Our training is divided into 2 groups, obedience and gun dog training. Although I specialize in retrievers, I have trained all breeds from standard poodles to bull dogs.
OBEDIENCE TRAINING:
The obedience program takes about one month to complete. The dogs stay with me during this time and owners are asked not to visit. The reason for this is that I need a strong one on one rapport with the dog and have only 4-5 weeks to accomplish a lot of tasks. I have found that if the owners come to visit, it can cause a loss of training continuity. During the month, your dog will learn sit, stay, come and heel. He will know this so well that by the end of the month you can take him out with 50 dogs and he will still come. You will be able to call him off the chase of a rabbit or bird and even a small child will be able to walk the dog. He will also be trained to come on a special whistle.
All of the training is done with a choke chain and lead and lots of praise. At the end of the program I condition the dog to an electronic collar. I do not use the collar to teach the dog anything it is simply used to re — enforce what the dog already knows. Obedience training does not alter the personality of any dog. It simply harnesses the dog’s energy and channels it in the right direction so that you have complete control of your dog.
Program costs per month:
Retrievers (purebred goldens and labs) $1,200
Sporting dogs $1,300
Non-sporting dogs $1,500
Extra large breeds $5,000
Guard dogs (rottweiler, doberman, german shepard, ect…) $3,000
Dogs must be over 6 months of age in order to enter the program. At the end of the program a time is booked with the owners to teach them how to handle their newly trained dog. This program does require that you purchase an electronic collar. They cost about $350.00. We can give you recommendations as to where you can pick them up.
My obedience program is highly successful and I can give references on request. If you would like further information or to discuss a booking time for your dog, please call us at 403-934-2377.
BASIC GUN DOG TRAINING:
This program takes about 3 months to complete.
The first month is the same basic obedience training that all dogs go through. Gun dogs will also be taught to sit and come on the whistle.
The second month is called force fetching. This is where the dogs learn how to handle a bird, to come, heel and give on command. This takes the nonsense out of retrieving and guarantees you a bird to hand. Dogs are taught to come out of the water, without shaking, until they have delivered the bird. This month will also eliminate any hard mouthing of birds. A dog needs a certain level of maturity in order to complete this month and if I do not think he is quite ready, I may send the dog home for a couple of months after obedience and then book him back in later. It is usually at the end of this month that I begin to introduce the dog to the gun as well.
The third month goes into field work. This is where the gun dog gets to put it all together and really have fun. We have now put all the spokes on the wheel and are ready to roll it. If you do upland hunting, I set the dog up in the field and get him quartering out and finding birds. I lay out pheasant scent for the dog and teach them how to handle a live bird. You have the option of having your dog taught sit to flush as well for this. If you do waterfowl, I set the dog up in the blind, run them through decoys and basically simulate duck hunting with the calls and shots. I have wingers that wing the birds out up to 70 yards. If the dog is mature enough, I will steady the dog down. In other words teach him not to leave the handler’s side until told. The dog may advance to multiple marks if they are able to handle it at this point. If you do both upland and waterfowl, I introduce your dog to both. Basically this month builds confidence in your dog and teaches him what his nose is all about.
I do offer other levels of training as well after the basics are covered. You may decide that you would like your dog to do blind retrieves and handling. The foundation for this is another 3 months of training. I can take your dog to any level that you would like and that he is capable of.
At the end of all training programs. the owner must come out and learn what the dog has learned.
If you have any further questions or are interested in booking a training slot, please call us at 403-934-2377 or 403-499-8712. Please note that a brief phone consultation is required before a training dog is accepted.