Sending Pup for Training

[lindyRig]

I’m debating about sending my pup for gun dog training. She will be six month old and the program is 3 months long. The focus would be primarily bird work and advanced skills.

I know it sounds silly, but I would have a hard time letting her go for 3 months. I would worry the routine and bond I’ve worked so hard to create might be lost.

Does anyone have experiences in sending a dog off for training that long? Pros or Cons?

[zachd]

I sent my dog for training for 16 weeks
The trainer I used after 4 weeks you visit once a week.
My bond to my dog was never broken and when he came home it was like he was never gone. Not to mention how much more bond we had after countless hours in the field together.
He is a bird machine now too.

I am actually sending for another 4 weeks of training august to sept because of our wedding and honey moon I figured he would have more fun at 4 weeks of training rather than 2 weeks of being boarded. He lives for birds and being in the field. The hour or whatever of playtime they do at kennels wont be enough for him if he stayed there for that long.

[Loopy]

here is our story…. We got the puppy we wanted and then started to search for trainers knowing we were going to do a puppy training around the 4-6mos. timeframe. We met a guy at the game fair that was from Iowa and he answered all of our questions perfectly and seemed like the exact person we wanted. So off we go to Iowa a month later to send our little girl to school.

My biggest warning flag should have been when it sounded like he had 20 dogs in his kennel area ( he refused us acces to it ) and after talking further found out they were all his dogs.
When I talked training with him I wanted weekly updates along with pictures which they agreed upon, of course there was always an excuse and we would go 2-3 weeks with zero.
I also told him under no circumstances will he nor anyone else use a training collar on her, the breed she is they do not take to that type of correction until they have fully matured and this was discussed multiple times.
Long story short, he put a collar on our dog and shocked the hell out of her. The type of dog he breeds and hunts over can learn from hunting with one another and ours needed specific one on one training we felt she never got. When we picked her up she looked like death, hadn’t been bathed and was full of **** so we spent a couple grand to basically have from what I feel is our dog abused.
We were fortunate enough to find someone for her adult training that was amazing, he was able to fix a lot of the broken that previously happened and helped us turn her into a great hunting dog and pet.
I eventually called in the person from Iowa to have them looked over for a possible puppy mill, the following year I seen him again at the game fair and the **** couldn’t look me nor my wife in the eyes and went scooting away when we were approaching him.

Whatever you decide make sure you ask questions, lots of them and be certain they stick to what you agree upon and references references references……..

[zachd]

Sorry to here that Loopy

The guy that trained my dog only takes up to 8 dogs at a time they are in a climate controlled kennel. He does a morning training session and a evening training session everyday. Heck he evens plays music in the kennels for them he says they like country.
I have no doubt he treated my dog just as his own from how I seen him work with him when we went to visit each week.

Stevenson gun dog and obedience training out of Ramsey if anyone is wondering I highly recommend him .

[Benny]

I had a guy from Hugo off Craig’s list train a lab for me , he talked the talk but after I got the dog back she wouldn’t leave my side when in the field.
Took her up to Elk River kennels and had Jeff look at her, he said that guy from Hugo destroyed my dogs drive and made her afraid of the birds.

My new lab went right up to Jeff and now I have a bird nut on my hands. He goes back for touch up next month.

I looked at Stevenson gun dog and obedience training , liked what he does but he was booked up. Only thing I didn’t like with him was he has limited space up there to train, but it really doesn’t tale 40 acers to train on either.

The time away from your dog will go fast, Koda was gone for 4 weeks, back home for three days then back for three weeks. I was able to go up and visit with Koda any time I wanted after the first two weeks. I just had to keep up his obedience just like the trainer was doing.

Good luck, happy hunting.

Come on,say what you really mean!

[zachd]

Benny wrote:
I had a guy from Hugo off Craig’s list train a lab for me , he talked the talk but after I got the dog back she wouldn’t leave my side when in the field.
Took her up to Elk River kennels and had Jeff look at her, he said that guy from Hugo destroyed my dogs drive and made her afraid of the birds.

My new lab went right up to Jeff and now I have a bird nut on my hands. He goes back for touch up next month.

I looked at Stevenson gun dog and obedience training , liked what he does but he was booked up. Only thing I didn’t like with him was he has limited space up there to train, but it really doesn’t tale 40 acers to train on either.

The time away from your dog will go fast, Koda was gone for 4 weeks, back home for three days then back for three weeks. I was able to go up and visit with Koda any time I wanted after the first two weeks. I just had to keep up his obedience just like the trainer was doing.

Good luck, happy hunting.

+1 I would stay away from craigslist posters

Stevenson is amazing
I am actually going to go to drop my dog off at Elk river kennel in august for a month of training he was tied for where we were going to originally do training we chose Stevenson because he was just down the road from our house.
I am only doing Elk river kennels this time because Stevenson does 8 week training and we are only doing more training because of our wedding and honey moon so we are just doing a month at elk river kennels. My sisters dog is going to be at elk river kennel at the same time because they will be on a cruise so I figured he would have a buddy with him as well.

He doesn’t need more training at after his original but I figured since we had to brig him to a kennel anyway may as well spend a little more and have him doing what he loves to do. Being a bird machine

[Benny]

Koda will be there from July 10th till August 10 , I need him to honor another dogs retrieve and to stop dropping birds 10 feet away. Other wise he is fine for my needs.

Benny

Come on,say what you really mean!

[Author]

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