A well-trained dog is of immeasurable assistance to the
sporting man or woman, and can double the game count, by
reducing the number of lost game and alerting you to game
you would have missed. In the early pre morning he will
eagerly await to accompany you in your quest of wild game in
either rain or shine. He is an obedient loyal friend never
mentioning your shortfalls even though he believes you
should have hit that drake on the last hunt.
Dates
and Locations for in the field training with clients
This link is
password protected email me for your password.
Many people have seen the performance, of a
handler and a great dog in the field and assume that they
could never afford a dog with that kind of training but with
the cost of a quality puppy from proven working stock and
his upkeep through his life you can’t afford not to.
For this reason, if for no other, you should make a
firm commitment to maximize the return on your investment by
having him trained to his upmost ability.
As in any education process, it is
better to start developing natural skills at a young age. I
prefer to start young dogs as soon as they have lost their
puppy teeth, usually some where between 4-6 months old. But
I will take them as old as 5 years. They must be up to date
on all their vaccinations and have a microchip for
identification. You can start training later, but in many
cases it takes longer to remove bad habits. Then, I still
have to develop the desired performance.
But in the end it comes down to I can only work with
what you bring me, whether it is a pup with a pedigree as
long as my arm or one from your neighbor, not every pup in
every litter is able to go to the top.
The time required to train a Dog varies considerably
between dogs, it is not unusual for two dogs to enroll
at the same time and graduate at much different times. I
can only work with what you bring me. Time separates a
good dog from a great dog or even a "meat dog" from a
pot-licking idiot. Your reward for your patience is an
eager obedient dog that will receive complements in the
field and earn you invitations to prime hunts you would
have never known about. You will enjoy memories of
special hunts of your dog performing extraordinary work
other dog owners only dream about, and the supplemental
benefit of others asking to breed to your dog, thus
helping recoup some of his training fees.
I started training in 1978 and since then have put
385 titles on my and my client’s dogs. To keep a
competitive edge, I compete in AKC Retriever, Pointing,
and Spaniel/flushing, hunt test / field trials,
obedience trials and Confirmation Shows. I train on
2,000 acres of stupendous property, I lease equipped
with exceptionally beautiful ponds, glorious rolling
hills, and a variety of rich cover.
After you pick up your dog and work with him at home
you he can easily confuse him as a result of
over-enthusiasm, tiredness, frustration, excitement or any
number of other reasons but when you follow my step-by-step
instructions carefully and patiently you will be able to
keep your gundog to a high level of competence through the
off season.
There are three crucial rules which must be adhered to
at all times; any deviation from these is a sure step
towards un-training the dog to the point of failure.
1)Consistency - It is vital always to be
consistent in the way a dog is treated. The same commands
should always be used and the dog should never be asked /
allowed to do anything, which would normally be forbidden.
It is easy to fall into the trap of having one set of rules
for some occasions (home) and another set for different
circumstances (hunting).
2)Non-Predictability - Consistency should never be
confused with predictability. A dog should never be able to
predict its handler's commands so identical routines should
not be followed every day. Different routes should be taken
for exercise and training should be performed in varying
sequences so that the dog has to wait on its owner's command
rather than being able to predict the next move.
3)Insistence - Once the dog has been trained to give a certain
response, correct performance must be insisted upon whenever
the appropriate command is given.
Two details to keep in mind about training are the
importance of timing and consistency. Whether it is a reward
or a correction, it must always be closely related to the
act.
I limit the number of dogs I am training to 8 so book
your kennel ahead of time. They are housed with my dogs in
safe comfortable accommodations either in indoor pens (in my
garage) and outdoor runs (20 feet from the garage). They are
equipped with high volume misting fans for cooling in the
summer, and heated in the winter. Old dogs sick dogs and
bitches in season stay in my home (up to 10 at a time).
As I prefer the company of the
dogs to people, it is rare and for only short periods of
time when I will not be within earshot of all the dogs.
Kennels are steam cleaned daily. And dogs are let out to play when not
training. Dogs in training are in their kennels at night
and when I leave to run errands, besides that they are
either training or out playing with some other dogs.
When I transport the dogs they ride in my custom
made 22 stall trailer. I built it this large so I can
take all dogs even the retired and boarding ones with me
when I am traveling to competitions. This way I can keep
their training going even if I am out of town for a week
in-between competitions and do not have to worry about
some one else taking care of them. Good help is
impossible to find.
I designed the trailer low so dogs will not injure
their joints jumping in and out of high stalls. It has
thermometers so I can monitor the temperature while I
drive, and for cooling it has misters and fans that
replenish the air every 4 seconds, Last year I added a
hot water radiant heating system to it to keep them warm
in the winter. The trailer has cushioned rubber mats in
the stalls, 100 gallon fresh water supply, and three
sets of electric brakes so I can stop on a dime. The
trailer is made of steel and although heavier than and
not as pretty as aluminum, it is much stronger/safer and
much more cost effective.
"In
The Field Gun Dog Training Classes"
I offer weekly "In The Field Training Classes". These
classes are for thee types of owners;
1) Owners of
puppies to young to go to training but whom want to get
their dog started correctly with professional help, birds,
and all the other equipment and grounds it takes to train a
dog.
2) Clients with dogs here in training need to attend so
I can train them to handle their dog. There is more to it
than just giving the commands. I teach such things as;
a) How
to read your dogs body language
b) How
to tell is he understands your command or if he is blowing
you off.
c) How
to teach, encourage, and correct fairly, and timely.
3) Owners who
want to train their own dog, but don't have the grounds,
equipment, or birds. And who would like professional
assistance.