Making a new pup feel secure is of paramount importance.

Puppies are cute and adorable, and a gun dog puppy just might be the answer to your prayers to become a super-hunter, a “legend” among your friends. Well…

Assuredly, that could be true. Remember, though, that puppies are not puppies for very long, and a lot of things must happen before pup becomes the gun dog that will elevate your status to legendary.

A puppy can become the dog of your dreams, but getting a gun dog puppy is an adventure and a challenge. Getting a puppy should not be undertaken lightly, because getting a puppy is a serious commitment.

The obvious commitments to puppies includes: lifetime quality food and shelter, plus lifetime quality health care, including all necessary shots, boosters and other preventative medicines such as heartworm pills. The obvious commitment also includes keeping pup safe, and providing him/her with a given amount of attention.

Spaniels are “people” dogs. You will likely get the best gun dog from a spaniel that is also your pet. That does not mean that pup should sleep in bed with you, be fed from the table or be allowed to ignore commands or rules. Pup should know throughout his life that he is part of the family.

Your pup is going to be a gun dog, though, and while his ability might not raise your status to legendary, you certainly want pup to have enough ability and training to complement your hunt, as well as be a pleasure to hunt with.

Hunters buying a puppy as a hunting dog also have a commitment to obedience train pup, train him to retrieve and expose him to water, woods and fields, as well as to guns and birds.

You should plan on providing pup with 15 to 20 minutes of training time five days a week for a year, and if you make good on this commitment, you can honestly expect to have an excellent gun dog for years to come. Fact is, gun dogs love training sessions, and they love hunting birds.

I want my gun dogs to be good companions and pets, and good neighbors to others. An aggressive dog or a sneaky dog that might bite a youngster, visitor or friend is unsatisfactory, and I will not keep such a dog. Proper socialization is important.

Both English springer spaniels and English cocker spaniels were divided years ago into two types: show bred and field bred dogs. Both types have their place, but getting a good gun dog can be dicey enough without buying the wrong type of dog; hunters should only buy field-bred spaniels.

Minimally, pup’s parents should be active hunting dogs and you should see one or both of them work. If pup’s parents are involved with hunt tests (earning, at least, a Senior title; a Junior title shows little) and/or field trials you have probably increased your chances of having a dog that’s good in the field.

Do not take your wife to look at puppies unless she is a serious bird hunter. Do not take your youngster(s) to look at puppies under any circumstances. Spouses (generally) and youngsters (always) will love whatever puppy you bring home. Don’t take them to look at puppies and risk getting forced into taking a pup home that will not provide you with the absolute best chance to have a good gun dog.

Take note; in the last sentence I used the term “best chance” related to getting a good gun dog. There is no guarantee of getting a good gun dog when selecting a pup, though spending a lot of time with pup goes a long way toward ensuring a good one.