2XCH T'S NICKLEBACK — AI Analysis

2XCH T'S NICKLEBACK is a male English Setter bred from a strong mix of field-trial and proven bird-dog blood, combining the Stone Tavern, Havelock, Blue Bell, Tekoa, Barn Owl, Hicks, and T’s families. On paper, this is a pedigree built for forward race, bird sense, style on point, and enough bottom to handle a long day in the field. The sire side leans into classic shooting dog and trial influence through CH Rapidan, while the dam side doubles down on the Tekoa Mountain Sunrise and Hicks Rising Sun foundation that has shaped many competitive and practical bird dogs. For a hunter studying this pedigree, Nickleback looks like the kind of dog that should carry natural application, plenty of run, and a strong instinct to handle wild birds.

The English Setter is one of the finest upland bird dogs a hunter can walk behind. A good one carries its head high, hunts with reach and intelligence, and handles game with style that is hard to forget once you have seen it done right. In the field-bred English Setter, the focus is less on coat and more on athleticism, nose, stamina, and biddability. They are known for a smooth, efficient gait, a natural tendency to hunt for the gun, and a levelheaded temperament that makes them good companions in camp and at home. In the right blood, they can show both the class to compete and the honesty to produce birds for the walking hunter.

Nickleback’s pedigree reads like a map of old and proven setter country. His sire, CH Rapidan, brings in CH Stone Tavern Matrix, CH Clarks Black Copper, CH Blue Bell Jackie, CH Mister Buffett, and Rise N Shine, tying together dogs known for field quality and competitive ability. Behind them sit names like CH Havelock Blacksmith, Carolina Coppertop, Bluebell Slugger, Grouse Ridge Jayn, CH Pacesetters Equinox, and the ever-present Tekoa influence through HOF CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise. The bottom side is just as telling. T’S Skyline Angel is by CH Tekoa Mountain Outrage and out of T’S Tango, with heavy reinforcement from CH Hicks Rising Sun, Jetts Secret Lady, CH TS Gunrunner, and RU CH Emilys Hope Floats. When you step back and look at the whole page, this is not a random cross. It is a concentrated field setter pedigree with repeated pillars that suggest the breeder was aiming at consistency rather than chance.

Based on the supplied pedigree, this dog shows moderate linebreeding centered primarily on HOF CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, Barn Owl Wind, Miss Tekoa Hope, Sandhill Sheba, Hicks Rising Sun, and related Tekoa-family descendants. Tekoa Mountain Sunrise appears multiple times through several branches, including through CH Tekoa Mountain Outrage, HOF/11X CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise descendants, and maternal reinforcement in the Skyline Angel side. Barn Owl Wind and Miss Tekoa Hope also repeat enough to tighten the family pattern. A reasonable pedigree-based estimate of the coefficient of inbreeding over the visible generations is approximately 10% to 14%, with an estimated midpoint around 12.1%. That places Nickleback in a range that suggests intentional linebreeding rather than close inbreeding. From a practical breeding standpoint, that kind of concentration often helps fix desirable traits like range, style, and bird sense, but it also means breeders should pay close attention to health screening, temperament consistency, fertility, and structural soundness when planning future matings. No DNA test results were provided, so any discussion of inherited disease risk remains pedigree-based rather than lab confirmed.

The biggest ancestral thumbprint on this pedigree belongs to Tekoa Mountain Sunrise. He shows up again and again, and that usually means the breeder wanted the things that line is known for: race, class, intelligence, and a dog that can find birds with purpose. Hicks Rising Sun strengthens that same pattern and often brings fire, animation, and competitive edge. Barn Owl Wind and Miss Tekoa Hope add another old setter layer tied to field instinct and natural application. On the sire side, Havelock Blacksmith and the Stone Tavern dogs suggest toughness, athletic field movement, and bird-finding tools. Blue Bell and Grouse Ridge names help round out the package with practical bird-dog utility. The result is a pedigree that looks built around prepotent field sires rather than one flashy outlier, which is usually a good sign for predictability.

This pedigree carries a deep concentration of titled dogs. The immediate dog is a 2XCH, and his sire is CH Rapidan. In the first several generations you find CH Stone Tavern Matrix, CH Clarks Black Copper, CH Blue Bell Jackie, CH Mister Buffett, CH Pacesetters Equinox, HOF CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, CH Tekoa Mountain Outrage, CH Hicks Rising Sun, CH TS Gunrunner, and CH Barn Owl High. Farther back the page adds CH Destinare, CH Sun Storm, CH Grouse Ridge Hank, HOF CH Hicks Rising Sun, 9X CH Hicks Rising Sun, 11X CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, HOF 11X CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, CH Mr Motion, 4X CH Brannigan, CH Tyoneon Barney, CH Tekoa Mountain Hope, CH Commanders Casey Jones, and CH Bozeanns Mosley. There are also Hall of Fame designations tied to Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, The Performer, and Hicks Rising Sun. In short, this is a pedigree packed with field-recognized producers and winners, not just a couple of isolated champions.

From a hunter’s standpoint, Nickleback’s genetic makeup suggests a dog with very real field potential. I would expect good forward patterning, a strong desire to reach for objectives, and a nose capable of handling tough scenting days if the individual inherited what this paper promises. The repeated Tekoa and Hicks blood usually points toward style and run, while the Stone Tavern and Havelock side should help with durability and practical bird work. This kind of breeding often produces a dog that can suit both trialers and serious upland hunters, especially if properly started and given enough country to show himself. The likely sweet spot would be a shooting dog to forward shooting dog type, with enough class to look good from horseback but enough usefulness to please a man behind a gun.

The first thing that jumps out is concentration without being recklessly close. This is a linebred field setter pedigree designed to hold onto proven hunting traits. The second point is the sheer weight of Tekoa Mountain Sunrise blood, which tells you a lot about intended type: animated, capable, stylish, and bred to hunt. The third is balance. While Tekoa is the backbone, the pedigree is not one-note. Rapidan, Stone Tavern, Havelock, Blue Bell, Grouse Ridge, and T’s blood all keep the dog from being built entirely around one branch. For buyers, that usually means better odds of getting a dog with both class and usefulness. For breeders, it means there is enough concentration to identify family traits, yet still room to make a smart outcross later.

No verified list of famous littermates or offspring was provided in the supplied pedigree data, so a definitive roster of brothers, sisters, or progeny cannot be confirmed here. Notable close relatives in the pedigree include CH Rapidan, CH Tekoa Mountain Outrage, CH Hicks Rising Sun, CH TS Gunrunner, and the influential ancestor HOF CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise. If Nickleback was used at stud, his pedigree would have made him attractive to breeders wanting Tekoa-backed field setter blood with added Stone Tavern and Rapidan influence.

Given how heavily this pedigree leans on Tekoa, Barn Owl, and Hicks family blood, a sensible outcross would usually be to an English Setter female from a strong but less-related field family that still keeps bird sense, cooperation, and gait intact. Crosses that bring in proven outcross shooting dog blood with less Tekoa concentration can help maintain hybrid vigor while preserving the style and run already fixed here. In practical terms, breeders would likely look for females carrying complementary wild-bird sense, strong finish on game, and calm trainability, especially from field lines not saturated with the same Sunrise-Wind-Hope pattern. A good outcross should protect nose and range without tipping the balance too far toward hard-headedness or excess independence.

Nickleback’s pedigree suggests he would be best used as a linebred trait-setter rather than a random cross sire. He appears suited for females that need more style, more forward application, and a stronger field identity. I would be cautious about breeding him back into another heavily saturated Tekoa/Sunrise cross unless the female is exceptional in health, feet, structure, and temperament, because the concentration is already meaningful. The smarter breeding move would often be a female that brings complementary conformation, a strong natural retrieve or close bird manners if needed, and a somewhat different branch of field setter blood. Used carefully, this sort of male can stamp type. Used carelessly, he can also tighten faults just as fast as virtues.

2XCH T’S Nickleback is the kind of English Setter pedigree that makes a bird hunter stop and study the page twice. He is by CH Rapidan and out of T’S Skyline Angel, and the blood behind him is stacked with proven field names that have put real dogs on the ground. Tekoa Mountain Sunrise shows up as the backbone of the pedigree, backed by Hicks Rising Sun, Barn Owl Wind, Stone Tavern, Havelock, Blue Bell, and Grouse Ridge blood. That is a serious blend for anyone who values a setter with run, nose, style, and the kind of bird sense that holds up when conditions get rough. This looks like a linebred field setter made with intention, not fashion. On paper, Nickleback should be a forward, classy bird dog with enough bottom for long hunts and enough natural instinct to interest both trial folks and hunters who simply want a dog that finds birds and handles them right.