“Looking for any advice with obtaining a started dog.”
Hi Andrew,
Demand for pups/older dogs is through the roof right now (presumably related to COVID) so finding a started dog is going to be difficult, especially a female. Since your focus is on Grouse and Woodcock make sure you purchase a dog from a breeder who is a serious hunter. There are a number of breeders who claim to be breeding “Rymans” who aren’t really hunters so they don’t know what it takes to handle wild birds like Grouse. They’re breeding pet quality dogs that may or may not be decent bird dogs. You’re a hunter yourself so ask breeders pointed questions about their hunting experience and you should be able to recognize when you’re talking to someone who doesn’t get it.
Hip Dysplasia is the biggest health problem in English setters (it’s about the same as in Labs) so make sure you buy a dog with OFA certified parents. If you run into a breeder who doesn’t OFA their dogs run fast and far. If you’re considering a started dog ask the breeder to obtain a preliminary OFA evaluation on the dog. That way you know what you’re getting. PennHIP is NOT an acceptable substitute. It is not a diagnostic method (IE, they don’t evaluate the hip joint for HD) and the score they give you doesn’t correlate closely enough with actual hip status to be useful.
Good luck in your search.
Cliff