where to take my lab

[mcafferty]

my lab is about 7 mo. old and i want to get her into a beginner gun dog training.  I am in Lakeville and would like something close to home have been down to dokken Oak Ridge kennel to look at it.  Looks like a nice place. any suggestions on places and what they cost.  this is my first hunting dog and i want to do every thing right.  thanks for the help...Mac

[vickieschessies]

I would suggest Dokken, they are one of the best otherwise Dave Roarim in I-falls. I had someone have train the chessy at dokken kennels and it qualified for the DU dog of the year. L

As for cost you are looking at a good chunk of money. Just call and ask them their prices for each level.

[schwinger]

Take him to High fly'n kennels in Elko. I sent my Vizsla to Greg at HFK for 3 months. I originally sent him to dokkens for the 2 week puppy training and it cost me almost as much as a full month with High Fly'n. Dokkens was very nice though I am not knocking them. You won't be disappointed in High fly'n either although his rates are slightly higher than when my dog was there he is still cheaper.

http://www.highflynkennels.com/index.html

[JD]

McCafferty, I would also get the book "Gun Dog" by Richard Wolters.  You can learn everything you need to know to train your dog.  I have trained two dogs very successfully by reading this book, and it's much cheaper.

[schwinger]

Heres another idea, houdinni is a kennel owned by the same guy I mentioned earlier, he is hosting a Rick Smith seminar at a local game farm.. $350 and you might be able to train the dog yourself. Just a thought. Check the link below and bring up the brochure.

http://www.houdinillewellins.com/trainingAndAdvice.htm

[mcafferty]

going down to elko to check out the kennel on Thursday.  any thing i should ask or look for?  thanks

[schwinger]

Not that I can think of. Tell him Joe (The guy with the Vizsla if he doesnt know who) says hi. 

He is a nice guy I think you will find his facility very nice. Ask him his training methods and just get a feel for him. Bottom line is you have to feel comfortable leaving your dog there. I personally had no problems and recommend him to anyone that asks. When you get to his place he has a real long driveway and you drive past his house to the building at the end of the drive. That is where the dogs stay and the training is done. Let me know what you think when you get back.

[mcafferty]

what did you have your dog trained for?

[schwinger]

Mine was strictly upland bird hunting, he is no cold weather duck dog. He mostly goes out pheasant hunting but occasionaly we go after grouse. When I'm not watching he will even go after mice  I swear he is part cat.

But as far as the training Greg did it was all upland birds. But he trains for waterfowl as well.

[Iceberg]

West Country Kennels in Glencoe

Wings and Whistles in Watertown, MN

[schwinger]

going down to elko to check out the kennel on Thursday.  any thing i should ask or look for?  thanks

How did it go?

[mcafferty]

very good will be calling in about a week and setting up a time to drop her off.  I think the wife and i will miss her for two weeks and 10 weeks will drive me crazy....lol

[schwinger]

Glad to hear it. It was very hard for us to leave our dog for so long as well. When we left him we did it over our wedding date so we didn't have to worry about the dog while busy planning and such so it worked well. Don't worry she won't forget you, ours went right back to his old routine when he came back.

[Joe]

Another vote for Wings and Whistles. I had my ES trained there and Mike and his crew do a great job.

[mcafferty]

dogs doing well at training been there since sunday

[schwinger]

Good to hear. Keep us posted. It's a long time to wait for the dog to come back but you will be happy when she returns. My dog is now 3 and gets better every year. It is so enjoyable to hunt with a well trained dog.

[mcafferty]

well she is back from her two week puppy class.  Greg worked her for my wife and i when we picked her up yesterday.  it was so cool to see her hunting.  he did a great job will be bringing her back for her next training in a mo. or so.   you can tell Greg loves his dog and does a great job.

[vickieschessies]

glad to hear things are going well!!!

[schwinger]

He does do a good job. Glad to hear it went well for you and your dog.

[mcafferty]

so what do i do to keep my dog sharp.  is there a place to shoot pigeons around here?  lol

[schwinger]

I just do some practice in the backyard with a training dummy to keep the retrieving fresh (mine is not a natural retriever). I also visit the gamefarms whenever possible but that is not nearly enough. Greg also is associated with R & J rooster ranch in lonsdale and Randy (the owner of the gamefarm) has a training day on thursdays I think. YOu can go to the farm and use the training equiptment he has and get tips from some of the others training. Ocassionaly Greg stops by from what I am told. I have not ever done this due to time issues but it sounds like a good deal. I have hunted at the game farm and know Randy and he runs a good , but small, operation.

http://www.rjsroosterranch.com