Why did you choose a pointer ?
I suppose I did not choose the breed as there were always pointers at home right from the very beginning so I did not question the idea of not having one.
The breed has always suited my lifestyle being a very active person who loves to be outside especially in the hills. As a child we were fortunate in living in a house which led to a forest and the hills and I would roam free with the dogs for hours on end.
How did you pick your kennel name and how long have you been breeding pointers ?
The kennel name was chosen because of the Crookrise Crag and Forest behind our home, although the first chosen name was Forest and the Kennel Club allowed my parents to register some of the dogs under this affix and then at a later stage said the affix was already taken. It will be seen that some of the early litters were registered with the Forest affix. The first champion bred in this kennel was registered Forest Fleet, and then when Joe Braddon purchased him he changed his name to Highflier of Ide. At this time this was allowed by the Kennel Club.
My parents founded the kennel when they married in 1933., but the early dogs were Irish Setters and the pointers followed later.
How many pointers do you own and do you have or have had any other breed ?
Currently I have eight pointers in our home at the moment .The oldest being three 10 year olds, the youngest 2 years old. I also have a 3 year old and an eight month old dog in partnership with my niece Helga Edmondson with whom they live.
As I mentioned earlier there were the Irish and English Setters, and the odd Gordon Setter. The first dog which was really my own was a cocker spaniel Carol of Cravendale and in her first litter she bred a c.c winner..Bred by the same person whom my parents purchased their first pointer Cravendale Cara.
There have also been other breeds along with the pointers but kept mainly as companions ,.German Shepherds, Border Collies, French Bulldogs, and Bull Mastiff.
Do you have any colour preference ?
No. When I am judging the dogs they are always judged on their merits no matter what colour or markings.
If I have any preference in my own kennel the colour does not matter but I tend to like the lighter marked ones which often have the superior body shape, and of course can be seen much more easily when out working on the moors
What do you consider are the responsibilities of a breeder ?
This point I feel very strongly about. Although it is a lovely thought for new owners to breed a litter of their own, too many embark on breeding a litter when they know nothing about the background of their dog or indeed have only owned one dog. To breed a litter one must know about the dogs in the background. Not only this but how to bring up puppies correctly, the time involved, the space and above all how to be the pack leader which is so different from owning one dog.
I know breeders have to start somewhere but many should consider if their bitch is of good breeding and of the quality needed., and indeed if they are going to improve on the one they already own.
Most important is to find the correct homes for the puppies. More pointers find themselves needing re homing which have come from someone with one dog breeding a litter. Very often the breeders of such a litter are unable to take a puppy back if it needs re homing.
What are your prime reasons for breeding a litter ?
Keeping up the standard and correct breed type for the future. Hopefully improving certain points or keeping other good things which one might have in the breeding, always thinking about the future of the breed. When one wants to carry on the line.
What qualities must a stud dog or brood bitch have to be included in your breeding program?
To fit the breed standard as much as possible. Very important to be a balanced dog or bitch. If one uses an out cross although the bloodlines may be different then the out cross should still resemble the dogs you already have. Also important a natural working instinct the correct temperament and of good health.
How important do you consider the title of champion in the show ring or field is in your breeding program, and would you consider using an untitled dog ?
Titles are unimportant to my breeding plan. I have seen good and poor champions.
Much more important are the bloodlines to certain dogs and bitches in the pedigrees and having intimate knowledge of the dogs contained in the pedigrees.
What do you consider are the biggest problems in our breed today ?
I do remember when I judged the Pointer Club of Victoria in 1995. I thought that breed type had been preserved better at that time than in the U.K. Of course I can only comment on the UK at this present time and I do not know how the breed has fared in your country in the last thirteen years.
There seem to be more pointers in the ring at this present time and the breeding very mixed. The breed has become more generic therefore true breed type and especially the true character is disappearing. The dogs are so ordinary many square dogs the beautiful lissome lines and true carriage on the move have disappeared.
Are your pups house or kennel raised and why? How do you socialize your pups.?
Our pups are raised in the kennel ..Firstly we only have a small house and the outside facilities are more appropriate for puppies. However the puppies regularly visit the house from a very early age but are then taken back to the outside quarters again. We encourage visitors and children to see the pups from quite and early age.
Although all the dogs are kept outside I seem to spend more time out with them than in the home.
I train my puppies to listen to the whistle right from the time they first begin to hear. This is always the whistle which will be used for the recall and very rarely do any puppies forget this .By the age my puppies are six weeks old they have learned to come to this sound so are easy to get in and out of the kennels.
They go out to the fields for free running from six weeks old and learn to follow. Lead training is also learned at an early age. By the time they are eight weeks old they have been introduced to traffic from a safe distance away.
Because I run the local dog training class they are taken in the car the short distance to the hall where they are introduced to lots of dogs and new people.
Very importantly they learn respect from myself as pack leader.
What, is the greatest thrill or disaster you have had with pointers ?
I suppose the greatest disaster was when dwarfism appeared and we had to discard some of our most beautiful dogs. This was heartbreaking.
Probably the greatest thrill was making Ft Ch Crookrise Rhythm into a field trial champion.
The other greatest thrills are always when working or training the dogs. It might be that first point with a young dog that you have reared and trained and then everything comes together. Superb work and a very clever find on a difficult bird when out shooting for the guns. These are imprinted in ones memory. It can be the whole scene of a working day often in some remote and wild part of the country, the scenery and the company of the dog and the guns.
Which, pointer and which dog people do you admire most?
One dog which I never saw in the flesh but always made an impression on me from his photographs was Int Dual Ch Barnabes De Valesia . Another lovely bitch was also a dual Ch Blackfield Jill owned by Lorna Countess Howe, again this one was only seen on a photograph.
One dog I really admired was a dog from Ireland named Ft Ch Breakthrough a lightly marked black and white of superb looks and working ability. Unfortunately he was sold to Japan almost as soon as he gained his title and I never had the chance to use him at stud.
True pointer people I have had great admiration for are all connected with working dogs, and I am sorry to say those but one I mention are no longer with us.
Patience Badenach Nicolson, John Nash, and from America Bob Welhe. They all had a great understanding of the breed and were pointer people through and through. All have had their influence on me.
The other who I have a great respect for as a very clever breeder who produces dogs who can both win in the field and at the shows, is Marianne Gyarfas from Hungary with the Saregresi affix. To carry out what she has managed to do with a small gene pool is remarkable. I only wish she lived closer and we could work together.
Cicely A Robertshaw
I suppose I did not choose the breed as there were always pointers at home right from the very beginning so I did not question the idea of not having one.
The breed has always suited my lifestyle being a very active person who loves to be outside especially in the hills. As a child we were fortunate in living in a house which led to a forest and the hills and I would roam free with the dogs for hours on end.
How did you pick your kennel name and how long have you been breeding pointers ?
The kennel name was chosen because of the Crookrise Crag and Forest behind our home, although the first chosen name was Forest and the Kennel Club allowed my parents to register some of the dogs under this affix and then at a later stage said the affix was already taken. It will be seen that some of the early litters were registered with the Forest affix. The first champion bred in this kennel was registered Forest Fleet, and then when Joe Braddon purchased him he changed his name to Highflier of Ide. At this time this was allowed by the Kennel Club.
My parents founded the kennel when they married in 1933., but the early dogs were Irish Setters and the pointers followed later.
How many pointers do you own and do you have or have had any other breed ?
Currently I have eight pointers in our home at the moment .The oldest being three 10 year olds, the youngest 2 years old. I also have a 3 year old and an eight month old dog in partnership with my niece Helga Edmondson with whom they live.
As I mentioned earlier there were the Irish and English Setters, and the odd Gordon Setter. The first dog which was really my own was a cocker spaniel Carol of Cravendale and in her first litter she bred a c.c winner..Bred by the same person whom my parents purchased their first pointer Cravendale Cara.
There have also been other breeds along with the pointers but kept mainly as companions ,.German Shepherds, Border Collies, French Bulldogs, and Bull Mastiff.
Do you have any colour preference ?
No. When I am judging the dogs they are always judged on their merits no matter what colour or markings.
If I have any preference in my own kennel the colour does not matter but I tend to like the lighter marked ones which often have the superior body shape, and of course can be seen much more easily when out working on the moors
What do you consider are the responsibilities of a breeder ?
This point I feel very strongly about. Although it is a lovely thought for new owners to breed a litter of their own, too many embark on breeding a litter when they know nothing about the background of their dog or indeed have only owned one dog. To breed a litter one must know about the dogs in the background. Not only this but how to bring up puppies correctly, the time involved, the space and above all how to be the pack leader which is so different from owning one dog.
I know breeders have to start somewhere but many should consider if their bitch is of good breeding and of the quality needed., and indeed if they are going to improve on the one they already own.
Most important is to find the correct homes for the puppies. More pointers find themselves needing re homing which have come from someone with one dog breeding a litter. Very often the breeders of such a litter are unable to take a puppy back if it needs re homing.
What are your prime reasons for breeding a litter ?
Keeping up the standard and correct breed type for the future. Hopefully improving certain points or keeping other good things which one might have in the breeding, always thinking about the future of the breed. When one wants to carry on the line.
What qualities must a stud dog or brood bitch have to be included in your breeding program?
To fit the breed standard as much as possible. Very important to be a balanced dog or bitch. If one uses an out cross although the bloodlines may be different then the out cross should still resemble the dogs you already have. Also important a natural working instinct the correct temperament and of good health.
How important do you consider the title of champion in the show ring or field is in your breeding program, and would you consider using an untitled dog ?
Titles are unimportant to my breeding plan. I have seen good and poor champions.
Much more important are the bloodlines to certain dogs and bitches in the pedigrees and having intimate knowledge of the dogs contained in the pedigrees.
What do you consider are the biggest problems in our breed today ?
I do remember when I judged the Pointer Club of Victoria in 1995. I thought that breed type had been preserved better at that time than in the U.K. Of course I can only comment on the UK at this present time and I do not know how the breed has fared in your country in the last thirteen years.
There seem to be more pointers in the ring at this present time and the breeding very mixed. The breed has become more generic therefore true breed type and especially the true character is disappearing. The dogs are so ordinary many square dogs the beautiful lissome lines and true carriage on the move have disappeared.
Are your pups house or kennel raised and why? How do you socialize your pups.?
Our pups are raised in the kennel ..Firstly we only have a small house and the outside facilities are more appropriate for puppies. However the puppies regularly visit the house from a very early age but are then taken back to the outside quarters again. We encourage visitors and children to see the pups from quite and early age.
Although all the dogs are kept outside I seem to spend more time out with them than in the home.
I train my puppies to listen to the whistle right from the time they first begin to hear. This is always the whistle which will be used for the recall and very rarely do any puppies forget this .By the age my puppies are six weeks old they have learned to come to this sound so are easy to get in and out of the kennels.
They go out to the fields for free running from six weeks old and learn to follow. Lead training is also learned at an early age. By the time they are eight weeks old they have been introduced to traffic from a safe distance away.
Because I run the local dog training class they are taken in the car the short distance to the hall where they are introduced to lots of dogs and new people.
Very importantly they learn respect from myself as pack leader.
What, is the greatest thrill or disaster you have had with pointers ?
I suppose the greatest disaster was when dwarfism appeared and we had to discard some of our most beautiful dogs. This was heartbreaking.
Probably the greatest thrill was making Ft Ch Crookrise Rhythm into a field trial champion.
The other greatest thrills are always when working or training the dogs. It might be that first point with a young dog that you have reared and trained and then everything comes together. Superb work and a very clever find on a difficult bird when out shooting for the guns. These are imprinted in ones memory. It can be the whole scene of a working day often in some remote and wild part of the country, the scenery and the company of the dog and the guns.
Which, pointer and which dog people do you admire most?
One dog which I never saw in the flesh but always made an impression on me from his photographs was Int Dual Ch Barnabes De Valesia . Another lovely bitch was also a dual Ch Blackfield Jill owned by Lorna Countess Howe, again this one was only seen on a photograph.
One dog I really admired was a dog from Ireland named Ft Ch Breakthrough a lightly marked black and white of superb looks and working ability. Unfortunately he was sold to Japan almost as soon as he gained his title and I never had the chance to use him at stud.
True pointer people I have had great admiration for are all connected with working dogs, and I am sorry to say those but one I mention are no longer with us.
Patience Badenach Nicolson, John Nash, and from America Bob Welhe. They all had a great understanding of the breed and were pointer people through and through. All have had their influence on me.
The other who I have a great respect for as a very clever breeder who produces dogs who can both win in the field and at the shows, is Marianne Gyarfas from Hungary with the Saregresi affix. To carry out what she has managed to do with a small gene pool is remarkable. I only wish she lived closer and we could work together.
Cicely A Robertshaw
RSS Feed
