Waymaker’s Sugar Shaker — AI Analysis

Waymaker’s Sugar Shaker is a female English Setter carrying a pedigree that blends proven NSTRA shooting-dog blood, old Brannigan and Grid Iron influence, and a strong dose of Waymaker and southern setter stock on the bottom side. On paper, this is the kind of pedigree that reads like a practical bird hunter’s dog rather than a purely ornamental pedigree. There is visible concentration of competitive horseback and foot-dog blood, with repeated field champions and NSTRA champions that suggest bird sense, forward application, biddability, and enough grit to hold up under hunting pressure.

The English Setter has long been one of the finest bird dogs ever put in front of a covey. At its best, the breed gives you style on point, a soft and willing nature in the kennel, and a natural ability to hunt with purpose instead of just burning country. Good setters carry their noses high, sort scent intelligently, and move with a smooth, ground-covering gait that lets them hunt all day without looking frantic. In hunting homes, they are prized for being affectionate and easy to live with, but the best field-bred English Setters still carry plenty of toughness. This pedigree suggests a field-bred setter with practical hunting ability first, backed by old competitive blood that has historically produced dogs capable of finding birds, handling pressure, and staying useful over a long season.

Sugar Shaker’s sire side is built around Phipps, Brannigan, Grid Iron, Mohawk, Tekoa, and Ace-bred NSTRA influence. That side of the family reads like a working gun dog pedigree shaped by performance titles and repeated use of dogs that won under judgment, not just dogs that looked good in a book. PHIPPS LINKING THE PAST and PHIPPS BIRD DESIRE sit close up, and behind them you find BRANNIGANS LAST STRAW, 17X NSTRA CH RESAS TROUBLE MACE, 5X NSTRA CH BARBS TEKOA TROUBLE, 6X NSTRA CH SUE MAGGIE SUE, 15X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MIKE, 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, and 11XCH ACES KING. That is a deep stack of bird-dog competition blood. The dam side is looser in documentation through one branch, but it still shows real hunting relevance through Waymaker, Hamilton, Shak Ti, Tarheel Sunrise, Hicks Rising Sun, and Grouse Ridge blood. WAYMAKER BO SHADOW and WAYMAKER HELLO DOLLY tie the female side to a family that appears built around practical hunting setters, while 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO, CH SHAK TI, 8X CH HAMILTONS BLUE DIAMOND, CH A TARHEEL SUNRISE, and 9XCH/FTHF HICKS RISING SUN add recognizable competitive influence. Altogether, this is a pedigree that leans toward a bird-finding, medium-to-forward hunting setter with enough inherited class to show style and enough proven ancestry to stay useful for serious hunters.

Based on the pedigree provided, Waymaker’s Sugar Shaker appears to carry a moderate linebreeding pattern rather than a tight inbreeding scheme. The most notable repetition is through CH GRID IRON, which appears in two closely connected positions on the sire side, and through broader Brannigan-related influence behind that branch. Because the pedigree is incomplete in several bottom-side slots and some ancestors are unnamed, any coefficient of inbreeding must be treated as an estimate rather than a formal registered calculation. Using the visible repeated ancestors only, the estimated Coefficient of Inbreeding is approximately 1.5% to 3.5%, with a practical midpoint estimate around 2.3%. That level suggests mild consolidation of desirable field traits without indicating an especially tight concentration. Genetically, the pedigree points toward inherited qualities commonly associated with field-bred English Setters: nose, bird sense, responsiveness, range that can be molded by training, and a likely balance of speed and composure. The repeated presence of NSTRA champions often correlates with dogs that are bird-conscious, efficient, and naturally cooperative, while the Waymaker and southern setter influence may add hunt, toughness, and all-around usefulness. No specific DNA health test results are provided in the pedigree itself, so inherited disease status for conditions known in the breed, such as deafness, thyroid issues, or certain orthopedic concerns, cannot be confirmed from pedigree alone.

The heaviest visible influence comes from the sire side, where the pedigree is more complete and loaded with titled dogs. CH GRID IRON is one of the most obvious repeating anchors, and when a dog shows up more than once in a working setter pedigree, that usually means breeders were trying to hold onto a certain kind of bird dog. The Brannigan dogs appear to contribute old field character and competitive usefulness, while the Resa’s Trouble Mace, Tekoa Trouble, Smokin Mike, Master Mohawk Mike, and Ace’s King cluster suggests a line selected hard for bird work and winning ability. On the dam side, the Waymaker family matters because it gives the pedigree another identity besides the NSTRA-heavy top. WAYMAKER BO SHADOW, WAYMAKER HELLO DOLLY, WAYMAKER ROCKETTE, WAYMAKER BONNIE RAE, WAYMAKERS MAGIC BUCK, and WAYMAKERS SHOWGIRL indicate a kennel family being held together over time. Add in 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO and Hamilton blood, and you get a strong suggestion of a practical hunting setter with enough style and enough bottom to satisfy someone who actually hunts behind their dogs.

This pedigree contains a strong concentration of titled ancestors, especially on the top side. Visible champions and major titled dogs include 17X NSTRA CH RESAS TROUBLE MACE, 4X CH BRANNIGAN, CH BARBARO, 5X NSTRA CH BARBS TEKOA TROUBLE, 6X NSTRA CH SUE MAGGIE SUE, CH GRID IRON, 15X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MIKE, 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, CH RAGGED HILL NIP, 4X CH BRANNIGAN, CH CRESCENT CITY DEXTER, CH SMOKE RISE BUCK, CH TRICKY DICK JIM, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, 11XCH ACES KING (HOF), 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO, CH SHAK TI, 8X CH HAMILTONS BLUE DIAMOND, CH A TARHEEL SUNRISE, 9XCH/FTHF HICKS RISING SUN, CH TERHAARS ROCKO, and CH GROUSE RIDGE REROY. Even allowing for some title variation across registries, this is a pedigree with a very healthy amount of field and champion influence. The sire side clearly carries the larger share of titled pressure, while the dam side contributes several recognized field-producing names and kennel families.

From a hunter’s standpoint, Sugar Shaker’s pedigree suggests a dog with real potential as a bird finder and a useful gun dog first, with enough style and competitive background to show class on point. The NSTRA-heavy sire side often throws dogs that are naturally birdy, easy to start, and willing to work with a handler. That usually means a dog that checks objectives, handles game scent intelligently, and can be shaped to foot-hunting or trial-style applications depending on training. The Waymaker influence on the bottom side hints at practical field sense and a family selected for doing the job. I would expect medium to medium-forward range as the most likely sweet spot, with a chance for bigger application if the individual takes after the stronger field-trial names. Nose, pointing instinct, and trainability all look favorable. Retrieve desire is harder to promise from pedigree alone, but the amount of proven bird-dog blood suggests natural game engagement should be strong. For a hunter wanting an English Setter for wild birds, preserve birds, or NSTRA-style work, this is the sort of cross that gives you a legitimate chance at a stylish, useful, and honest bird dog.

The strongest insight in this pedigree is that the top side is not just decorated with titles, it is stacked with dogs known by breeders for practical bird-dog value. That matters more than a title count by itself. The second insight is that the dam side, although less complete in places, still keeps the pedigree from becoming one-dimensional by bringing in Waymaker, Hamilton, Shadow Oak, and southern setter blood. That can be a good thing for maintaining useful hunting character and avoiding over-concentration. Third, the estimated inbreeding level appears moderate and not excessive from the visible data, which usually gives a breeder some room to either linebreed further on the traits they like or step to an outcross without losing type. Finally, this looks like a pedigree better suited to a serious hunting home than to someone chasing a bench-style English Setter. The value here is in bird work, not ornament.

No verified littermate, sibling, or offspring records for Waymaker’s Sugar Shaker were provided in the pedigree data, so specific brothers, sisters, or produce cannot be confirmed from this information alone. Among the famous relatives visible in the ancestry, notable names include 17X NSTRA CH RESAS TROUBLE MACE, 5X NSTRA CH BARBS TEKOA TROUBLE, 15X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MIKE, 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, 11XCH ACES KING (HOF), 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO, 8X CH HAMILTONS BLUE DIAMOND, and 9XCH/FTHF HICKS RISING SUN. Those are the kinds of ancestors breeders tend to remember because they left a mark through both performance and influence.

Based on the visible makeup of this pedigree, good outcross candidates would likely come from field-bred English Setter families that preserve nose, endurance, and natural bird handling without doubling too tightly on the same Brannigan, Grid Iron, Tekoa, Mohawk, or Ace clusters. Crosses to established Llewellin-type hunting setters with proven wild-bird records could be useful if the goal is to maintain style and nose while opening the pedigree. Likewise, a carefully selected outcross to strong Grouse Ridge, Ryman-influenced field stock, or modern all-age field setters with health testing and cooperative temperaments could work well, depending on whether the breeder wants to hold range, increase independence, or strengthen foot-hunting application. The best outcross would be one that keeps bird sense and temperament intact rather than simply chasing more speed.

If I were looking at Sugar Shaker as breeding stock, I would see value in her as a female carrying concentrated field-producing blood without appearing excessively inbred from the visible pedigree. The sire side gives a breeder plenty of proven competitive bird-dog genetics, while the bottom side keeps some working diversity in the cross. I would breed her to a male with documented health clearances, strong feet, endurance, a calm kennel temperament, and a consistent record on wild birds. If the goal is to preserve the best of this pedigree, I would avoid doubling too hard on the exact same Grid Iron-Brannigan-Tekoa cluster unless the female herself proves exceptional and physically sound. A smart breeding would sharpen strengths already suggested here: nose, natural point, desire, and practical handling. If she matured into a medium-ranging, stylish, bird-savvy female with a good off switch, she would be the kind of setter many hunters would want more of.

Waymaker’s Sugar Shaker is the kind of English Setter pedigree that speaks to hunters who care more about what a dog does in bird country than how polished the papers look framed on a wall. She comes from a cross loaded with old field blood, especially on the sire side, where Phipps, Brannigan, Grid Iron, Tekoa, Mohawk, and Ace breeding all show up behind a stack of NSTRA champions and proven bird dogs. That kind of ancestry usually means a dog bred to find birds, handle pressure, and work with a gunner instead of just running to be seen. On the dam side, Sugar Shaker carries Waymaker blood along with Shadow Oak, Hamilton, Shak Ti, Tarheel Sunrise, Hicks Rising Sun, and Grouse Ridge influence. That gives the pedigree a practical, hunting-setter feel. It is not one-note breeding. There is enough competitive blood here to suggest style and intensity, but enough kennel-family depth to hint at usefulness, grit, and a dog that can be lived with when the tailgate shuts. From a breeding and performance standpoint, this pedigree points toward a setter with strong bird sense, natural pointing instinct, a good nose, and trainability that should suit serious hunters. The visible linebreeding is moderate rather than tight, with an estimated coefficient of inbreeding around 2.3% based on the repeated ancestors shown. For someone researching English Setter pedigrees on Gundog Central, Waymaker’s Sugar Shaker stands out as a female backed by a deep reservoir of field-oriented genetics and the kind of blood that has earned trust in the field over generations.