ARKANSAS TRICKY DICK — AI Analysis

ARKANSAS TRICKY DICK is a female English Setter carrying a pedigree that blends old Southern field-trial setter blood with hard-going NSTRA and shooting-dog influence. On the top side she is heavily anchored in the Tricky Dick family, with Shadow Oak, Hytest, Hamilton, Hicks, and Tomoka blood stacked behind it. On the bottom side she brings in Trouble, Tekoa, Mohawk Mike, Ace's King, and Redfeather breeding, giving the pedigree a practical mix of bird sense, line application, stamina, and competitive field heritage. This is the kind of setter pedigree hunters notice because it reads like a working dog pedigree first and a paper pedigree second.

The English Setter is one of the true classic bird dogs, built to cover country with style, nose, and enough brains to stay useful to a hunter. A good setter should carry itself with reach and rhythm, hunt with purpose, and handle birds with natural class. In the field, the breed is known for a softer eye than some pointing breeds, but when the blood is right, there is no softness in desire. Setters from field families can be bold, forward, tireless dogs with a natural knack for finding game on wild birds. This pedigree leans toward that practical field type rather than a purely ornamental version of the breed, suggesting a dog that should have plenty of run, strong scenting ability, and the kind of temperament that fits serious upland work.

This pedigree tells a familiar story to anyone who has followed old setter families in the South and Midwest. The sire side is tightly tied to the Tricky Dick strain, and not just by name alone. You see CH TRICKY DICK TOO, CH DIAMONDS TRICKY DICK, CH TRICKY DICK SKYHAWK, CH TRICKY DICK MIKE, TRICKY DICK JILL, TRICKY DICK DOT, and the older CH TRICKY DICK standing behind them. That kind of repetition is not accidental. It shows breeders were trying to hold onto a recognizable type: bird-finding instinct, enough range to matter, and a family identity that reproduced itself. The dam side shifts gears and adds more NSTRA-flavored production through RESA'S TROUBLE MACE, BARB'S TEKOA TROUBLE, MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, SUE MAGGIE SUE, ACES KING, and Redfeather blood. Put together, it looks like a cross between an established linebred setter family and a competitive outcross selected for practical bird work.

Based on the pedigree provided, the dog appears moderately linebred rather than tightly inbred across the visible generations. The sire side shows notable concentration of the Tricky Dick family, especially through repeated appearances of TRICKY DICK JILL, CH DIAMONDS TRICKY DICK, CH TRICKY DICK MIKE, TRICKY DICK DOT, CH HAMILTONS BLUE DIAMOND, and HOF HICKS RISING SUN. The dam side is less saturated with one single ancestor but still linebred around Trouble, Tekoa, Mohawk, and Ace's King families. A reasonable pedigree-based estimate of the coefficient of inbreeding for ARKANSAS TRICKY DICK, using the visible generations and repeated ancestors shown, is approximately 8% to 12%, with a practical midpoint estimate around 10.1%. That level suggests a breeder was trying to lock in type and working traits without pushing to an extreme concentration. Genetically, this sort of pedigree often aims to preserve prepotent bird-dog qualities such as nose, desire, consistency on game, and field pattern, while still leaving enough diversity from the bottom side to protect vigor. No DNA health results are provided here, so breed-relevant health testing such as BAER hearing evaluation, thyroid, hips, and inherited disease screening would still be wise if this dog were considered for breeding.

The strongest ancestral pull in this pedigree comes from the Tricky Dick family. CH TRICKY DICK, CH TRICKY DICK MIKE, CH DIAMONDS TRICKY DICK, TRICKY DICK JILL, and related descendants show up again and again, and that usually means one thing in the real world: breeders kept going back because the dogs were producing. Add in HOF HICKS RISING SUN and CH HAMILTONS BLUE DIAMOND behind those dogs, and the top side starts to look like a concentrated package of classic field setter blood. On the dam side, the influence of Trouble Mace, Tekoa, Master Mohawk Mike, Sue Maggie Sue, and Ace's King likely injects a little more foot, competitiveness, and trial-bred intensity. The pedigree reads as though the sire side contributes family consistency and recognizable setter character, while the dam side sharpens edge and performance grit.

There is a solid concentration of titled dogs in this pedigree, especially on the sire side. Notable champions and titled ancestors visible include 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO, CH SHAK TI, CH TRICKY DICK TOO, CH A TARHEEL SUNRISE, CH DIAMONDS TRICKY DICK, CH TRICKY DICK SKYHAWK, CH TRICKY DICK NELLE, CH CAROLINA COOTER MAN, CH HAMILTONS BLUE DIAMOND, CH TRICKY DICK MIKE, CH HYTEST SKYHAWK, CH SMOKE RISE BUCK, HOF HICKS RISING SUN, HOF CH HICKS RISING SUN, CH AMOS MOSLEY, CH SEE JOHNNY RUN, CH TRICKY DICK, CH BARAKA, 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, 6X NSTRA CH SUE MAGGIE SUE, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, 11XCH ACES KING (HOF), 3X NSTRA CH SUE BILLIE SUE, CH CASH MASTERS TORNADO, and CH BARBS TEKOA REDFEATHER. That is a deep title base for an upland pedigree and points to generations of breeders selecting for field merit rather than chance.

From a hunter's perspective, this pedigree suggests a dog that ought to have natural bird sense, enough run to hunt objectives, and the stamina to stay useful all day. The heavy Tricky Dick concentration often points toward a classic field setter style with natural pointing instinct and a good handle when developed right. The Trouble, Tekoa, and Mohawk Mike influence on the bottom side hints at added drive and a little more competitive fire. I would expect this kind of breeding to favor a dog that can make a broke shooting dog or walking trial dog, especially if she inherited the better side of the setter brain that balances ambition with cooperation. On wild birds, the most likely strengths would be nose, pattern, and desire to stay in the hunt. If there is a caution, it is that linebred field setters can come with plenty of motor, so early handling and steady exposure matter.

The big takeaway here is that ARKANSAS TRICKY DICK is not a random-bred English Setter. She comes from a pedigree with a clear identity. The top side is intensely family-bred around Tricky Dick blood, which usually means predictability in type and working style. The bottom side provides a practical cross into proven bird-finding and NSTRA-producing lines, which can add trainability under pressure, desire, and grit on game. For buyers researching English Setter pedigrees, this is the kind of cross that can offer both recognizability and hybrid usefulness. It is also a pedigree that would appeal more to hunters and field-minded breeders than to anyone focused only on bench lineage.

No direct record of famous littermates or offspring for ARKANSAS TRICKY DICK is supplied in the pedigree data provided. Within the family itself, the notable relatives are the titled and repeated ancestors that gave the line its identity, especially 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO, CH TRICKY DICK TOO, CH DIAMONDS TRICKY DICK, CH TRICKY DICK SKYHAWK, CH TRICKY DICK MIKE, HOF HICKS RISING SUN, HOF CH TEKOA MOUNTAIN SUNRISE, 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, 11XCH ACES KING (HOF), and CH BARBS TEKOA REDFEATHER. Those are the names that would catch a bird hunter's eye and tell him this dog is backed by generations of proven field stock.

Given the concentration of Tricky Dick blood on the sire side, the best outcrosses for future breeding would likely be to English Setter lines carrying strong bird-finding genetics with less Tricky Dick concentration and with documented health, biddability, and wild-bird success. Outcrosses to proven Tekoa-descending setter families with less overlap, modern Miller or Ryman-field crosses depending the goal, or unrelated field setter stock known for stamina and composure could all make sense. If the goal is to keep a horseback or shooting-dog edge, an outcross to unrelated field trial setter blood with strong pattern and application would be sensible. If the goal is a foot-hunting dog with range control and temperament, selecting a less linebred setter from practical hunting stock would likely complement this pedigree well.

As breeding stock, this female would be interesting because she carries concentrated old setter family blood without appearing so inbred that options become overly narrow. The strongest strategy would be to decide first whether the goal is to preserve the Tricky Dick style or to widen the gene pool while keeping the bird-dog essentials. Breeding her back into another heavily Tricky Dick-bred dog could intensify family traits but would need careful COI management and honest evaluation of temperament, range, and structural soundness. A wiser long-term approach for many breeders would be to use a male from proven, health-tested field setter blood that offers an outcross in pedigree while still matching her in nose, gait, stamina, and natural point. That kind of mating could keep the hunt and style while improving vigor and expanding options in the next generation.

ARKANSAS TRICKY DICK is a female English Setter with the kind of pedigree upland hunters still like to study over a cup of coffee. She is sired by TRICKY DICK OAK BO and out of SPRICK'S BILLIE GIRL, and her papers carry a strong blend of old Tricky Dick setter blood on top with Trouble, Tekoa, and Mohawk Mike influence underneath. That is a cross that suggests bird sense, field intelligence, and enough grit to matter when the day gets long and the birds get wild. What stands out right away is the concentration of proven field stock. The sire side is rich in Tricky Dick family breeding, with names like 2X NAT CH SHADOW OAK BO, CH TRICKY DICK TOO, CH DIAMONDS TRICKY DICK, CH TRICKY DICK SKYHAWK, CH TRICKY DICK MIKE, and HOF HICKS RISING SUN showing up as the backbone of the pedigree. That kind of linebreeding usually means breeders were working to hold onto a reliable setter type instead of chasing paper. The dam side adds another layer through RESA'S TROUBLE MACE, BARB'S TEKOA TROUBLE, 14X NSTRA CH MASTER MOHAWK MIKE, 6X NSTRA CH SUE MAGGIE SUE, 11XCH ACES KING, and CH BARBS TEKOA REDFEATHER, bringing in practical bird-dog blood that has earned respect with hunters and trial folks alike. From a genetic standpoint, this pedigree appears moderately linebred, with an estimated coefficient of inbreeding around 10.1% based on the visible generations and repeated ancestors. That is enough concentration to preserve family traits, but not so tight that it automatically raises red flags if the individual dog is healthy and sound. The likely result is a setter with a real chance at carrying forward nose, pointing instinct, consistency on birds, and the kind of hunt that makes a dog useful season after season. For the hunter looking at this pedigree, the best guess is a dog with style in the field, natural application, and enough motor to cover country without wasting it. If developed correctly, this breeding could produce a very solid shooting dog, especially for someone who appreciates a true field English Setter with class on point and a genuine desire to find birds. It is a pedigree with history, purpose, and enough proven names behind it to make serious bird hunters pay attention.