RECOMMENDATION FOR A GOOD TRAINER

[Fishinguy40]

I have a 6 month old Brittany that I would like to have trained, both obedience and field training.

I plan to attend the Game Fair in Anoka to get info and possibly do some screening. I would also appreciate input and recommendations from the people on here. Does anybody know a good trainer that you would recommend?

[DaSwede]

Go up to the search tab and enter "Trainer" into it. There are lots of older threads on it.

[onthefly]

Jake Kline at Pine Creek Kennels in Montgomery, MN. Stop by Stack The Deck Outdoors booth at Game Fair, ask for Chris and he can get you first hand referrals & info

[Pherris]

Well I am partial but I don't think you can go wrong with Dokkens Oak Ridge Kennels in Northfield. My dog is from a Dokkens line and that is where she was trained. Very satisfied!

Tom Dokken will have a booth at the game fair too.

Good Luck with your pup!

[Fishinguy40]

Thanks for the recommendations. After doing a search, like Swede suggested, I see a lot of the same names popping up. This is the first dog I have had that will be trained to hunt, so I have a lot of questions. I will be sure to spend time at the game fair talking with trainers. I also plan to bring the dog along with me so that they can get a feel for his temperament.

[Pherris]

Thanks for the recommendations. After doing a search, like Swede suggested, I see a lot of the same names popping up. This is the first dog I have had that will be trained to hunt, so I have a lot of questions. I will be sure to spend time at the game fair talking with trainers. I also plan to bring the dog along with me so that they can get a feel for his temperament.

This was also my first hunting dog. Nothing has been more rewarding then having a well trained dog. Both obedience and hunting. Good training is not cheap but worth every penny IMO. I put my dog through the intro to birds and guns at 5 months which is a 2 week program. It was about $500 with birds and the at 8 months I put her through the Intermidiate Gun Dog/ obedience program which was 10 weeks and about $2800 with birds. Again not cheap but well worth it and I am very satisfied.

Good luck with the pup!

[duckbuster]

You spent 2800 for how many weeks?

I get nearly 4 months of training for 3200 which includes birds.

This was also my first hunting dog. Nothing has been more rewarding then having a well trained dog. Both obedience and hunting. Good training is not cheap but worth every penny IMO. I put my dog through the intro to birds and guns at 5 months which is a 2 week program. It was about $500 with birds and the at 8 months I put her through the Intermidiate Gun Dog/ obedience program which was 10 weeks and about $2800 with birds. Again not cheap but well worth it and I am very satisfied.

Good luck with the pup!

[Pherris]

Duckbuster,

The $2800 was for 10 weeks and included birds as noted in my original message. When I was looking for a training program for my pup price was near the bottom of the list in determining factors. I am very happy with the results and will most likely send any future dogs through Dokkens

Good Hunting!

[walleye18]

Just dropped off my two "piggies" with a trainer this morning. I do this annually as a tune up for the up coming season.

I use platte river kennels out of Pierz, MN. He is great, has a ton of birds, guides out of Rice Creek game farm and is very reasonable. Him and his wife Jill do a great job. Kurt Lidke is his name.

What I think someone needs to do is get ideas and meet the trainers to ensure your comfortable/confident in a trainer. My needs and likes may not be on the same page as yours.... And like elbows, everyone has an opinion.

My dogs are good....they get the job done all the time. They are not MH or field trial kinda pooches. But they are impressive in the field and perform and do what I want them to do. Call them "meat and potatoes" kind of dogs. They have literally thousands of birds under their collars. I'm not into the competition thing....but have respect for those that do and may get into it with the next dog/dogs I get.

So, in closing....do your research and go with your gut, confidence and liking, style and manner that suits you best....and your pocket book too.

Good luck.

[SAX]

Having just been through this process I can give you a couple tips. Your process of finding a trainer you trust and have full confidence in is just that, a long process. There are more dog trainers in a 90 mile radius than you can ever imagine, dont fall for fancy websites or sales pitches. Make a list of all the trainers you are interested in, start with a simple call, if that goes well, setup an appointment to go see there place and most importantly watch them work with some dogs(not just there FC). This time of year trainers are extremely busy getting dogs ready for the season, so it might not be easy or convenient for them to setup time for you but make every effort to go watch them work with their dogs. One question I really liked to ask trainers is, if I wasn't going to choose them as a trainer who are some others they would recommend? This is actually how I found the trainer I am working with.

How many months of training are you looking to put your through? Do you want a dog who can simply hunt at a mediocre level a couple times a year or do you want a solid finished gun dog? IMO you dont need to spend $1100 a month on training. $500-800 is the range for most trainers, alot of the top trainers in the area fall into this range from what I have seen. Some other things to think about are - how much do you want to be involved in the training? I have seen my dog and trained with her atleast once a week over the last 2+ months, even during OB and FF when it seems like most trainers didn't want me involved. And when all said and done and you have decieded on your guy, make sure he knows exactly what you want in your dog and set the expectations!

Do you homework. PM me if you have any questions.

[kentuck_ike]

High Fly n kennels in Elko, MN or Haycreek kennels in Gilman, WI. Haycreek is at Game Fair. Greg from High Fly n owns a place in Mott and trains all summer on wild pheasants so he will not be at Game Fair. I breed britts and these are the two best trainers I have found for the breed. They both use the Huntsmith training methods are in contact with Rick Smith on a regular basis.

[setterguy]

Wings and whistles in Watertown or Berg Bros in Clearwater would be my suggestions. Dealt with both of them and trust them both completely with my dogs.

[Fishinguy40]

Sax,

Your response to my trainer question was dead on. I don't want to/can't spend a ton of money on training as my wife will probably kill me. I don't want a show or field trial dog but I do want a dog that is obedient, can find birds and will retrieve. I'd love to ask how long and how much money does that take but I'm sure it all depends on the dog. I live in the metro so I only get to hunt grouse and pheasant 4 or 5 times a season.

[TylerS]

Ever consider training the dog yourself? You could join a local dog training/testing club specific to your breed, probably spend less than a professional trainer, and still wind up with a darn good hunting dog.

I didn't think it was possible, either, until I joined NAVHDA. Now I have a dog that's above and beyond my wildest dreams.

Food for thought...

[Fishinguy40]

Like SetterGuy said in your thread regarding training a dog yourself, Time is one of the most valuable commodities for me and I don't have much of it. I'm sure that is a pretty common complaint. I did look into NAVHDA when we got the pup but don't see any groups real close to me. I even bought their training book and built a training table per the book and HSOforum. I now suffer the scorn of my wife as she looks at the training table in our backyard and she asks, "Why did you build that? Your never use it."

[gspman]

Jerry Kolter at Northwoods Birddogs might be another one to check out. He's up near Sandstone.

[TylerS]

Like SetterGuy said in your thread regarding training a dog yourself, Time is one of the most valuable commodities for me and I don't have much of it. I'm sure that is a pretty common complaint. I did look into NAVHDA when we got the pup but don't see any groups real close to me. I even bought their training book and built a training table per the book and HSOforum. I now suffer the scorn of my wife as she looks at the training table in our backyard and she asks, "Why did you build that? Your never use it."

You're about 30 minutes from Kelly Farms, which is where I believe both the St. Croix Chapter and Minnesota Chapter trains. I've been there twice in the past couple years, and if I had a place like that within an hour of where I lived, I'd be there every flippin' day.

[Fishinguy40]

Well I went to the Game Fair on Saturday and talked to several trainers. Some seemed impressive and some not. Maybe it was just me but most seemed very rigid in their program and how/what they offered.

I did stop at the American Brittany Club booth and talked to the people there. They recommended Dale Meier of Pine Creek Kennels in Foley, MN. I looked at Dale's HSOforum and talked to him on the phone. I must say, after talking to all the trainers at the Game Fair and talking with Dale on the phone, Dale was the only one to ask me what I wanted out of my dog.

After getting good feedback from members of the America Brittany Club and talking with Dale on the phone I have a pretty good feeling and will probably use Dale.

[duckbuster]

If you still leave in Fargo you do have a piece of property as nice as Kelley Farms. It's called the North Dakota Retriever Club and can be found off Hwy 10 just west of Glyndon.

Ever consider training the dog yourself? You could join a local dog training/testing club specific to your breed, probably spend less than a professional trainer, and still wind up with a darn good hunting dog.

I didn't think it was possible, either, until I joined NAVHDA. Now I have a dog that's above and beyond my wildest dreams.

Food for thought...

[TylerS]

If you still leave in Fargo you do have a piece of property as nice as Kelley Farms. It's called the North Dakota Retriever Club and can be found off Hwy 10 just west of Glyndon.

I'm a member of NDRC and go there 4-5 times a week. Comparing it to Kelly's, however, is like comparing the Wal Mart outdoor aisles to Cabelas. Does it get the job done? Absolutely, and I'm fortunate to have it less than 9 minutes from my place. On the other hand, when it comes to the scale, opportunity and flexibility of Kelly's, there is no comparison.

[Nisswaguy]

On the lines of a "good trainer", how often does a good trainer actually work with your dog during a day? Do they work with the pooch in the field once a day because they have other dogs they have to work with or do they get the pooch out a couple/few times a day?

[gspman]

Once or twice a day at most. Dogs will also get days off. They have other dogs to work and dogs don't have a long attention span so you can also overdo it. Need to keep them happy and wanting more.