Dog trainers

[gwl79902]

I am thinking of sending my 2 year old brittany to a dog trainer this winter or spring. I have always mowed my own yard and changed my own oil so this is a little different for me.

Does anyone have recommendations of a good trainer. I am in central oregon. I would like to find someone within a days drive so that i can be involved with my dogs training. I beleive that it usually the handler that needs to learn rather than the dog.

I trained and ran one of my labs in hunt tests years ago but this pointer thing is a little different. My dog is doing well but i think there is a lot more there and i just do not know how to get there.

I did find a guy about 2 hours from me that offers one on one one hour training so that is an option. I am retire in general in a few months and should have the time.

 

[SoDaky]

Where are u located?If in the upper midwest,PM me as I have a suggestion.

 

[Buzby]

You are correct, the handler needs as much/more training than the dog! So why would you send your dog off without you? I’d look for your local NAVHDA chapter and train (yourself and the dog) with them.

 

[gadrahthaar]

You are correct, the handler needs as much/more training than the dog! So why would you send your dog off without you? I’d look for your local NAVHDA chapter and train (yourself and the dog) with them.

I would second this if you haven't given up on doing it yourself. NAVHDA training days helped me a ton.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Jim Cochran up in Fall City Washington. Has a number of National titles to his name. Really good at training owners. Bend to his place via 97 to I 90 about 5 hours.

 

[30338]

Something a new owner can learn and do with their dog is force fetch. At 2 they are for sure mature enough. I'd do that yourself after reading up on it. That sets the stage for all the other stuff that follows in my opinion. Since you retire in a few months, take a month to teach it force fetch and go from there. Tons of good info out there and folks willing to help.

 

[T28w]

To the op. How many dogs have you trained and what are your expectations of a hunting dog.

Can you train ur dog have it good enough to hunt and and enjoy, sure you can. To think that some one who has trained a handful of dogs(which is all most of us will get to do) will get a dog to the same level as someone doing it full time is just wrong.

Also don’t try to force fetch unless u know what u r doing. It will not be good for u or the dog.

 

[Buzby]

I fully recommend force fetching. Game recovery should be a priority for any hunter. I believe it can also be a bonding experience for you and your dog. It can be difficult for inexperienced handlers though, and can ruin a relationship just at quickly as build one. Again, your local NAVHDA chapter will have people with experience to help you.

 

[Salmonchaser]

When Molly was two I thought about force fetching, Jim wasn’t sure spent a few minutes with her on the table. I wasn’t happy. Spent the summer in AK guiding fishing, very little dog work. Started guiding pheasants when I got home in October. Introducing the dogs I told the clients, this one, indicating Molly, has the best nose, we’re still working on her retrieve I said. First four or five birds if she got there first she brought the bird to hand. I’m stunned. Next couple of birds she’s taking the bird from my other dogs. Hell no I didn’t correct her. I was going to have her forced fetched after her previous hunting season.
guests were impressed wanted to be sure I remembered which dog had issues. Next group I guided were professional hunt test and field trail judges. Asked if I had force fetched Molly, nope. Early on a bird gets up gets a tail wind and as we later learned the bird took two or three pellets in the lungs. With the wind it came down 900 yards and three fences away. Yep, Molly found and retrieved it.
Guiding Scott Haugen, one of those tv hunt show celebrities. Lungs a bird, carried over the creek and a couple fences. As she’s coming back, hurdling fences, Scott promises a copy of the video. I’m sorry said the camera man I didn’t get it.
point being; before you force fetch your dog, just tell her you’re going to I can’t be the only guy to get so lucky.

 

[T28w]

i know this dicussion is more toward pointers than retrievers but force fetching is a foundation that basically all other training is built on. when it is not done correctly you will see it will probably rear its head the further into training you go. there can be a fine line in force fetching of too much pressure or not enough pressure...both are bad and thats why it takes someone who has expirience with lots of dogs to do it correctly and effiecently. its not unheard of for trainers who do not have years of training under their belts to force fetch and then send them to someone else and proof the force fetch so to speak... that is how important it is for it to be finished.

again it depends on what a person wants/expects out of a dog. the other thing about a trainer is they can/should be able to tell you pretty quick if the dog will be able to meet your expectations. there is a big difference between a solid "gundog" and a dog that easily passes senior/finished level test. the opposite of that is true also. ive seen master hunters that i were below average hunting dogs but were trained well enough to pass the test.

 

[T28w]

When Molly was two I thought about force fetching, Jim wasn’t sure spent a few minutes with her on the table. I wasn’t happy. Spent the summer in AK guiding fishing, very little dog work. Started guiding pheasants when I got home in October. Introducing the dogs I told the clients, this one, indicating Molly, has the best nose, we’re still working on her retrieve I said. First four or five birds if she got there first she brought the bird to hand. I’m stunned. Next couple of birds she’s taking the bird from my other dogs. Hell no I didn’t correct her. I was going to have her forced fetched after her previous hunting season.
guests were impressed wanted to be sure I remembered which dog had issues. Next group I guided were professional hunt test and field trail judges. Asked if I had force fetched Molly, nope. Early on a bird gets up gets a tail wind and as we later learned the bird took two or three pellets in the lungs. With the wind it came down 900 yards and three fences away. Yep, Molly found and retrieved it.
Guiding Scott Haugen, one of those tv hunt show celebrities. Lungs a bird, carried over the creek and a couple fences. As she’s coming back, hurdling fences, Scott promises a copy of the video. I’m sorry said the camera man I didn’t get it.
point being; before you force fetch your dog, just tell her you’re going to I can’t be the only guy to get so lucky.

why did they ask you if she was force fetched? is it common for pro pointing dog trainers to not force fetch? i would say it is extremely rare for a trainer to not force fetch labs, and retrieving is already in the dog so to speak.....force fetching has little to do with actually retrieving to hand.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Good question I have hunted with them, guided them in Alaska too, for years. Knew I was having trouble with her retrieves, surprised at how well she was doing, had actually recommended I do the training.
I know I don’t know how to do it right and I’m a dog spoiler. Definitely in the camp of having some one you know and trust to do it right.

 

[T28w]