Old Blood vs. New Blood: What Really Matters in a Bird Dog Pedigree?

I saw a litter announcement recently that was very excited about the old blood in the pedigree and the history of the dogs on that pedigree that have since passed on.  This got my mind wandering to if there is old blood then what about new blood and how important are they in a dogs pedigree and lineage. 

Honoring the Foundation

What Do People Mean by “Old Blood”?

When bird dog aficionados get together on the tailgate or around the campfire and the conversational topic of “old blood,” comes up quite a bit. Folks are usually referring to the influential dogs, breeders, and bloodlines that helped shape the breed generations ago. These are the dogs whose names continue to appear in pedigrees decades after they were gone because of the lasting impact they had on hunting ability, style, intelligence, and overall quality. Within the Llewellin Setter world, conversations about old blood often include legendary breeders and kennels such as Royacelle, Bondhu, Wind’em, and the foundation dogs developed by R. Purcell Llewellin himself. More modern influential dogs like Hunting with Hank and Highway Dan have also earned a place in these discussions because of the mark they left on today’s pedigrees. Every generation has produced dogs that became the benchmark for those that followed.

The admiration for old blood is well deserved. Without the dedication of breeders from the past, we would never have the exceptional hunting companions we enjoy today. Their careful selection, countless hours in the field, and commitment to preserving desirable traits built the foundation of the modern Llewellin Setter. Every great pedigree tells a story, and many of those stories begin with remarkable dogs whose influence can still be traced through generations of descendants.

One breeder who is often mentioned in discussions of influential bloodlines is Robert G. Wehle. Although he is best known for developing English Pointers rather than Llewellin Setters, his breeding philosophy demonstrated the value of selecting generation after generation for endurance, bird-finding ability, intelligence, and cooperation. His success reminds us that great bloodlines are not created by accident—they are built through decades of thoughtful breeding decisions and by consistently proving each new generation in the field.

When we speak of “old blood,” we’re really celebrating more than famous names on a pedigree. We’re honoring the breeders who came before us, the legendary dogs that earned their reputations, and the generations of careful breeding that made today’s dogs possible. But that also raises an important question: if every legendary dog was once an unproven puppy, then who is creating the old blood of tomorrow?

Why Old Blood Matters

There is a reason breeders proudly talk about old blood. The legendary dogs of the past weren’t remembered because they had impressive pedigrees—they’re remembered because they consistently proved themselves in the field and passed those desirable traits on to future generations. Their intelligence, bird-finding ability, cooperation, endurance, style, and temperament established the foundation that breeders continue to build upon today. Every accomplished dog standing in the field today owes something to the generations that came before it.

Old blood also tells a story. Behind every famous name on a pedigree is a breeder who spent years making difficult decisions, evaluating dogs honestly, and selecting breeding pairs with the hope of improving the next generation. Those pedigrees represent decades of dedication, countless hours behind bird dogs, and a willingness to preserve traits that made the Llewellin Setter such an exceptional hunting companion. Looking through a pedigree can be like reading a history book, with each influential dog representing another chapter in the breed’s development.

Old blood can also provide confidence in a breeding program. When the same desirable traits have been consistently produced over multiple generations, breeders and puppy buyers gain a better understanding of what they can reasonably expect. While no pedigree can guarantee the outcome of an individual puppy, generations of proven dogs often increase predictability in hunting ability, temperament, trainability, and overall consistency.

Perhaps most importantly, old blood reminds us that excellence is built over time. The dogs we admire today did not become legends overnight, nor did their influence happen by chance. Their reputations were earned through years of exceptional performance and by producing offspring that carried those same qualities forward. Preserving those bloodlines honors the work of the breeders who came before us and helps ensure that the qualities which made the Llewellin Setter famous are not lost.

For all of these reasons, old blood deserves the admiration it receives. It provides the historical foundation of our breed and connects us to the generations of dogs that shaped the Llewellin Setter into the bird dog we know today. But history alone cannot carry a breeding program forward. Every generation must be willing to prove itself, add to that legacy, and become the old blood that future breeders will one day celebrate with the same reverence.

The Reality of Genetic Contribution

While discussing pedigrees, it’s easy to become captivated by the famous names that appear several generations back. Those influential dogs certainly deserve recognition for the role they played in shaping the breed, but it’s also important to understand how genetics work. Every puppy inherits approximately half of its genetic material from its sire and half from its dam. With each successive generation, the genetic contribution of more distant ancestors becomes smaller. On average, grandparents contribute about 25 percent of a dog’s DNA, great-grandparents about 12.5 percent, and by the sixth or seventh generation, an individual ancestor contributes only a very small percentage to the genetics of the puppy standing before you today.

This doesn’t mean those legendary dogs are unimportant. Quite the opposite—they established the foundation upon which today’s bloodlines were built. Without their influence, the qualities we admire in modern Llewellin Setters might never have existed. However, it does remind us that the dogs appearing in the first few generations of a pedigree have the greatest direct influence on a puppy’s health, structure, temperament, trainability, and hunting ability. In other words, the accomplishments of distant ancestors are only part of the story.

“The legendary dogs of the past gave us the foundation, but it is the responsibility of today’s breeders to preserve those qualities while continuing to improve upon them.”

Another important consideration is that genetics alone don’t tell the whole story. Every generation of breeding involves countless decisions made by breeders selecting for specific traits while working to avoid undesirable ones. A pedigree filled with famous names is certainly impressive, but if the more recent generations have not been proven in the field, health tested, or selected with the same care and purpose, much of what made those historic dogs exceptional can gradually be lost over time.

Perhaps the greatest lesson genetics teaches us is that every generation matters. The legendary dogs of the past gave us the foundation, but it is the responsibility of today’s breeders to preserve those qualities while continuing to improve upon them. The best pedigrees are not those that rely solely on famous ancestors many generations removed; they are pedigrees in which each generation earns its place through sound breeding decisions, proven performance, and a commitment to producing dogs worthy of carrying the lineage forward.

From Foundation Dogs to Modern Legends

The history of the Llewellin Setter has been shaped by generations of exceptional dogs and dedicated breeders. While no single list could ever capture every influential Llewellin, certain dogs and bloodlines are remembered because they consistently demonstrated outstanding bird-finding ability, style, intelligence, endurance, and the ability to reproduce those qualities in future generations. From the foundation dogs developed by R. Purcell Llewellin in the late 1800s to the influential kennels and modern field dogs that followed, each generation has added another chapter to the breed’s story. The timeline below highlights just a few of the dogs and bloodlines that have helped shape the Llewellin Setter as we know it today.

Era	Notable Dogs or Bloodlines	Why They Matter
Foundation (1800s)	Dan, Dick, Duke, Gladstone, Count Noble	Established the Llewellin Setter and early field qualities
Early Development (1900-1950)	Royacelle, Bondhu, Wind ’em	Preserved and refined the breed while expanding its reputation
Modern Era (1950-Present)	Hunting with Hank (Henry Prince of Pause), Highway Dan,	Continued proving the breed and influencing modern pedigrees
The Future	Today’s proven hunting dogs and breeding programs	Every generation has the opportunity to become tomorrow’s “old blood”

****inset timeline graphic here****

One interesting thing that I often find myself pondering when studying these pedigrees, is realizing that none of these dogs began as legends. Each was once an unproven puppy whose value had yet to be determined. Through performance in the field, consistent reproduction, and the dedication of the breeders behind them, they earned a place in the breed’s history. That perspective serves as an important reminder that today’s young dogs have the same opportunity to influence future generations. The next great chapter in Llewellin history is still being written and I hope one day one of my dogs will be one of the dogs remembered for their contribution to the breed.

Building the Future

What Do People Mean by New Blood

If “old blood” refers to the influential dogs and bloodlines of the past, then “new blood” represents the dogs and breeders who are shaping the future of the breed today. These are the sires, dams, and breeding programs that are actively being evaluated in the field, health tested, hunted, trialed, and trusted to produce the next generation of Llewellin Setters. While they may not yet have the decades-long reputation of the dogs that came before them, every influential bloodline in history once began with breeders who believed they had produced something special.

Unlike old blood, which has the advantage of history, new blood must earn its reputation through performance and consistency. A young dog cannot rely on stories or famous ancestors to establish its value. Instead, it must prove itself through its own accomplishments and, perhaps more importantly, through the quality and consistency of the offspring it produces. Time ultimately determines whether today’s promising dogs will become tomorrow’s legends, but that process begins with breeders who are willing to evaluate their dogs honestly and make breeding decisions based on more than a pedigree alone.

New blood is also where the future of the breed is decided. Every litter born today has the potential to preserve the qualities that made the Llewellin Setter famous or to gradually move away from them. That is why responsible breeders continue to emphasize health, sound structure, bird-finding ability, temperament, cooperation, and the characteristics that have made these dogs exceptional hunting companions for generations. The choices made today will influence not only the next litter but the direction of the breed for years to come.

When viewed from that perspective, the distinction between old blood and new blood becomes much smaller than many people imagine. Every dog we now consider legendary was once an unknown puppy standing in someone’s kennel with an unproven future. The names we admire today weren’t born into history—they earned their place through years of proving themselves in the field, reproducing their qualities, and leaving a lasting mark on the breed. The only difference between yesterday’s legends and today’s young dogs is that history has already judged one, while the other is still writing its story.

Every Generation Should Earn Its Place

If old blood represents the foundation of a pedigree, then new blood represents its future. Every breeding decision made today determines whether the qualities that made the Llewellin Setter famous will be preserved, strengthened, or gradually lost. While we owe a tremendous debt to the legendary dogs and breeders who came before us, their work can only carry a bloodline so far. It is the responsibility of today’s breeders to continue proving their dogs, making thoughtful breeding decisions, and ensuring that each new generation lives up to the standards established by those that came before.

Unlike the dogs of the past, today’s breeding stock has opportunities that earlier generations never did. Modern breeders have access to advanced health testing, DNA technology, improved veterinary care, and countless venues in which to evaluate hunting ability and temperament. We can hunt our dogs across a wide variety of game, participate in hunt tests and field trials, and gather more information about the strengths and weaknesses of a breeding program than ever before. With those advantages comes an even greater responsibility to produce dogs that are healthy, capable, and worthy of carrying these historic bloodlines into the future.

New blood also deserves recognition because it is constantly being tested in ways that history cannot. Every hunting season, every field trial, every NAVHDA test, and every litter provides another opportunity for a dog to prove its value. The stories we celebrate about the legendary dogs of yesterday were not written overnight—they were earned one hunt, one season, and one generation at a time. The same is true for today’s dogs. Their reputations are being built right now through their own accomplishments and through the quality of the puppies they produce.

Perhaps that is why I enjoy seeing accomplished dogs throughout a pedigree, not just in the distant past but in the generations closest to the puppy. A pedigree that combines respected old blood with proven new blood tells me that the breeder is not simply preserving history but actively contributing to it. To me, that is what responsible breeding is all about: honoring the dogs that built the foundation while working to ensure that future generations will have new stories—and new legends—to remember.

Finding the Balance

After thinking about old blood and new blood, I’ve come to the conclusion that they aren’t competing ideas at all. In fact, the strongest pedigrees are those that successfully contain both. Old blood provides the stone solid foundation that is a fundamental part of the breeding philosophy at Stoneforged Setters, reminding us where the breed came from and preserving the qualities that made the Llewellin Setter such an exceptional hunting companion. New blood builds upon that solid stone foundation by proving those qualities still exist and are being passed on to future generations. One without the other leaves the story incomplete.

When I study a pedigree, I certainly appreciate seeing the names of influential dogs and respected bloodlines that helped shape the breed. Those dogs earned their place in history and deserve to be remembered. But I find myself paying just as much attention to the first few generations. I want to see dogs that have been hunted, evaluated, health tested, and proven in their own right. Those are the dogs contributing the greatest influence to the puppy in front of me today.

That philosophy guides every breeding decision I make at Stoneforged Setters. I have tremendous respect for the breeders and dogs whose work made today’s Llewellin Setter possible, and I strive to preserve the qualities they worked so hard to establish. At the same time, I believe every generation should be expected to earn its place through performance, health, temperament, and sound breeding practices. My goal is not simply to preserve history but to contribute to it by producing dogs that future breeders will be proud to see in a pedigree.

In the end, I don’t believe the question is whether old blood is more important than new blood, or vice versa. The better question is whether each generation is doing its part to honor the past while building a better future. That, to me, is the mark of a truly great breeding program.

Honor the Past. Prove the Present. Build the Future

Every legendary dog was once an unknown puppy. The dogs we admire today earned their place through generations of thoughtful breeding, honest evaluation, and exceptional performance. Our responsibility is to continue that tradition, ensuring that the pedigrees we leave behind are every bit as worthy as the ones we inherited.