that sleepy puppy into the waiting arms of my sleepy son and knew I had made the perfect choice as they melted into one another!

I've never been disappointed.  The Blue Picardy Spaniel has proven to be extremely sweet and tolerant of kid energy.  Easy to train because they bond so tightly to their humans and want to please.  Beautiful to look at, nothing too fancy and overdone, but a natural beauty and elegance I really enjoy.  Easy care coats, and a nice medium size, (my biggest dog has been about 68 pounds and most are in the 55 pound area).  And extremely adaptable and easy to live with.  They love to retrieve in water and on land, swim, hike, chase birds at the park, snuggle up with you as you read or follow the kids around hoping for a crumb....they just jump on board with whatever is going on.  They have a very uplifting attitude and are a happy, joyful presence in the house.  They love activity and games and are great for people who do obedience or agility work.  They get along well with all the other critters and people and have enough of a natural instinct that people are very happy with training them for hunting.  They are this incredible mixture of powerful, athletic body and sweet, gentle soul.  Amazing.

THAT'S why a Blue Picardy Spaniel.

The Beginning: He-e-e-r-e We Go!

Hi Puppy Owners and Hugs to the Pups!

I have been the lucky recipient of such wonderful stories and photos about your puppies that I decided to try and create a blog page where all my puppy owners can link in and share.  When you bring home that new member of the family I think it's nice to have a forum to share.  And nice to have a place to find support when going through some stages-like the teenage stage!  We can all discover together how this breed develops and what makes it so special.

It's amazing how this growing community is finding each other and gaining such a momentum all on its own.....I thought it would be fun to have a place to learn about your pup, your pup's litter mates, coming litters and the breed in general  as well as to provide a little bit more information for people trying to find out about this rare breed.  We now have grown adults, a litter of teenagers at 17 months; a litter at 6 months and a litter at 4 months.  I'm learning as I go along and really appreciate your helpful comments!