Fyrish Labradors & Roseloch Spaniels are owned and run by me, Amy Higgs, from my home in the Scottish highlands, just north of Inverness, my Labradors and English Springer Spaniels at the centre of both my working life and my breeding programme.
My dogs are active working gundogs, trained throughout the year and worked during the shooting season as picking-up dogs. Spending that time training and working alongside them allows me to really get to know the individual dogs I live with, their natural ability, temperament, trainability, resilience and how they respond when things don’t always go to plan.
That experience is an important part of how I make decisions about my breeding dogs. Health testing and pedigree are essential, but they only tell me part of the story. I also need to know what the individual dog is actually like, what they bring to the table and whether they have the qualities I want to see carried forward.
Outside the shooting season, the dogs are still very much part of everyday life. We continue training, compete lightly in working tests, spend plenty of time exploring the woods and beaches, go on long walks and generally get out and enjoy ourselves.
I also believe that the same experience matters when it comes to raising and placing my puppies. By spending those first weeks getting to know each individual puppy, watching how they develop and seeing how their temperaments and personalities emerge, I can make a much more informed decision about which puppy is best suited to each home.
For me, breeding is about much more than producing healthy puppies. Health testing is essential, but so is knowing the dogs themselves, understanding the breeds I work with and respecting what they were bred to do, and the history behind them. My aim is to produce healthy, capable, well balanced Labradors and Spaniels and to give each puppy the best possible start, before placing them in a home where I believe they can thrive.
My dogs are active working gundogs, trained throughout the year and worked during the shooting season as picking-up dogs. Spending that time training and working alongside them allows me to really get to know the individual dogs I live with, their natural ability, temperament, trainability, resilience and how they respond when things don’t always go to plan.
That experience is an important part of how I make decisions about my breeding dogs. Health testing and pedigree are essential, but they only tell me part of the story. I also need to know what the individual dog is actually like, what they bring to the table and whether they have the qualities I want to see carried forward.
Outside the shooting season, the dogs are still very much part of everyday life. We continue training, compete lightly in working tests, spend plenty of time exploring the woods and beaches, go on long walks and generally get out and enjoy ourselves.
I also believe that the same experience matters when it comes to raising and placing my puppies. By spending those first weeks getting to know each individual puppy, watching how they develop and seeing how their temperaments and personalities emerge, I can make a much more informed decision about which puppy is best suited to each home.
For me, breeding is about much more than producing healthy puppies. Health testing is essential, but so is knowing the dogs themselves, understanding the breeds I work with and respecting what they were bred to do, and the history behind them. My aim is to produce healthy, capable, well balanced Labradors and Spaniels and to give each puppy the best possible start, before placing them in a home where I believe they can thrive.