The Importance of Hunt Test Titles
DeHaan Labs believes that Hunt Test and/or Trial titles are a very good indicator of the potential of a puppy. We also are very quick to admit that there are many extremely talented dogs out there that do not have any sort of Hunt Test or Trial title. They may have even produced very talented dogs in their own right! We at DeHaan Labs have purchased very talented dogs from local kennels with few or no hunt Test titles for either the sire or dam. In those instances, we were able to see both the sire and dam work and hunt in the same conditions in which we hunted. We could see and experience first hand the parent’s temperaments, retrieving work, intelligence, marking abilities, and other attributes we were looking for. So if you PERSONALLY know, or know someone else who may know, that a specific litter has a sire and dam that exhibits the desired traits you are looking for, a puppy from that litter might be a good option for you.

However, today’s discriminate puppy buyer is no longer limited to just purchasing locally raised puppies. Purchasing a puppy from hundreds of miles away can often prohibit the buyer from seeing either of the parents work in an actual hunting situation. Can you or should you just trust what the breeder is telling you? Hopefully you can! Research has shown that retriever traits such as temperament, marking, and retrieving ability, just to name a few, are inheritable, meaning the sire and dam pass these traits down to their offspring with regularity. A puppy from a litter with both the sire and dam showing above average ability in marking, for example, will most likely also show an above average ability in marking. Hunt Tests and Field Trial titles help show that a specific dog has, at least to a minimum standard, the abilities the Hunt Test or Trial is testing for.