Will my dog forget me or my family?

Absolutely not! This is probably my most often asked question and couldn't be further from the truth. If you have a good relationship with your pup before they come to us, you will when they go home. You will just have a more obedient hunting partner.

Does Force Fetch make dogs who don't like retrieving retrieve?

If your dog doesn't like to retrieve, forcing them isn't going to help anything. Most likely, it will have the opposite effect. Force Fetch is about creating a dog who thinks through mental/physical pressure and is a pivotal precursor to advanced training. It is far more than holding a duck for a photo or making a dog pick something up.

Why is a dogs pedigree so important?

I often hear, "I don't need a field trial dog," "I don't need a fancy pedigree dog," or things similar when the reality couldn't be further from the truth. Dogs who have excelled in field sports for generations tend to breed puppies who are trainable, driven, have an off switch, are healthy, mentally stable, handle pressure and did I mention... are trainable? Dogs who are "back yard bred" have no grounds to prove why they should have been bred, typically don't have health clearances ensuring they age with good hips and elbows etc

What do all the titles and letters on a pedigree mean?

In the hunting/sporting dog world we want pedigrees heavy in FIELD Sport titles.

FC - Field Champion
AFC - Amateur Field Champion
QAA/QA2 - Qualified All Age (twice)
MH - Master Hunter
SH - Senior Hunter
JH - Junior Hunter
HRCH - Hunting Retriever Champion
HR - Hunting Retriever
SHR - Starter Hunting Retriever

If someone is trying to sell a puppy with "Champion Bloodlines" and you do not see the titles listed above on the pedigree or they can't provide the pedigree, let's look for another breeding. CH and other show title variotions are meaningless in the sporting dog world and show you nothing about a dogs ability to perform in the field. They are show ring titles, not working dog titles.

If my dog is trained to run hunt tests will it know how to be a good hunting dog?

A dog trained to the higher standard that a hunt test requires will be more confident and successful in the field vs a dog who was only trained to a "hunting standard."

When do I need to book my dog a place in training?

folks who contact me when they're looking for a puppy or are just picking their new puppy up always have the ability to book their spot for future training. Unfortunately for those who wait until their dogs are older, I don't always have availability. Be sure to call and check if you let time slip away and now are faced with trying to get your 7,8,9 month old in training, as I can sometimes make some room, but as always, the earlier the better to ensure a spot in my programs.

Do's and Dont's getting your puppy ready for training.

DO:

-Treat train behaviors like place, here, heel, walking on a light leash, kennel.
-Build retrieve desire with short simple marks that increase in distance as pups ability/age increase
-crate train!! if you aren't actively involved with your puppy, they need to be in a crate. Crate time is IMPORTANT. Crating teaches boundaries, how to settle down and self sooth, that they aren't the center of attention and how to be alone.

DONT:
-use orange bumpers for retrieving. ONLY WHITE
-allow squeaky toys or stuffed animals
-allow puppy to dig holes
-demand barking - barking for attention or interaction. Quiet dogs get rewarded
-allow puppy too much freedom. If you have issues with recall (here), pup needs to be on a check cord until that behavior improves