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So, You Think You Want to Become a Dog Breeder?

If you think breeding and raising gun dogs is all puppy kisses and playtime, there's much more than meets the eye.

So, You Think You Want to Become a Dog Breeder?

Becoming a bird dog breeder may not be as easy as it seems. (Photo By: Alex Rafoss)

They say every dog owner gets a once-in-a-lifetime dog—that perfect pet, faithful friend, and solid hunting companion. For us bird dog owners, it’s likely an unforgettable canine counterpart that was a champion in the field with an impeccable prey drive, was easy to train, and still a loyal and loveable companion at home for the entire family. If you currently have or have had that dog, consider yourself lucky. If you haven’t yet, you’re in for a real treat.

It’s often this notion of yearning to have another perfect dog that makes us consider breeding our dog or, taking things a step further, becoming a dog breeder when we really feel like we’ve struck gun dog gold. No matter what your motivations are for wanting to pass on the pedigree of a great dog, and while there may be good cause, becoming a bona fide gun dog breeder is not as simple as it may seem.

german shorthaired pointer puppy with hunting gear
There is much more to breeding bird dogs than puppy kisses and playtime. (Photo By: Alex Rafoss)

Born and Raised 

Jonn Rafoss grew up in the Green Mountains of Vermont and began bird hunting as a kid with his father. German shorthaired pointers (GSP) were the breed of choice in their home where the dogs were both members of the family and active hunting companions. Rafoss has always been attracted to the breed’s hunting ability, versatility, and personality. He later went off to college for a few bird-less years, but upon returning home got back into GSPs.  

Rafoss had a female shorthair that he admired and wanted to have another female out of her, like many others, to have that same dog all over again, so he took up an interest in breeding. He became passionate about the entire process from studying pedigrees, to understanding the differences between lineages, and he wanted to learn how to bring out the best in the next generation of hunting dogs.


german shorthaired pointer dogs with ruffed grouse
Jonn Rafoss finds the German shorthaired pointer to be the right breed for him as a capable hunter but also an ideal family pet. (Photos By: Jonn Rafoss)

What started as a small personal quest to build the ideal bird dog for himself has since evolved into his business, Paradise Hill Gun Dogs, a family-run operation in Troy, Vermont, that strives to breed bird dogs with a strong desire to hunt and be loyal members of the family and live long, healthy, active lives. Rafoss is proud of his progress and the dogs he is producing.

“Breeding dogs is a learning process,” Rafoss says, “and like anything else, you first need to learn why you’re doing it and what you can offer. My breeding program is focused on producing puppies for health, temperament, and hunting ability. I am constantly getting honest feedback from people who have my puppies and I take that to make the tweaks I need to continue producing dogs that work well with the entire family.”

Bred for Success

Knowing what he wanted from his dogs in terms of hunting ability was the easy part. As a ruffed grouse and woodcock hunter in northern New England, he wanted a somewhat closer working dog that didn’t range too far out and had a good amount of drive along with an “off-switch” when inside the home. Rafoss agrees, and many would support the notion that much of the hunting function and ability of a pup comes with proper training. What quickly became one of the cornerstones of his breeding program though, was the health of his puppies.

“Once I had the drive plus the shut-off in these dogs, health became the most important piece,” Rafoss says. “Today’s mindset is much different from before, and nowadays, people are wanting a capable hunting dog but also an active member of their family. After starting a family of my own, I saw that desire as well, and because these families will have these dogs for a long time, I wanted my dogs to live long lives, and that begins with healthy puppies. Nothing is ever a 100 percent guarantee, but I’m looking for good genetics to start from. With genetics comes the potential to become a good hunting dog, family pet, and abundant health for their entire life.”


german shorthaired pointer water entry swimming
Hunting ability and temperament aside, Rafoss has made the health of his dogs a top priority to ensure they live long, happy lives with their new owners. (Photo By: Alex Rafoss)

To ensure due diligence to his dogs, Rafoss adheres to the recommended health screenings and testing from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), and their Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) program, specifically for the German shorthaired pointer breed. In addition to the more commonly associated health checks that most breeders provide, Rafoss takes things a few steps further with his puppies.

“Along with getting x-rays for hips and elbows from our local vet clinic, I take my dogs to an ophthalmologist, a board-certified cardiologist, and we also do genetic testing to look for cone degeneration,” explains Rafoss. “The CHIC program keeps us breeders appraised of any changes and new developments in the breed to keep an eye out for any potential issues. All of this information is available online, so a prospective puppy owner can do their own research when searching for a breeder.”

A Day in the Life of a Dog Breeder

Aside from breeding shorthairs, Rafoss is a full-time firefighter, a husband, a father of four—oh, and he’s currently building his family a new house. His wife jumps in to help on days when he is away, and his four children are also involved in sharing the responsibilities of raising puppies.

“I like to have my kids care for and play with my puppies. This helps the pups understand how to be handled and be comfortable around children.” says Rafoss.

All of this to say that breeding gun dogs is not an easy chore. There is a ton of time and effort that goes into doing it right, and it’s often way more than one person can handle alone. There’s always something to do, as Rafoss and his family can certainly attest to.

family handing german shorthaired pointer puppies
Raising puppies requires constant attention and often becomes an activity for the entire family. (Photo By: Alex Rafoss)

For anyone thinking about getting into breeding dogs, Rafoss provides some words of wisdom. “You need the right setup for puppies. I’ve got a whelping nest to keep them warm, a sanitization system to constantly keep them clean, and cameras for always checking on them.”

He advocates how as the pups get older and are weaned from their mother, you really need to be there for them. Rafoss explains how things can get dirty quickly when you have nine to ten puppies. That’s a lot of mess to clean up and can easily overwhelm a person. As the pups grow to seven to eight weeks of age, you have to take them outside and that can take up a lot of time. Even with family duties or general life fatigue, you can’t take a day off from caring for a litter of puppies.

But Wait—There’s More!

Apart from the obvious duties and attention that every gun dog in every home gets, Rafoss added there are many times where he and his family members will work with individual puppies.

“When they’re very young, 3-15 days old, I do bio-sensory training like flipping them over and ticking their toes. Each one you take individually and then go through the entire litter and that takes time. You need to think about how you plan to integrate that into your day. And that’s just the puppies, that doesn’t even account for the time I make to feed all of my dogs and care for and train my older dogs.”

Rafoss adds that staying connected with puppy owners is another important part of his operation. He is diligent about interacting with clients through email, calls, texts, and home visits. He believes that in addition to producing strong healthy dogs, a good breeder should pay attention to providing proper customer service and he thoroughly enjoys this aspect just as much as the dogs themselves.

“I keep in close contact with people who bring my puppies home and offer them helpful tips on training and development,” he adds. “For example, I may suggest to someone to work on a little place training, so their dog can properly meet new people that enter their home. Then I’ll hear from them a little later on that everything worked out, which lets me know these dogs are indeed turning out the way I’d expect a good bird dog to turn out.”

Along with being personally rewarding, this ongoing connection helps Rafoss to strengthen his breeding program. Helping these individuals become successful in their training process helps him become more successful by allowing him to discern what is a simple training issue and what is a genetic issue that needs to be addressed.

black and white german shorthaired pointer in front of fireplace
Rafoss prides himself on breeding puppies that grow up to have great temperaments and manners inside the home. (Photo By: Alex Rafoss)

For All the Right Reasons

If you’re thinking about becoming a dog breeder, Rafoss encourages anyone to ask themselves why they want to do it.

“To be a good breeder, you have to really love the breed because you’re going to spend a lot of time engulfed in it. You can’t fake being a good breeder, you’ll get weeded out quickly. It’s rewarding but very time consuming. If you try to do it for the wrong reasons, you’ll burn out quickly and you won’t produce anything good.”

He stresses that in addition to raising puppies there’s also health testing, customer service, training, equipment and property maintenance, and so much more, the actual breeding is only a part of the entire program and overall time commitment.

“Every day I need to find time to be with the dogs, care for them, and train them,” Rafoss says. “I’m always looking for opportunities to develop their minds and bring out their patience. Every single day these dogs are part of my day. They are part of our family and need to be interacted with, especially these shorthairs, they want to be involved, so we make them a part of everything we’re doing.”

black and white german shorthaired pointer puppies in a wicker basket
Breeding gun dogs can be very rewarding when done for the right reasons. (Photo By: Alex Rafoss)
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