Several people contacted me recently for help finding springer spaniel puppies for late winter or early spring. I sent them to reliable breeders and feel good that hunters continue to make good, solid choices regarding gun dog selections.

I believe this is my tenth year with Gun Dog, and for the past decade I have written articles primarily about what to do--or more specifically, what to teach your dog to do.

So this time I decided to try something different--namely, what not to do regarding pup.

Do not get two puppies at the same time, thinking they will keep each other occupied. Two pups are far more than two times the work. Work with one at a time and you'll find that is enough. Additionally, two pups seem to help solidify negative behaviors, rather than encourage positive behaviors.

Finally, and this is huge, you want to be the number one thing in pup's life; a second pup as a daily sidekick precludes that.

Buy puppies produced from good field-bred parents, or at least from parents that you have seen hunt yourself. Even buying pups from field trial champions provides no guarantee, but it certainly increases your chances of having a good gun dog. If you buy a pup with no instinct to hunt, you're likely to be without a real hunting dog for another 14 years.

Do not take your children when you go to look at puppies. Here is something you can put in the bank; your youngsters will love whichever puppy you bring home. But if you take the kids along, they are just as likely to fall in love with a pup from a family of mutts that has not seen a bird in multiple generations, or the most timid puppy in the litter because they feel sorry for it. Needless to say, neither of these is a good gun dog prospect.

Do not select an oddball, or rare, breed just so your dog stands out from the crowd. Fact is, you often do not know what you are getting with the uncommon spaniel (and other) breeds. Breeds with very low numbers offer very little biological diversity, which does not bode well for your pup.

Do not allow time to pass without taking pup to the vet for a full checkup. Good breeders will allow a physical screening and often provide a refund or a new pup if problems exist (get it in writing), but it must be done right away.

Do not allow pup to take all day eating. Instead, provide pup 15 minutes, and then take any leftover food away from him. This teaches pup to eat when you want him to eat; it is a big time-saver, and it helps tremendously when traveling for family visits, hunting, testing or field trial trips. Most importantly, it keeps pup from becoming a picky eater, which is a waste of time and can lead to unhealthy eating habits.