Gundogs Q&A

No problem goes unsolved as Sporting Gun puts your questions to the gundog experts

Double trouble

I am getting my first cocker spaniel pup next week and the breeder has suggested that I should get two at the same time so they will keep each other company and make training easier. Is this the right thing to do?

Fran Ardley says: Many professional trainers may well keep a couple of pups from a litter so they can 'run them on' to see what their potential may be, but for the novice owner I would strongly advise against it. The main problem is that if you get litter siblings, they will tend to bond to each other rather than you, and this can certainly make training far more problematic. Training one dog can take a lot of time and there are many pitfalls that you will experience along the way, so I would just buy the one and get some expert advice so that you can concentrate on producing the best dog you can.

Best in line

I recently read an article that argued cross-bred dogs are better than pedigree gundogs in that they are less prone to suffer hereditary illnesses and are generally fitter. Does this mean we no longer need to follow selective breeding regimes anymore?

Fran Ardley says: The fact is the best way to avoid hereditary illnesses is to be able to trace back and check that a dog's ancestors have been tested for different illnesses and shown to be clear. With a cross-breed there is no way you can verify that what you are told is truthful. For example, if you breed a labrador bitch with very poor hips to a springer dog, there is a more than average chance the pups will have poor hips too.

Tapeworm terror

Why are dogs returning from Europe required to be treated for tapeworms?