Whelp Date TBD
ricplath@gmail.com or 608.385.3071 for more information
At Castiron Kennels our goal is finding and producing Picardy Spaniels that will expand the gene pool in North America, and also maintain the breed standard. We want to help establish a self-sustaining population of Picardy Spaniels in North America and to produce pups that meet our definition of “the perfect” Picardy Spaniel for North American hunters. We’ve been fortunate enough to work with breeders around the world to acquire cooperative Picardy Spaniels with excellent genetics and solid hunting instincts. Manny, our foundation sire, is from Eric Chivot in France. Cleo, our foundation dam, came to us from Di Nadolph in Austria. Remi, our second female, is from Todd & Wendy Shury in Canada. And Whiskey, our youngest female, came to us from Laura Giovannini in Germany.
The timing for our I-Litter is still to be determined. That decision will be made after we hunt behind several males this fall as we never breed to a dog we haven’t hunted behind. We do this so we can evaluate: Prey drive, cooperativeness afield, hunting style/prowess, structure and confirmation.
References Available Upon Request
Ric, Ellen and their Picardy Pack live in Westby, WI just 30 minutes southeast of La Crosse. A lifelong hunter, Ric has trained and hunted Small Munsterlanders, Gordon Setters, and for the past 7 years Picardy Spaniels. Ellen has an extensive background in animal genetics and a PhD in Reproductive Physiology. She bred and trained Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs prior to Picardy Spaniels. Since 2019 Ric and Ellen have traveled to Europe annually to meet with international Picardy Spaniels breeders to learn more about training this unique breed as well as to identify bloodlines that will broaden and deepen the gene pool in North America. In 2023 and 2024 they attended the French National Breed Show and met with President Serge Guilbert to discuss ways to better track Picardy Spaniel breeding efforts and individual dogs globally. They are also the only breeder that has sent a North American whelped Picardy Spaniel back to France.
US Picardy Spaniel Alliance 