Brood Dams

Most breeders would agree, the most important part of creating a bloodline is being able to select the best suited females for the job.  Selecting a quality brood dam is an ongoing process.  At Big Sky Brits, although a number of females may be looked at as potential candidates for breeding purposes, only a few of those will actually be chosen to as brood dams.  We keep a close watch on our females from the time they are puppies until such time that they are old enough to have an O.F.A. hip check.  Even if a female is chosen to be a BSB brood dam, there are ongoing factors such as her confirmation, temperament, ease of trainability, ease to be bred, and ability to mother the litter, that are held under scrutiny.  Even after that, a comprehensive litter evaluation is done to determine whether or not the female is suited to have another litter.

Most gun dog trainers would agree, pedigrees aren’t everything. BSB brood dams are also expected to be able to perform in the field.  As stated in our Mission Statement, Big Sky Brits are born to perform and, therefore, it only stands to reason that our brood dams should excel in the field as well.  We campaign our dams in field trials where they are often in pressure situations and hunt over them even when they are pregnant.  Studies indicate that hunting over a bitch during the gestation period introduces the unborn puppies to many of the same stimuli that their mother receives in the field, strengthening their instincts.