Our Philosophy
Vickery is dedicated to the preservation of the versatile German Shorthaired Pointer. Since 2011 we have been in pursuit of the ideal Shorthair. We aim to create beautiful companion hunters who are able and willing to succeed in all sorts of adventurous activities. We focus on breeding attractive, well-structured dogs who can work in the field day after day. The result is dogs that can also excel in a wide range of dog sports such as conformation, scentwork, obedience, agility, tracking, dock diving, and more while still having the temperament to make exceptional family companions.
We are a small kennel with a limited but well-planned breeding program. We typically have one or two litters per year. This means that each breeding is of tremendous importance to us. It also allows us to concentrate all of our efforts into caring for and socializing our pups. We utilize AKC hunt tests and the North American Versatile Hunting Dog’s (NAVHDA) testing system, as well as AKC Conformation events, to assess and prove our dogs’ natural instincts and adherence to the breed standard before they are bred.
We take our position as stewards of the breed seriously. Consulting with mentors in our breed is important to us, and we value their expertise alongside our own. We use Raymond H. Oppenheimer’s 20 Principles as a guide to help ensure our breeding program not only grows but flourishes. From the home to the field, we believe in creating beautiful GSPs ready for a rich life full of adventure and cozy couch cuddles.
Out training with Tavi in 2017.
We breed for Temperament, Conformation, Working Ability and General Health.
Temperament: We strongly feel that a sound temperament is a cornerstone of the breed, and look to use dogs who measure up with our priorities of versatility, soundness of mind, and lifelong family companions. A pretty dog isn’t much good if you can’t live with it! We focus on self-confident dogs who are able to maintain a calm and loving disposition in the home. They take life in stride, are stable when faced with most circumstances, and are comfortable with their position in the world. Our dogs are able to make decisions for themselves when necessary, and need owners who are able to handle and manage somewhat independent thinking.
Our dogs do best with clear training to ensure that their goals are also those of their owners. We believe the work of a versatile pointing dog requires a dog that is intelligent, active, and biddable, and who has a strong desire to work side by side with their human partner. The final component of temperament we demand is friendliness and reliability. Positive and LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) training methods work best with the dogs we produce.
Conformation and Working Ability: Here we look for sires that complement our dams by building on their strengths and correcting their weaknesses. We use conformation dogs to strengthen or solidify type and we use field and performance dogs to strengthen or solidify working ability. Ideally we find dogs that have both exceptional structure and working ability, but these can be rare and must also meet our criteria for temperament and health. We are also sure to look beyond the dog himself, and take note of the strengths and weaknesses of his pedigree. We know some lines that meld well with our girls while others, despite how much we respect them, simply do not. We make a concerted effort to meet each sire we use in person, ideally seeing them interact with other dogs and, if possible, working in the field and performance venues. When we cannot meet our sires in person, we utilize multiple trusted third party accounts to verify all aspects of the dog.
Health: Producing healthy dogs usually lends to them also being long-lived. We take all forms of health testing seriously, and do everything we can to mitigate health risks. We only utilize dogs meeting or exceeding all GSPCA breeding standards present at the time of breeding and do as much additional research as the various databases available can assist with.
All of this means that our dogs fit well into active homes where they will have regular training and exercise. We seek hunting or competition performance homes for the majority of our puppies. We do also place dogs with active families who understand the needs of the breed. These are not your typical pet homes where the dog gets 15 minutes of walking a day. Rather, they are homes where the dog is a respected working companion whose physical and mental energy needs must be met, homes where the dog participates in many if not most of the family’s activities, homes where training and working with the dog is a top priority. If you would describe your ideal dog as low key and requiring minimal exercise and enrichment, these are not the dogs for you. If you’re looking for a dog to be your constant companion and adventure buddy, they might be a good fit!
Fina retrieving a quail at six months old.
Our ideal German Shorthair:
Is one who is immediately identifiable as a German Shorthaired Pointer,
who meeds the Breed Standard in size (height and weight),
who moves like the athlete that she or he is,
who has a lovely, correct head with a pleasant expression,
who is a moderately high energy dog willing and able to spend a full day in the field but can settle well in the house afterwards,
who has the natural abilities, biddability and intelligence to be a capable hunting dog, to be shown in a variety of events, and be an excellent canine athlete,
who gets along well with other dogs and is capable of functioning in a variety of settings,
who is healthy and sound, with no chronic illnesses of any kind,
and who lives a long and healthy life as a beloved member of the family.
We follow the GSPCA Code of Ethics and the Golden Rule in our dealings with other dog fanciers, our puppy buyers, and the general public. We do all we can to treat our buyers fairly and to use our interactions as a means to educate them and the general public about the breed we love, canine behavior, the responsibilities of dog ownership and good animal husbandry.
