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We have been training for the public since 2000 and have a 30 dog covered facility for training dogs as well as our own. Most of my training methods and philosophies have been picked up from Rick Smith and several other individuals. I believe that dogs can be trained properly without resorting to whipping, beating, or other unpleasant experiences. Rick has held a yearly seminar at TGR for several years and convinced me that the silent command system is much more effective and pleasant to both the dogs and myself than many of the old methods.I have recently started incorporating the West method which is also a silent method and have been very pleased with results.
Repetition and patience will generally get the results that all of us want in a bird dog. I call my method of teaching retrieving a trained retrieve rather than force retrieving because every dog behaves and responds differently. Some require much more force than others. One thing that I have come to realize is that every dog is an individual and one training program does not fit every dog. I try to keep current on different training methods and aids that are available, and when I find one that works for me I am not opposed to using it. Most well bred bird dogs can be trained to point, back, and (if natural retrievers) retrieve in 90 days. The trained retrieve generally takes 4-8 weeks. I use both quail and pigeons in my training programs.
Dog Training