NAPSA encourages all breeders to follow the breeding recommendations listed below. Individual breeders are free to set additional requirements or conditions. Each kennel operates as a private business and is solely responsible for any commitments made or implied. NAPSA does not control or govern the practices of any kennel in the list.

  • Breed field-proven dogs. Breeders are encouraged to select stud dogs that are actively hunted and have proven their abilities in hunt tests or field trials. Ideally, males who have passed the NAVHDA Utility test and females who have passed the NAVHDA Natural Ability test should be used.

  • Breed HD free dogs. Breeders are encouraged to breed only males and females certified to be free of hip dysplasia. OFA (Excellent, Good, Fair)
    FCI (A-1, A-2, B-1, B-2)

  • Register dogs with NAVHDA. The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association is the ideal home for the Picardy in North America. All breeders are encouraged to register their dogs with the NAVHDA registry and do their best to motivate their puppy buyers to test their dogs with the organization.

  • Test for the Lemon Gene. Breeders should test their dogs for the “lemon” gene (E-locus) and pass the information on to their buyers. Ideally, only non-carriers should be bred, but there are cases in which it may make sense to breed carriers to non-carriers and then test the pups for the gene.

  • Limit the number of times a stud dog or brood bitch is bred. We recommend that stud dogs be bred no more than 8 times in their lifetime and not after age 9. Breeding a female before 15 months of age or after age 8 is not recommended. Breeders are encouraged to breed no more than 5 litters from a female in her lifetime.

  • Keep the COI as low as possible. Breeders should aim to produce litters with a low coefficient of inbreeding.