Breeds Homepage
Why Do We Raise and Train Different Breeds of Dogs?

Some people have asked, “Why do you raise/train more than one breed of dog?” While others have asked, not thinking that it can be done successfully, “How can you raise/train more than one breed of dog?

After working with over 1200 dogs in obedience, pointing, flushing, and retrieving training, I believe that, if I start with a young, well bred dog, the beginning of the training process is the same for most breeds. Whether the dog is going to be a family companion or hunting companion or whether the dog is trained for hunt tests or field trials, the start to training is very similar. To see the outline of the training program at Kirby Mountain Kennels go to our Training page.

There are many, many breeds of dogs in the world today. At Kirby Mountain Sporting Dogs, we have carefully chosen the dogs we own and breed; they all fit into one group, not one breed, of dog: Sporting Dogs. This is a group of dogs that has been bred for hundreds of years to work alongside human companions.

GORDON SETTER

ENGLISH COCKER SPANIEL

ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIEL

LABRADOR RETRIEVER

BRITTANY

At Kirby Mountain Sporting Dogs, we have spent the past twenty-four years training, breeding, and, as a small family run business, living with five breeds of sporting dogs: Brittanys, Labrador Retrievers, English Springer Spaniels, English Cocker Spaniels, and Gordon Setters. Because of these experiences, we feel as though we know our dogs inside and out. These years have also given us a good idea of the types of owners these dogs need. Many people come to us with preconceived and sometimes misconceived notions about the types of dogs we breed and train. This may come from a book that was written about a particular breed, from a friend who owns a particular breed, or from an experience the person had once when they met a dog from a particular breed. Our goals are to introduce you to our breeds and hopefully to match you with the best companion dog to meet your needs and the needs of the dog. We are neither experts on every breed of dog nor experts on every sporting dog, but we research our lines and our breeding stock in order to continue breeding intelligent, trainable, and biddable sporting dogs.

We are totally committed to the research and development it takes to produce the best all around dog we can. Whether the dog is to be a general companion or a hunting companion, the goals are the same: to produce an extremely healthy, highly trainable, and well behaved dog that you can live with for the next twelve years.

Not every dog we breed or buy makes it into our breeding program. The dogs that do not make it into our breeding program are placed in appropriate homes, which can be a little like living in heaven on earth. We take upwards of two to three years to analyze all the dogs we own. They have to pass all of their health clearances and go through rigorous obedience, field, and hunting training before they are even bred. As a training facility, we are very fortunate to have half of the puppies we sell comeback to us to be trained for obedience and field work. This is a tremendous testing ground to see how our dogs react to all kinds of situations. We really get to see the outcomes of our breeding program because of this.

We believe that our continued success has also been aided through the help of others. Over the past 21 years we have developed a mentoring system. Many of these people have been open and sharing with their knowledge of specific breeds and specific training techniques.  This has allowed us to advance our knowledge without reinventing the wheel, so to speak. From others, we have bought dogs or bred to their proven stud dogs, thus our research and their exemplary dogs have strengthened our breeding program. In opening up their hearts and souls, they have continued to enhance the success of the dog world. As stated earlier, the sporting dogs we breed at our facility have been bred for their purpose for hundreds of years. The people we have as mentors are the contemporary experts in their fields. Our program of breeding and training is researched and a full time commitment. For more detailed information on our breeds, see the links from our drop down menu under Breeds Home in our navigation bar.