Every fall I get an up tick in web traffic and contacts about hunting dogs.  Folks have either waited too long to find their hunting companion or are realizing their best gun dog is ancient and not as much fun to hunt with any more.

Now is maybe the best time to go "shopping" for your next pup.  You may "need" a dog now, but it's certainly not urgent so...  Find a good breeder.  One who is breeding the kind of pups you like to hunt over.  Do it now and get a deposit down for next-year's pup.  Do it while you have TIME to make a good decision. 

Although I'd like to believe my pups were perfect for everyone, I know it's not the case.  Better to figure that out now than when there are pictures of cute pups on the site.  Here's a cute picture of a pup:



But he's not available, so you can go back to rational thoughts.

This guy isn't available either:



See how much easier it is to pick a breeder now?  Here's what they look like at eight weeks:



My point is when you take the emotion out of the situation and the puppy cuteness out of it, then you are concentrating on a breeder who you like and trust and who is producing dogs that you like.

We'll have at least one litter of GSP's next year, probably two.  So will a lot of other folks so, if you are in the market for a pup next year, find it now.  If you have to have a girl, or a solid head or black color the best way to get that is to put your money down early and wait for your pup to be born.  Too many folks try to wait to see if the last pup available is going to meet their wants and it's backwards.