Since 2008, our goal at Waterbound has been to produce beautiful, companion dogs that are able and willing to compete in all aspects of canine activities. We are a small kennel with a limited but well-planned breeding program. This means that each breeding is of tremendous importance to us. We concentrate our efforts into caring for and socializing our pups. We follow a unique, state-of-the-art puppy rearing and development program that gives all of our pups, no matter their future, the best possible start in life.
At Waterbound, our first concern is health. After health, we balance temperament, and conformation. We strive to breed Kooikerhondjes who are intelligent, confident, and loving. We are concerned about the few serious genetic problems facing Kooikerhondjes. At a minimum, all of our breeding dogs must tested for hip dysplasia, eye disease, patella luxation, carrier status for Heriditary Necrotizing Myelopathy (ENM) and von Willebrands disease (vWd). All our breeding dogs have CHIC number or the equivalent preliminary health screenings.
In conjunction with physical and mental soundness, we seek to produce Kooikerhondjes with intelligence, drive, and biddableness. We measure achievement of these goals in the conformation , obedience and agility rings, as well as other performance events.
Our IDEAL KOOIKERHONDJE, the goal of our breeding program, is a dog of correct size and structure that:
- is immediately identifiable as a Kooikerhondje,
- has a lovely, correct head with a pleasant expression,
- is a moderately high energy dog that settles well in the house.
- has the biddability and intelligence to be trained for a wide variety of activities by the experienced owner,
- is healthy and sound, with no chronic illnesses of any kind, including allergies and orthopedic problems,
- lives a long and healthy life as a beloved member of the family.
Our dogs fit well into active homes where they will have jobs, with regular training and exercise. We seek performance/ competition homes for the vast majority of our puppies. A few pups each year may go to non-working pet homes but these are not your typical pet homes where the dog gets 15 minutes of walking a day. Rather, they are homes where the dog is a respected working companion rather than a spoiled pet; homes where the dog participates in many if not most of the family’s activities; homes where training and working with the dog is a top priority.
We seek to follow the highest code of ethics as well as the Golden Rule in our dealings with other Kooikerhondje fanciers, our puppy buyers, and the general public. We do all we can to treat our buyers fairly and to use our interactions as a means to educate the buyers and the general public about dog behavior, the responsibilities of dog ownership, and good animal husbandry.
We are committed to our own continuing education–as breeders, trainers, exhibitors, and owners. We do this through coursework , extensive reading of literature on genetics, animal behavior, and dog breeding, seminars, and discussions with professional dog trainers and handlers, and other members of the dog fancy. We also put into practice what we have learned by training and exhibiting our own dogs.
Thank you again for your interest in our breeding program. Since we offer only a limited number of puppies each year, we do recommend reserving a puppy in advance of the actual whelping. If you are still interested in a Waterbound puppy, please read carefully through our website and then contact us via email.