Brian & Jenna O’Connor | Two Gun Kennels Drentsche Patrijshonden

Interview With Brian & Jenna O’Connor, Breeders of Two Gun Kennels Drentsche Patrijshonden

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? How many years in dogs? How many years as a breeder? What is your kennel name?

Brian & Jenna O’Connor: Hello! We are Brian and Jenna O’Connor, and we breed and train dogs under the kennel name Two Gun Kennels. We are a small breeder located in Spokane, Washington. We currently own and raise Drentsche Patrijshonden, Spinoni Italiani, and German Wirehaired Pointers. Our website is: www.twogunkennels.com.

We have been involved in purebred dogs for over 40 years, but we’re primarily involved with the Drentsche Patrijshond for going on 20 years now. We imported our first Drent in 2006, and now have a fifth-generation puppy in our home among our three other Drents, two Spinoni, and one GWP.

We have successfully shown two Drents to CM (Certificate of Merit) titles (the first two females in the breed to earn this title), and exhibit in many venues, but mainly Conformation, Scent Work, and Field events, in addition to practical upland hunting upwards of 80-plus days a year.

2. What are the hallmarks of your breed and why are they important for maintaining breed type?

Brian & Jenna O’Connor: The Drentsche Patrijshond was founded on three pillars: to be a versatile hunting dog par excellence in the field on all manner of game, to include both fur and feather; to announce visitors to the property and perform a variety of tasks around the homestead; and to be a member of the family and playmate to the children.

• The Drent is defined by its wedge-shaped muzzle and head, warm oval-shaped amber eyes, powerful bone and muscle, and an easy to maintain, half-long-textured coat that only comes in white with brown plates. They are a medium-sized dog with a history spanning nearly 400 years.
• The Drent should be fit-for-function, a substantial dog within its size class, with strong, straight legs, a slightly elongated body, rich feathering on the back of the legs, brushy tail, and free-moving gait that does not converge at a trot.
• The Drent is known for its biddable and sweet nature and built-in “off switch.” Bonding closely with its people, the Drent thrives with positive and consistent, non-repetitive training. They are immensely smart dogs, and a family that can offer fair and steady leadership will be rewarded with a wonderful companion to enjoy for years in their home.

3. In your opinion, are there enough puppy homes to support breeding a litter this year?

Brian & Jenna O’Connor: Yes, while we don’t breed a litter every year, we currently maintain a growing waitlist and anticipate plenty of families coming on board to welcome a Drent into their home in 2026.

4. How have you implemented new technologies in science and communications as a breeder?

Brian & Jenna O’Connor: With every litter, we work closely with our reproductive veterinarian to test and monitor progesterone, and momma dog and puppy health during a pregnancy.

Of note, we are the first Drent breeder to successfully utilize frozen semen imported from the Netherlands, to grow and maintain genetic diversity within the breed.

We love using personalized web-based programs to track expenses, manage puppy buyer contact information, track puppy weights/growth/milestones, and so forth.

5. In your community, have you noticed a change in the public’s perception of purebred dogs?

Brian & Jenna O’Connor: The FSS community is fantastic, and we all work together to promote and raise public awareness for our breeds!

6. Have you noticed any trends in the sport? Anything to be concerned about?

Brian & Jenna O’Connor: We would love to see more clubs add Open Shows to their all-breed shows. Declining opportunities to participate make it hard to get dogs out there to be seen. We are always looking to find ways to help and support clubs that want to include us!

7. What are some of the positive changes you’ve seen in the sport in recent years?

Brian & Jenna O’Connor: Among our fellow FSS exhibitors, we have really worked hard to build Open Show entries and encourage new people to get involved in events in many different venues with their dogs!

Within our own breed community, we have seen an increasing amount of participation from new puppy owners, be it in Conformation, Rally, Scent Work, or Field events, just to name a few. We are excited to see new exhibitors get out there and try new things with their dogs!