Genetics

Cedarwood’s Mission Statement

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A breeding kennel should have a Mission Statement to ensure that they are always on the cutting edge of genetic sciences, and that they set, and meet, their specific breeding goals. Our aspiration, like many hunters, is to hunt behind the best possible dogs we could acquire from any of the sporting breeds or any breeder. This is the passion that pushes us to maintain the highest standards in our program.

At Cedarwood Kennels, it has always been our profound aspiration to produce the absolute best and most versatile dog, not only for the present, but also for the future of the Pudelpointer breed. Our primary focus is to maintain the clownish personality and devoted affection that won our hearts back in 1975. First and foremost, the companionship of this breed is what exclusively sets it apart from all other sporting breeds.

Secondly, we strive to maintain the versatile hunting qualities that have secured the Pudelpointer as NAVHDA’s number one breed for the past decades. The average natural ability score for the >300 tested dogs from Cedarwood Kennels is exceptional and is a product of our mission statement. The average natural ability score of the breeding stock used at Cedarwood Kennels is 110 points; this is the average of all the dogs ever used for breeding at our kennel and this is what separates our kennel from all others.

Cedarwood Kennels is committed to producing excellent personal gun dogs that can duplicate as wonderful family companions. These are not mutually exclusive goals — a Pudelpointer should have a calm, affectionate disposition within the home, and should display this same affectionate behavior toward everyone they encounter. However, the breed should also have the ability to change gears when in the field or marsh to display the desire and prey drive necessary to earn them that number one spot among NAVHDA’s versatile breeds.

A well-bred Pudelpointer should be a sporting companion that a hunter never loses contact with in the field. The dogs should adjust their range in the field to maintain visual contact with the handler. This cooperative search pattern finds the dog hunting for the gun, rather than the gunner hunting for the dog, as is often the case with so many breeds.

Pudelpointers are natural pointing dogs with natural instincts to point, track and retrieve any and all game birds. The breed has an intense fire toward waterfowl. This intensity, along with the breed’s love of water, makes them a sound water dog in the months of December and January, rivaling that of the Labrador Retriever when the waterfowling conditions get tough.

To maintain the genetic line that has given our kennel the high ranking it has today, we line breed our dogs while maintaining the motherline created from Cedarwood’s Calendar Girl. “Cally” and Cedarwood’s Blaze rewrote the NAVHDA scores for the breed by producing many exceptional performers and a very high average natural ability score.

Today, a grandson of "Cally" — Cedarwoods First Offense (aka Tukr) — has over 100 offspring tested with an average Natural Ability score of 108 points, with 80% earning a Prize I. With a pedigree this strong, it’s no wonder he consistently stamps excellence into his progeny. Our program also benefited from a key outcross using our Czech import Hery Ze Strazistskych Lesu (Hery), adding diversity and trainability that strengthened our linebreeding results.

At Cedarwood Kennels, we always expect each breeding to produce the next high-quality field performers. Hemi (Cedarwoods Pin Up Playmate) earned a Prize I in Natural Ability at 4 months and a Prize I in Utility before age two. Her offspring, including Cedarwoods Rerun and Cedarwoods Mtn Huckleberry, continue this tradition with pedigrees refined over 25 years of work.

All breeding dogs at our kennel are personal hunting companions, hunted regularly, and live in homes with family and friends. Bird hunting is the driving force behind our program — from grouse early in the season to pheasants and waterfowl, and then chukar, Huns, and valley quail mid-winter.

If the intellect, affection, and versatility of the Pudelpointer fits your idea of a perfect hunting companion and family dog, please contact us so that we can discuss the availability of dogs and answer any questions you may have. More on Genetics (Line Breeding)