Gun Dog Breeder Reviews for Thorn Creek Kennel

I have two Griffs. One from Thorn Creek (Gromit on Duffy's website) and another from a different breeder. And I have to say it's pretty obvious which is the superior dog--in terms of intelligence, temperament and performance in the field. I know Duffy does his best to produce quality dogs and my Thorn Creek Griff is a special one, with all the qualities you hope for in a Griff. Often wish I'd held out and waited for a second Thorn Creek dog but I guess you live and learn.

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My wife and I had been looking for a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon puppy for some time when we saw the listing for Thorn Creek Kennels’ on this website. I immediately contacted Duffy and was instantly impressed by his knowledge & enthusiasm for the breed. After a lengthy interview, it was very apparent that Duffy took great pride in his breeding program to produce the very best Griff puppies available and was equally as picky in ensuring his puppies go to the right homes.

Our now 8 month old male, Cody, is absolutely amazing! At barely 5 months old, we shot 7 roosters over him. What impressed me was his natural instincts, great nose, and tireless drive to track, point, and retrieve at such a young age. Cody’s eagerness to please and trainability will make him a joy to train. Cody clearly has all the attributes you look for to produce an outstanding hunter as well as a companion.

Thorn Creek Kennel’s facilities are top of the line. Duffy has a great layout, professional staff, and the kennels are kept immaculate. What a great place! Like they say, ‘If you want the BEST, go with the BEST.” I would highly recommend Duffy and Thorn Creek Kennels.

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We were introduced to Thorn Creek Kennel and Duffy a little over two years ago through an intensive search through the internet. After one phone conversation we knew we had the real deal and was fortunate enough to live in the same state!

Our English Setter was to old to hunt, so we began searching for a new hunting dog, but wanted to make sure our new dog was a great family dog as well. After much research, we knew that the Wired Hair Pointing Griffon was the right choice for us. We then began the search for the right breader. Duffy's knowledge and passionate dedication to this breed was impressive to me to say the least. Our whole family was charmed by Duffy and his employees as well as his own personal Griffons Zonker,Mia,Neka,Peanut. The Kennel is in a beautiful place right at the base of the Uinta Mountains. The Kennel facility is an excellent facility,very clean,professionally ran, and a fun place to visit. After our Cheyenne was born we made many trips up to visit and visited several times after. Duffy has become a friend and a mentor and we are glad to give him and Thorn Creek Kennels the highest recommendation!

Cheyenne will be two in a few weeks. She is the most loving, kind, affectionate, playful, energetic, family member we have ever had. We have three kids and she loves them all very much. She has lived up to expectations and beyond as the perfect family dog. As a Gun Dog Cheyenne is simply AMAZING! She will hunt anything - Pheasants, Chukers, Grouse,& Water Fowl. She tracks fur bearing animals and big game. At her age she is the best all around hunting dog that I have seen with awesome instinct and natural drive. She knows exactly what to do with very little instructions from myself. Training has been extremely easy.

Your search for your new companion is over! Call Duffy right now - you will not be disappointed.

Sincerely,
Ryan & Jeannine Fowler

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I was lucky enough to track down Duffy through a a lot of web searching and a site visit. I was thoroughly impressed by Duffy's knowledge of the breed and his passion for breeding great WPG's. My pup is now 2 yrs old and she had her first real and impressive bird season last fall. If you want a great bird dog, which happens to be a great family dog too, and you want a great breeder, then Duffy is your guy.

glenn b.

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Last year my wife and I (and two small kids) were searching far and wide for a Griff pup. We contacted Thorn Creek and they had a wonderful female available that has been a great companion for our kids and a great hunting partner. Millie has had many pheasants and chukars shot over her and exhibits great traits for both a hunter and inside dog. We are very happy with everything!

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I lost my springer 3 yrs. ago and have been researching for the best breeder for a griffon. I decided I wanted pointing dog and everything about the breed and duffy was a perfect fit. Eli is 9 mos. and I could not be happier. WHAT A NOSE. He will point and hold point until I flush the bird. He is a great retriever. I shot about 15 to 20 pheasants over him during jan, and feb. He sits by me by the fireplace. He sleeps and I drink a glass of wine. It does not get any better than that. I definitely know where my next griffon will come from.

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I received my first (and only, thus far) bird dog from Duffy almost 3 years ago. I had recently shot my first pheasant over an English Setter and was sold on hunting birds over a dog.

I've known Duffy since high school and knew he was raising Griffs. I studied up on the breed and was impressed by what I learned. Duff and I reconnected and the end result was a renewed friendship and an amazing addition to our household.

Jubal has been extremely biddable from the start and lives to hunt (what a combination). My biggest challenge when talking about her is not taking the credit for her substantial instinct and breeding. The fact is that she has required very little training from me and makes me look like a pro when she does. Not bad for a first bird dog. Her steadiness on point improves every time out and some of her wounded bird retreives are already legendary (including deep, open water). If the bird can't fly she will come back with it (often still alive). (I should also mention that we have a local NAVHDA chapter headed up by Tom Healey that has been very helpful and an excellent resource).

She's a valued household member and is mellow around our home. She integrates well with other dogs and people but isn't much of a player. All she really wants to do is hunt and I would not recommend this breed as pets-only. I think if I didn't hunt her often (including off-season / no-gun hunting) she would be dissatisfied with MY breeding. She has amazing stamina and is non-stop quartering when hunting (or long walks). She makes our 4 year old mixed breed (svelte and strong) look like a slacker. One of my main concerns is to make sure she doesn't injure herself when in the field. I allowed her to wear all the hide off of her face hunting birds last year through thick alder and buck brush. She just doesn't care (but my girlfriend did).

I could go on and on but suffice it to say that I'm very happy with our Griff from Thorn Creek Kennels and glad to count Duffy McCabe as one of my best friends. You'll find him honest, direct and more than willing to talk about his lineage of Griffs. This includes before and AFTER you have one of his pups (he likes to keep tabs on 'em).

Andy Brown
Whitefish, MT

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I've had the pleasure of getting to know Duffy and his Thorn Creek Kennel's Griffs while deciding on a breed of bird dog and also after I took a Griff from Duffy.
My pup is only 9 months old now but she's got a great nose and good drive. Duffy and a couple of his dogs have actually come hunting with me and my pup a couple of times this past year. You can see the care, quality and commitment he takes with his dogs when you watch them work in the field as well as interact with other dogs and people. Duffy has a great breeding program and it shows with the dogs he's produced.

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My husband and I got our puppy from Thorn Creek Kennel about 8months ago. I am new to hunting and know very little about training a gun dog, but my pup was pointing birds at 9weeks and flushing and trying to retrieve at 12weeks. The insticts of these dogs are amazing, he stays close and works hard everytime we go out. I've gotten more game in the 8months of owning this dog than I have in the 3 years of hunting without. We will definitely be getting another dog from Duffy!

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We found Duffy through this website and were thrilled to be working with a breeder only 45 minutes from our home. Looking back we really lucked out to be working with Duffy, throughout the entire process he was great to work with; from the start we could tell he was experienced, knowledgeable and detail orientated. We were very impressed by his whole process, from his breeding selection to washing our pup for us before our drive home. After meeting Duffy and seeing his top notch facilities, we were allowed to visit with his dame Mia and his stud Zonker. After hanging out with those dogs for a few minutes it became a no-brainer, and we were very excited about our future pup from Thorn Creek Kennel. Elbert is now nine months old, and he is amazing. He has great natural hunting instincts, an unbelievable nose, and endless stamina. Elbert has been easy to train and is what I like to call a “good mellow”, which describes his great drive and energy when it is appropriate and called for, but also his calm and mellow demeanor that dominates the rest of the day. I am a Highway Avalanche Forecaster, and besides upland game hunting, we got Elbert to train as an Avalanche Rescue Dog. The training this season has gone very well and I often feel like I’m cheating because he is so good at finding whatever is hidden for him in the snow. While we are out skiing he is constantly on the hunt, nothing makes me prouder than when he points grouse buried in the snow. At home you couldn’t ask for a better dog, he’s a great companion to our 9 year old lab, he doesn’t shed and is a constant goof. Finally, he is a very handsome and impressive looking fellow. We highly recommend using Thorn Creek Kennels if you’re looking for a Griff breeder.

-Matt and Denise McKee

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I picked Thorn Creek Kennels, in part, because his stud, Zonker, is a half brother to my 1st Griff Tess (Griffonpoint). Add to that, the female for which I got my puppy from is from a local southern Idaho breeder (Owyhee Sporting Dogs). Like those connections. Duffy and I had numerous conversations regarding his pups, his philosophy behind his breeding, and what he wanted to achieve for the breed. He clearly is a breeder 'thinking it through', which is really important to me. Dawn's Ragin' Storm (Rager) has been great to have around. At 6 months, she was pointing, holding to point, and retrieving shot birds. That's mostly instinct. Happy with my choice, would definitely get another pup from him again.

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I have a soon to be 3 year old female I purchased from Duffy. When I traveled down to demo the dog he told me that she had a strong hunting drive. I watched a 9 week old pup pursue and catch a pheasant that was not that much smaller than the dog itself. She did accompany me on a few hunts that year to learn from my old German Wirehair male. I hadn't had much time to work on her training then but noticed that even at 4months old, she had a tremendous hunting drive. Matter of fact, she stayed with me on such bitter and blustery day my old dog got out of the truck and tapped out immediately and wanted back in. The first time he had ever given up! Had to be -50 wind chill and deep snow I gave up myself after only a quarter mile! Not the dog though, she stayed ahead of me using her nose into the wind and back to the truck. I knew then she had amazing drive. She is a very athletic dog with exceptional agility. I tested her at 14 months in a NAVHDA Natural Ability test. She got a perfect score and Prize 1 award. I get many compliments on her coat and her physical characteristics. Living in North Dakota I need a dog that can take the weather. She is a well proven pointer steady to flush upland dog, where I do most of my hunting and I am working with her on waterfowl. One of the reasons I went with a Griffon was for the temperament. I can command her to stay near the duck blind (she needs to be able to see the sky) and she will stay till after the shots (that will be part of this summers training, want her steady to shot also). She is a real companion that will constantly relocate to the area where I am so she can watch over me. She is very observant and curious and uses her nose to identify anything and everything! She is protective of our family and house alerting us when someone approaches. Duffy was very straight up in describing her to me as a puppy and what to expect while training the breed. I am a very happy owner of an very good versatile hunting dog that soon should be a tremendous hunting dog.

Joe Wolfe

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Buying a griff from Thorn Creek is not just another transaction. I bought mine almost 2 years ago and couldn't be more pleased. Thorn Creek's owner, "Duffy" took the time to get to know me and my family. He helped me understand the training techniques that would help me get the most out of my dog. He spent time with me after we brought him home to help me diagnose some training issues I was having. Great dog. Great kennel. This dog lives to please. Loves to hunt. He knows his job and loves to do it.

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Being a business owner, a hunter, and a perfectionist in just about everything I do, I am notoriously hard to please. Duffy McCabe was by far the best breeder I've dealt with. I would give him 10 out of 10 on the scale of honesty, and competence. He was patient, and answered all my questions completely and honestly. His price was fair for the breed in general, and low for the caliber of dog I received.
As for the dog, he is very birdy, aggressive in the field, and wonderful with my kids. He's exceptionally intelligent and quick to learn and please me. This is an outstanding line of dogs for the serious bird hunter who still wants a family dog. At 9 months of age, he's already protective of my children and every day I know I made a great choice. I couldn’t be happier.
I would highly recommend Thorncreek Kennels for your next Griffon. It's a wonderful breed, and this is an excellent line.

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I have two Griffs, including a 4-year old male from Duffy McCabe. The best Griffs combine outstanding performance in the field with sweetness and easy manageability in the home. That combination is what the breed is all about. My Griff from Thorn Creek has these qualities in spades. He is an awesome physical specimen with a great nose and drive and an amusing personality as well. My second Griff is from another breeder and is just a pup. We are hoping for the same from him, but my Thorn Creek Griff is something special. Thanks again, Duffy.

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