Thread: Dog breed advice??

There is a quote in the go-to book for training a pointer and setter by Derry Argue that always springs to mind when I hear people speak of puppy management - "I like to manage my puppies by keeping them unfit and naïve"

At first glance it sounds simple enough, but it basically sums it up. Unfit enough to not need a continuous physical outlet, and only exposing them to the positive things you want them to - the value of a kennel and run. In fact the greatest benefits of a kennel are psychological and are far above the convenience of the actual physical containment.

In the last few years I've come to know quite well a person who would be the top handler currently in P&S trials. What was a revelation to me was her kennel management with a large (for NZ) kennel of dogs. All I can say on the matter after seeing her methods is that it isn't the amount of time they are given, its the quality of time given at the correct moments in a dogs life. That she can achieve the level of control she does over the amount of dogs she has, within the time constraints she has, was a real eye opener. Quality time, at the right time!