Litters
Planned/Recent Litters:
Gracie and Piper will be synchronized and mated to Garrett in late 2010 for puppies early 2011. Puppies born early in the year go home in spring and are old enough to benefit from their first hunting season. Deposits for 2011 puppies are currently being taken - pick order of puppies is determined by the order in which deposits are received.
Synchronization and matings for the scheduled 2010 litters (see below) were successful; Gracie and Piper whelped mid-February two days apart. Demand for puppies was very strong and all deposits (8 per litter) were filled before matings were made. Delta also conceived but aborted shortly before whelping. She was re-synchronized and mated, and whelped her final litter on July 5, 2010 with a litter of six puppies. Synchronization moved her normal schedule forward by 4 months - her litter was 8 weeks at the time her kennelmates were exhibiting their first post-whelping estrus.
Gracie - 2010 litter
Gracie was mated to Dukes Chukar, a young outside male that really impressed me during training in 2008. She produced a litter of eight puppies (3 males, 5 females) on February 14. Two female pups will be retained and NAVHDA tested to select one for replacing Delta as a breeding female. Five pups from Gracie's first (2008) litter ran Natural Ability tests; three received Prize 1 with high scores - the other two had little bird/hunting/water exposure/preparation and did not pass due to failure to swim (lack of interest in pursuing the dummy). Eight of Gracie's nine 2009 pups ran their NA tests in August (7 mos.) - seven passed, five with maximum scores, resulting in a Natural Ability Breeders Award. On the same day that her pups earned the Breeders Award, Gracie earned a Prize 1 Utility Award, qualifying her for the 2010 NAVHDA Invitational. One of her 2009 pups who failed their first NA test re-ran Spring, 2010 and passed with a high score. Three of Gracie's 2010 puppies ran their NA tests in August (6 months old) under very hot, challenging conditions - two passed and all three will run again in the spring along with additional littermates.
Piper - 2010 litter
Piper was mated to Chippewa Delta's Garrett, our stud dog of the future produced from Cody and Delta. She whelped four puppies (2 males, 2 females; 3 liver/roan, 1 black/roan) on February 16. Piper ran her Utility test Fall, 2009, earning a Prize 2 and just missing Prize 1. Her first (2009) litter of five puppies consisted of two black/roan and three liver/roan, the ratio of color expected. Several got hunting experience as pups, pointing and retrieving birds at 6 mos. of age; all five ran their NAVHDA Natural Ability tests Spring, 2010 and all passed with sufficiently high scores to earn another Natural Ability Breeders Award. Piper re-ran her Utility test in August, 2010 and earned a Prize 1 and will be invited to the 2011 Invitational. Three of her 2010 puppies also ran their NA tests in August (6 months old) - two passed and all will re-run NA tests in Spring, 2011.
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All dogs used for Chippewa matings have been X-rayed and their hips certified by OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) as either Good or Excellent. The above matings give prospective buyers the chance to come meet both parents and watch them working on live birds. Phone or email to make an appointment to see the dogs in action.
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Past litters: (2000 - 2009)
2000: Mocha x Buck
Mocha (Upwind's Aisha) and Buck (Chippewa Starbuck) produced a litter of seven pups (3 males, 4 females - photo below) on May 11, 2000. Three of the puppies were liver/white, indicating that both parents were heterozygous (i.e. carriers) for the white allele. We retained a liver/tick male, Cody, who is now our stud dog. Three additional pups remained in the Oregon/Washington area - the other three went to avid hunters in Illinois, Arizona, and Quebec, Canada.
Cody and the three other Oregon/Washington pups all ran their NAVHDA Natural Ability tests on May 12, 2001 (one day after their birthdays). All four pups passed and scores were sufficiently high (total of 399 pts.) to qualify the litter for a Breeders' Award (360 pts. required). See 'Past Pups' for photos taken on test day.
2004: Delta x Cody
Delta (Rockpoints Big Sky's Delta) and Cody (Chippewa Cody) produced a litter of eight pups (4 males, 4 females - photo below) on January 19, 2004. Three of the puppies were liver/white, indicating that Cody is a carrier of the white allele (Delta is liver/white so is homozygous for the white allele). All of the pups went to hunters, six in Oregon and two in Wyoming, and are rapidly becoming outstanding hunters - see photos in Past Pups.
Three of the pups were tested Fall, 2004 at seven months of age. All passed and received Prize 1 or Prize 2 awards. A fourth pup was tested Spring, 2005 and scored sufficiently well (Prize 2) that the litter earned a NAVHDA Breeder's Award. All pups were handled by their novice owners who had never participated in NAVHDA tests.
2005: Delta x Cody
A repeat of the highly successful 2004 mating of Delta and Cody resulted in a litter of nine pups (4 males, 5 females - photo below) born August 8, 2005. Eight of the nine pups went to hunting homes and the ninth became the companion of a very active local outdoors person and may get some bird hunting exposure. Six pups reside in Oregon, two in Washington and one in Colorado.
Pups from the litter were pointing and retrieving pheasants in Washington and chukars in Idaho at five months of age. Four puppies ran Natural Ability tests between May and August - all were handled by their novice owners, none of whom had ever previously participated in a NAVHDA test. All four puppies passed and the scores qualified the litter for another NAVHDA Natural Ability Breeder's Award.
2006: Delta x Cody
Delta did it again, producing a litter of eight very uniform and healthy pups (4 males, 4 females - photo below) born August 4, 2006 just 4 days before the birthdays of her 2005 pups. Puppies were dispersed widely and will be hunting bobwhites in Tennesse to ptarmigan in Alaska. All reports coming back have been extremely positive with some of the pups getting significant hunting time and producing birds by five months of age in their first season and hunting like veterans in their second season at just 14 months of age.
Three pups ran their Natural Ability tests in May/June, 2007 (10 months of age) and a fourth pup ran his NA test at 12 months of age. All were handled by their novice owners who had never participated in NAVHDA testing and all passed with good scores; the litter recieved its NA Breeders Award at the 2008 NAVHDA annual meeting.
2007: Delta x Cody
Delta just keeps doing it, producing a litter of nine very uniform and healthy pups (3 males, 6 females - photo below) on Thansgiving day, November 22. Seven of the puppies went to their new hunting homes; two males were retained at Chippewa Kennel. After a summer of bird exposure and their NAVHDA Natural Ability testing, Garrett was selected as Cody's future stud replacement and Gino was sold as a started dog.
Five pups ran their Natural Ability tests August 16, 2008 (8 months of age) and earned a NAVHDA NA Breeders Award in one day! Three pups (including Garrett) received maximum scores (112 pts) and the litter averaged 110 pts.
2008: Gracie x Cody
Gracie surprised us three days early and with three more puppies than expected (based on ultrasound) producing a litter of ten healthy pups (6 males, 4 females - photo below) born March 19, 2008. Pups were pointing and retrieving birds at the start of the hunting season (7 mos. old). These are absolutely beautiful dogs that reflect Gracie's smaller size. Three puppies received Prize 1 in their Natural Ability tests in May, 2009; two additional pups were tested and did not pass due to reluctance to enter the water.
2009: Gracie x Cody
Gracie produced another very uniform litter of nine healthy puppies (5 males, 4 females - photo below) born January 3, 2009. As with her previous litter, all puppies were liver/roan except for one liver/white. Eight pups ran their Natural Ability tests fall, 2009 (7 mos. old) - seven passed, five with maximum scores, resulting in a Natural Ability Breeders Award. They are now hunting in their first season and generating great reports regarding their abilities.
2009: Piper x Cody
Piper produced a litter of five healthy puppies (3 males, 2 females - photo below) born April 2, 2009. Reports began arriving at the start of the hunting season that pups were pointing and retrieving birds at 6 mos old.
