BuyingAdvie

CONTENTS

Advie Update
All the latest news

"PEDIGREE DOGS EXPOSED"

If you didn't see the documentary on BBC1 TV about The Kennel Club and pedigree dogs, you can do so now by buying the DVD. Just go to this site:

http://www.passionateproductions.co.uk/

A shocking exposé of one of the greatest animal welfare scandals of our time

Two years in the making, Pedigree Dogs Exposed lifts the lid on the extent of health and welfare problems in pedigree dogs, caused by decades of inbreeding and breeding primarily for "beauty" rather than health and function. Supported by strong testimony from top experts, the film argues that, without radical reform, many of our best-loved breeds face extinction.

But what was not covered by the film is the parallel nonsense of SOME field trials where the judges are unable to read canine behaviour so have to apply "fancy points" -- oops! Sorry, I should have said "Eliminating Faults". I have explained what goes on in the page about Field Trials where no criticisms or whistle blowing will be entertained. Anyone doing so will find that they do not get many wins or even runs in trials. Most of the serious gundog people have now given up on UK pointer and setter field trials as they are just a joke. Some still attend and tolerate the nonsense because it gives them a chance to run their dogs on well stocked grouse moors after the trial. The saddest thing is that these field trials are now a social gathering with very little to do with dogs at all!

I seriously suspect that The Kennel Club finds working dogs an embarrassment. Here are the published breed standards and here are the KC approved judges tell us what a dog should look like to perform the function they have been bred for -- except they can't do it! Then along come a heap of dogs that would never win a KC show and do the job as it is supposed to be done!

Aza is now (1/9/08) ten months old and desperately wanting to meet a burglar! Any volunteers? She is, of course, a working German Shepherd and she has very little to do with those poor wretched creatures shown in "Pedigree Dogs Exposed". The poor GSDs in that film could barely walk, let alone do the work they should have been bred to do.

"Working Dogs" are in the news these days. There was a piece on BBC TV's Country File recently which discussed various "working" breeds considered under threat and another on Radio4 about Gordon setters which are low in numbers.

Unfortunately, both reports were misleading in that they showed representative working breeds that are "working" in name only. The dogs were the show variety of working breeds. Nobody seriously interested in a dog for work would acquire one on the basis of Kennel Club registration alone. The Kennel Club is mainly concerned with the showing of dogs (and to a lesser extent with field trialing) and both show and working versions of the same breed are registered without any differentiation on the same register. So, let the buyer beware!

New girl:

Aza update (3/5/08): Aza, left, is now four and a half months old. What a difference a month makes! See her previous picture (below). She is now A DOG!

She has been taught to bark if she wants to go out and if I am slow letting her in again, she opens the door herself! She is, of course, perfectly house trained. She barks on command, bites softly when told, Seizes hold on command, Releases on command, Leaves (i.e. breaks off an attack) on command, Sits (on her haunches) and Downs (flat down) on command, goes into her box when told, goes into her kennel when told, stops barking when told, comes immediately to call....Hmm. Have I forgotten anything? She is also a charming, intelligent, and delightful companion. The only problem is, she answers the telephone with a Czech accent but we are working on that <g>. Meanwhile she defends me from vacuum cleaners and polythene bags blowing in the wind with great courage and determination! It makes a change to hope that a burglar would be foolish enough to try to break in so your dog can get in some practice! Believe me, she is a different dog if she suspects an intruder is about!

(Aza, left) I have always wanted to train a German Shepherd but, rightly or wrongly, have been nervous of acquiring one from UK Kennel Club registered stock. "Aza", born on the 11th December 2007, is the latest addition to my household. And I do mean household!

(Aza's mother, left)

Yes, I have deviated from a life long rule and finally got a dog in the house! Bred from top Eastern European working lines (border guard dogs from the communist era), "Aza" house trained herself in 24 hours and is a great joy. She accompanies me everywhere and will be trained for man work, so please make an appointment before calling!

The latest news is that "Aza" has worked out (at three months!) that she can negotiate the electric fence (4,500 volts) by squeezing between the insulators and end post. She barks on command, knows her box, asks to go out when she wants, and (oh dear!) has discovered that hens lay eggs and where they lay them. She also chases the hens out of the barn and "leaves" on command. She will also stalk the sheep but, again, comes away immediately on command. I cannot understand why anyone would even think of using an electric collar on one of these dogs, they clearly do not understand much about dog training.

For those interested in German Shepherds, Aza's mother's pedigree and pictures is at http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/487788.html

and her father's pedigree is at

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/pedigree/433444.html

A film clip of the father working can be found at the following link (be aware that the trial shown is in Poland).

casup15 sonberg.wmv

NEW! All falconry and Highland pony related material is now on its own page as things were getting a bit confused here! The links are on the left.

Stop Press: SOLD

The latest litter of pointer puppies was born on the 9th March 2007 and is out of a very good looking daughter of "Paco", sired again by "Ben" -- see below for Ben's picture. Photos of the pups to be posted shortly. Black-and-whites and orange-and-whites. Dogs and bitches. If you are interested, contact me using the gundog enquiry form. Photographs of these pups now added. If I get an exceptional litter of pups or they are off valuable lines, I'll run them on. ALL NOW SOLD or retained for my breeding program.

Left: "Ben" - sire of the pups. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Ben's pups below: ALL NOW SOLD

Accompanied dogs for export:

Some clients have expressed a wish to call and collect a pup. This can be done but there are various regulations which must be complied with. Firstly, I run a closed kennel which means that no dogs are inoculated until they leave the kennel. Inoculations take at least 14 days. Officially, dogs destined for export need to have an government Export Certificate, microchip, international veterinary certificate, plus a specially designed travelling kennel. These arrangements take time so you probably need to make your choice before arriving in Scotland. However, following recent discussions with my shipping agents, it may be possible for a purchaser to come to Scotland and take a dog home as "excess baggage" on a budget flight. Please ask your airline if this can be done. In exceptional circumstances, we can arrange for a courier to travel with the dog and delivery it to you personally. These methods could be a lot cheaper than shipping a live dog unaccompanied as freight. But then if you wanted "cheap", would you be buying an Advie pointer?

Enquiries for puppies will be dealt with on merit, so you need to complete the dog enquiry form if you are interested (click here). Enquirers will need to convince me that they can give the pup a good working home and that they have the knowledge and experience to train and work a high class English pointer , so it is in your own interests to complete the form fully.

Please note that I do not sell dogs over the telephone and refuse to discuss prospective sales with callers! If you want to enquire about dogs or puppies for sale, use the Dog Enquiry Form.

If you want to ask a question about training, contact Derry Argue (or anything EXCEPT to enquire about buying a dog) please use the Message Form.

The most recent postings on this page start from the top.

Want to generate your own pedigrees? Try this site (it's free!) http://www.pedigreequery.com/generator/

Click on pictures to enlarge them!

Buying Dogs

What do they cost? Pointer pups start at around 600GBP ex-kennels. I no longer sell trained or part trained dogs. These are rough guide prices and individual dogs may be cheaper or more expensive. I do not sell dogs I would not be happy to keep myself. Please bear in mind that I breed and keep dogs for my own hunting pleasure. I do not breed to sell.

To access a currency conversion calculator on line go to http://www.xe.net/ucc/

What should I buy? A pup, started dog, or fully trained dog? A pup will adapt to the way you live than an older dog but you will still have to raise and train it. All Advie pups are farm raised which gives them an excellent basis for making a good hunting dog but does not necessarily equip them to become a family pet that lives in the house. Started dogs are hand trained and know about game. Their experience and degree of finish depends on how far their training has progressed. If you take on a started dog you are assumed to possess the knowledge to complete the training. Trained dogs are expensive and not offered for sale very often. It is giving a dog the correct experience to complete the training which takes the time. And as we all know, time costs money.

When is the best time to buy a dog? Most people want to buy a puppy or a new dog in the spring, probably because they then have the summer to get to know the dog and complete any training required before the hunting season in the autumn/fall. But because everyone tends to want the same things, it might be better to go for a new dog later in the year -- you will have a wider choice. Because the winters in Scotland can be severe, we tend to avoid having pups too early in the year. Now that we have bob white quail to train on, training does not depend on whether wild game will lie to a point (usually when they are pairing in the spring or have broods in late summer) so timing is no longer so critical.

Warranties: My dogs are warranted to make good working gundogs given sensible informed rearing, handling and training. I do not breed from any dogs which are in the least suspect, select hard on working ability, and ruthlessly cull those which do not measure up to my own high standards. This is the way I have bred my dogs for the last thirty years and why sportsmen in over 25 countries world-wide have invested in Advie gundogs.

A Health Warning: It has recently come to my attention that certain unscrupulous breeders are using my kennel name "Advie" when naming the puppies they breed. You should know that it requires both a male and a female to produce puppies! No matter how good my dogs may be, they cannot correct the faults in the dogs they are bred to. Nor will anyone consistently breed good dogs simply by matching pedigrees. I have been breeding my pointers for over thirty years and it takes experience to know which matings will produce good dogs and which will not. If you think you can cut corners by going to a breeder riding on my coat tails, I wish you the best of luck!

Dogs at Stud: As a general rule, I do not allow my dogs to be used for breeding outside my own kennel within the UK. However, I may allow my pointers to be used on approved bitches and if so puppies from these matings will be advertised here. Within the UK, dogs bred from 100% Advie lines are only available direct from my own kennel.

Buying a gundog in the UK: The British Isles and Ireland still has some of the finest gundogs that the world has to offer. However, I have selectively linebred my own dogs because I have yet to find better dogs for general hunting outside my own kennel. If you are considering buying a gundog from the UK I would say, go ahead but use your intelligence to make proper enquiries-- and be careful!

If you decide on a dog from Advie Gundogs, you have probably done your research, know about dogs and have seen them in our videos or visited Miller's Place. You have exercised good judgment in coming to a kennel with an established track record established over several decades. You won't get the hard sell and a lot of enquirers get turned away simply because they cannot offer the dog a good working home or demonstrate that have no idea what it is all about. The welfare of our dogs is the first priority.

Caveat Emptor (That's Latin for "Let the buyer beware!"): First, you ought to be aware that the majority of pedigree gundogs bred in the UK will be registered with The Kennel Club in London. This registry makes no differentiation between working dogs and show dogs.

As an example of what can happen, I had some correspondence with a Greek sportsman who complained that he had not had much success with British dogs. My further enquiries revealed that he had imported four dogs from Britain from four separate show kennels! He had not done that essential research. Show dogs will not give satisfaction as workers under demanding conditions.

Designations: Avoid dogs with the letters "Champion" or "SH Champion" in a UK pedigree. These are show dogs. Having said that, some imported dogs may have the prefix "Ch" when that might mean a field champion, but equally it might not. Confusing, isn't it? Field trial dogs will have FTCh (Field Trial Champion) or maybe FTW (Field Trial Winner) in the pedigree. Frankly, FTW could mean anything. But, best of all, use your intelligence and make enquiries. You won't find any show breeding in Advie dogs.

Next, a Kennel Club Working Gundog Certificate is meaningless. It is not worth the paper it is written on. All the dog has to do is to acknowledge game and make a pretence of being able to work. I keep repeating the quotation from Arkwright's book about the New Forest pig that was taught to find and point partridges within fourteen days. If that pig had been registered as a gundog with the KC, it would easily have qualified for a Working Gundog Certificate! (Heck, these days it might even win a field trial!). Many owners of show dogs claim their dogs work, as I am sure they do. It is a question of how you define the work of a pointing dog and what standard of work you require.

Field trial awards are no guarantee. As I stated earlier, I have seen over forty dogs "tested" at a British field trial in approximately two hours. I have seen a dog win a stake with less than ten minutes actual running time. I have seen judges who did not know the rules, who do not understand dogwork, and who just seem unable to judge the item on the other end of the lead. I do not say that they are dishonest but the alternative explanation is probably even worse!

Remember that buying a dog is like acquiring a wife or husband or having a child. There is no guarantee that the union will succeed. As I repeat again and again, a dog is not a TV set or a washing machine. It is only one half of a working partnership. A dog is not built to a specification and there are no guarantees. Sure, I can guarantee my dogs, but can you guarantee your ownership, training, and subsequent handling? If you cannot drive a Ford Escort, buying a Ferrari or a Rolls Royce will not help you.

On the other hand, if you are a reasonably good trainer, buying a dog that has been carefully bred for work over centuries, has all the right instincts, and has been correctly reared from day one, is probably going to be the best decision you ever made. The experience of owning and working a top grade gundog is going to give you the thrill of a lifetime. Short of owning and riding your own racehorse or hunting your own pack of hounds, I can think of few things which can give the same thrill with fewer frustrations. Quality does not cost, it pays!

Shipping Dogs abroad - the facts:

Advie Gundogs will no longer be exported to the USA. I am sorry about this but I have experienced too many problems.

We do not ship puppies until they are at least ten weeks old. Live dogs are only accepted by the airlines for transport if they are kenneled in a crate that conforms to the IATA Mandatory Regulations for that dog, i.e. the box should be made to measure for that dog. We have been making up these boxes and have shipped our own dogs world-wide for more than twenty five years.

The airline will require a veterinary certificate issued within 48 hours of traveling stating that the dog is free from signs and symptoms of disease and is fit to travel.

We drafted a veterinary certificate for the airlines which includes the measurements of the dog as detailed by the IATA Regulations. As some owners shipping a live dog have found this useful, you can download and print a copy free of charge by going to international vet certificate for travel by air.

Import Regulations?
What are the import regulations of your country? These vary and can be very strict. Get it wrong and the dog may be turned back. We find out what these are for you and make all the necessary arrangements.

Puppies and dogs are shipped inoculated against Hardpad, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus and Hepatitis and this is included in the ex-kennel price. Our dogs at Advie Gundogs are NOT inoculated as a matter of course. Instead, we maintain a "closed kennel" - no other dogs are permitted on the premises.

Links:

The International Air Transport Association regulatory details on transporting live dogs. Click on the thumb nails to expand them.

Shipping Costs:
We have to levy a non-negotiable standard shipping charge of 300GBP (approximately 600USD) on all dogs we export . This charge covers the following costs:

vet certificates for the airline and importing authorities (50GBP),
making up the travelling kennel to IATA regulations (60GBP),
Ministry of Agriculture Export Certificate (no charge),
delivery to airport (0.50GBP per mile for actual mileage),
miscellaneous documentation (no charge),
shots/vaccinations (45GBP),
Kennel Club registration (12GBP),
Kennel Club Export Pedigree (50GBP),
Kennel Club Transfer of Registration (12GBP),
telephone, mail, time, etc.
Air freight charges are added to this AT ACTUAL COST. We charge the purchaser the cost of the air freight as soon as it is known to us.

So, the total cost to you = Purchase price ex-kennels + shipping charge £300 + air freight at cost.

These terms are not negotiable. If you consider buying from another kennel, check the costs of using a professional shipper before you buy.

Ownership of the dog passes when the full account has been paid. If there has been no payment, it may be sold to another purchaser without notice. We may agree to hold a dog on request at owner's risk but reserve the right to charge a fee for boarding etc. Sometimes it takes quite a long time to get all the registration papers through (our KC is notoriously slow) -- but you will get them eventually!. These papers will allow you to register your dog with most kennel authorities world-wide. If you do NOT require registrations, the price will be reduced .

Accompanied dogs - the cheapest way to transport a dog is as "excess baggage" but you are advised to enquire well in advance of your visit. It could take weeks to get the correct documentation and at least seven days to make up a box to IATA Regulations. So please don't assume that you can do "cash and carry". Where our dogs are concerned, we won't take chances.

The Bottom Line: The welfare of my dogs will always be the over-riding consideration. If in doubt, I just won't sell!

Advie Gundogs
Miller's Place, Fendom
Tain, Easter Ross IV19 1PE
Scotland UK

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