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Strive in each and every breeding to achieve
the highest quality possible relative to the breed standard for
conformation, excellence in hunting for field, trainability for
obedience, tracking and the field, and temperament, in order to
maintain our breed's characteristics.
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Use only physically sound, mature dogs of
stable temperament for breeding.
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Continue to educate themselves regarding genetic
diseases pertinent to the breed, including, but not limited to
hip and elbow dysplasia, eye diseases, seizure disorders, allergies,
heart disorders, and PFK, and information available as to their
modes of inheritance. Make use of genetic tests as suggested by
the needs of their individual dog(s) and close relatives thereof.
Documentation of hip and eye screenings should be available to
prospective puppy buyers.
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Apply the same high standards to outside bitches
sent to their stud dogs as they apply to their own breeding stock.
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Match each puppy's personality as carefully
as possible with a compatible buyer/family. Temperament testing
of a litter before puppies are offered for sale is encouraged.
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Take appropriate steps to have each puppy
examined by a veterinarian for general health and examined by
a veterinary ophthalmologist for congenital eye disease prior
to placement. Each puppy should be vaccinated and wormed by or
in consultation with a veterinarian. Proper documentation indicating
normal health and eyes for the age of the puppy or specifying
any health or eye problems found at time of examination should
be furnished to puppy buyers.
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Encourage buyers of pet puppies to spay/neuter.
Methods should include written spay/neuter contracts, limited
registration, and/or spay/neuter rebates.
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Endeavor to gain personal knowledge of the
temperament and health of every dog they breed, or to which they
breed in order to gather information on which to base future breeding
decisions. They share this information fully and honestly with
other breeders and with prospective buyers.
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Sell breeding prospects to knowledgeable,
ethical, and experienced persons or are willing to help educate
and guide novices. They should at any time accept the return of
any dog/bitch their breeding program produces and they should
always help when relocation is needed.
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Do not engage in misleading or untrue advertising
and do not use ESSFTA membership as a marketing tool.
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Do not sell, supply, donate or surrender any
dog for which they are responsible to a pet shop, catalogue house,
wholesale dealer in dogs, Humane Society, or nondiseased dogs
to a laboratory. They should have reasonable assurance that each
individual receiving a dog will provide a home with appropriate
shelter, restraint, control and responsible care.
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Encourage puppy buyers to go to puppy and obedience
classes to help their puppies to become better canine good citizens.
The achievement of a Canine Good Citizen certificate should be
encouraged.
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Participate and/or cooperate in research studies
into heritable defects affecting the English Springer Spaniel.
