Training Services
Contact us to discuss your training needs for 2023! We already have many spots filled but may have a few more open spots for 2023.
The main goal for each dog that comes to us for training is to give each and every one of them a solid foundation to be an enjoyable hunting companion and overall good citizen by the time they go home.
BASIC PROGRAM - THE MOST IMPORTANT TRAINING PERIOD IN A DOGS LIFE!!!!!
When new dogs (6-8 months of age but may be older) enter our program, we start by teaching or solidifying obedience. We then move to conditioned retrieves, our main goal here is to increase desire and compulsion on retrieves while keeping obedience to our standard. Once that process is complete, dogs begin single marking work in the field. This training also includes force fetch, collar conditioning and working on steady during marks. All dogs have different strength and weaknesses and some move through this program quicker than others. Our basic program takes 3-4 months. At the end of this program, typically dogs can run HRC started and AKC junior tests.
SEASONED DOG PROGRAM
This is the transition period and focuses on a high level of obedience. Dogs are taught to handle reliably on blinds, run multiple marks, be steady and are enjoyable to take hunting. This program is an additional 3-4 months after our basic program. At the end of this program, dogs can typically run HRC seasoned and AKC senior tests.
FINISHED DOG PRGRAM
Finished level dogs are the ultimate hunting partner. They exhibit all of the qualities of seasoned level dog but with more consistency, more control and at longer distances. Completing this program will take a different amount of time for every dog, some may work through this program in 4-6 months after the seasoned dog program, and some may take 12-18 months. There are many factors that go into your dogs progress in this program, we can cover all of this with you during one-on-one conversations. Typically, dogs that complete this program can run HRC finished and AKC master tests, and possibly more.
We take a trip south each winter that lasts 2-3 months, usually February - April. We have found this gives the dogs a great jump start on water work and extends their training season. Preference for this trip is given to dogs that will be staying with us over the upcoming summer months and dogs that have already been with us for training. This trip fills up very fast so if you have interest, please contact Casey at 816-260-9646 to discuss.
We run dogs in HRC and AKC events from March-October. We run our own dogs in HRC and AKC tests and encourage others to run in them as well as they are the closest scenario that mimics real life hunting. The atmosphere at a hunt test gets the dogs in the same mind set as hunting so the transition from training to hunting is smoother. It’s also a great way to judge where your dog is at in training. If you are interested in your dog running in HRC upland tests, please discuss this with us. This is not a test we regularly run but we may be able to fit this into your dogs training program.
Our personal dogs live in the house with us and are trained almost daily during non-snowy months, with the exception of hunt test weekends and actual hunting. Any dog entrusted to us for training services will be treated as one of our own. We have comfortable, clean 5 ft x 5 ft runs in our climate controlled kennel and many crates in our home. All kennel runs have a Kuranda bed and fresh water available 24/7 and all house crates also have water available 24/7. When we travel all dogs are transported in our Ainley truck topper or trailer. All of our facilities and equipment are cleaned and sanitized on a regular basis. We proudly feed Victor Hi Pro Plus to all of our personal dogs and suggest our training dogs to switch to this food while in our care. We also use a canine probiotic, K9 Thrive, during all feedings.
Before any dog goes home, we will meet with each owner on a one-to-one handlers clinic. We will walk you through proper handling techniques to bring the best out of your dog.
All dogs that come to us for training must be up to date on vaccinations and a note from your vet stating they have no pre-existing health issues. A clear fecal sample within 1 month of arrival is also a requirement. All clients will be required to sign a training contract and liability waiver.
If you are interested in our training services, please contact Casey as soon as possible at 816-260-9646 to get on the list.
Achievements:
We have been running dogs in competitions for 9 years, mostly HRC events but we have recently started running AKC tests. Over that time we have handled our personal dogs, and family and friends' dogs in hundreds of tests. Our own personal dogs have earned 6 Hunting Retriever Champion titles, 8 Hunting Retriever titles, 2 Started Hunting Retriever Titles, 3 dogs have over 500 HRC points, 4 Upland Hunter titles, 4 Master Hunters and 2 Qual JAMS. We have also helped train and/or handle dogs for our family and friends and of those dogs 1 has earned 1500 HRC points, 1 has earned 1000 HRC points, 2 earned Hunting Retriever Champion titles, 4 have Hunting Retriever titles, 3 earned their Started Hunting Retriever title, and 2 young dogs have 2 started passes. To see more of our achievements - go to the Accomplishments page.
Qualifications:
We are lifetime members of the Jim River HRC club based in northeastern SD. During our time with the club Casey was hunt chairman and Jessica was hunt secretary for the first 2 hunt tests. Jessica is also the current President of the club and has also served as vice-president. Jessica is the HRC Region 8B Running Rules Representative. Both of us judge when we can, Jessica is a AA finished judge and recently judged the HRC International Grand. Casey is a licensed seasoned judge working his way up to finished. We are also members of the North Dakota Retriever Club.
Over the years we have both led numerous dog training and hunting seminars. During these seminars, we have taught basic dog training techniques, showed how properly trained dogs are more enjoyable to hunt over and how they can be a conservation tool. We enjoy sharing our knowledge in these settings.
Casey participated in a dog handling seminar put on by a field trial pro and we will continue to use these resources when they are available. We have also spent many days training and learning from other hunt test pros and experienced HRC members over the years, for which we are extremely grateful to them for sharing their knowledge! We are continually adding to our knowledge of dogs and training retrievers through online and personal courses, videos and books.
The main goal for each dog that comes to us for training is to give each and every one of them a solid foundation to be an enjoyable hunting companion and overall good citizen by the time they go home.
BASIC PROGRAM - THE MOST IMPORTANT TRAINING PERIOD IN A DOGS LIFE!!!!!
When new dogs (6-8 months of age but may be older) enter our program, we start by teaching or solidifying obedience. We then move to conditioned retrieves, our main goal here is to increase desire and compulsion on retrieves while keeping obedience to our standard. Once that process is complete, dogs begin single marking work in the field. This training also includes force fetch, collar conditioning and working on steady during marks. All dogs have different strength and weaknesses and some move through this program quicker than others. Our basic program takes 3-4 months. At the end of this program, typically dogs can run HRC started and AKC junior tests.
SEASONED DOG PROGRAM
This is the transition period and focuses on a high level of obedience. Dogs are taught to handle reliably on blinds, run multiple marks, be steady and are enjoyable to take hunting. This program is an additional 3-4 months after our basic program. At the end of this program, dogs can typically run HRC seasoned and AKC senior tests.
FINISHED DOG PRGRAM
Finished level dogs are the ultimate hunting partner. They exhibit all of the qualities of seasoned level dog but with more consistency, more control and at longer distances. Completing this program will take a different amount of time for every dog, some may work through this program in 4-6 months after the seasoned dog program, and some may take 12-18 months. There are many factors that go into your dogs progress in this program, we can cover all of this with you during one-on-one conversations. Typically, dogs that complete this program can run HRC finished and AKC master tests, and possibly more.
We take a trip south each winter that lasts 2-3 months, usually February - April. We have found this gives the dogs a great jump start on water work and extends their training season. Preference for this trip is given to dogs that will be staying with us over the upcoming summer months and dogs that have already been with us for training. This trip fills up very fast so if you have interest, please contact Casey at 816-260-9646 to discuss.
We run dogs in HRC and AKC events from March-October. We run our own dogs in HRC and AKC tests and encourage others to run in them as well as they are the closest scenario that mimics real life hunting. The atmosphere at a hunt test gets the dogs in the same mind set as hunting so the transition from training to hunting is smoother. It’s also a great way to judge where your dog is at in training. If you are interested in your dog running in HRC upland tests, please discuss this with us. This is not a test we regularly run but we may be able to fit this into your dogs training program.
Our personal dogs live in the house with us and are trained almost daily during non-snowy months, with the exception of hunt test weekends and actual hunting. Any dog entrusted to us for training services will be treated as one of our own. We have comfortable, clean 5 ft x 5 ft runs in our climate controlled kennel and many crates in our home. All kennel runs have a Kuranda bed and fresh water available 24/7 and all house crates also have water available 24/7. When we travel all dogs are transported in our Ainley truck topper or trailer. All of our facilities and equipment are cleaned and sanitized on a regular basis. We proudly feed Victor Hi Pro Plus to all of our personal dogs and suggest our training dogs to switch to this food while in our care. We also use a canine probiotic, K9 Thrive, during all feedings.
Before any dog goes home, we will meet with each owner on a one-to-one handlers clinic. We will walk you through proper handling techniques to bring the best out of your dog.
All dogs that come to us for training must be up to date on vaccinations and a note from your vet stating they have no pre-existing health issues. A clear fecal sample within 1 month of arrival is also a requirement. All clients will be required to sign a training contract and liability waiver.
If you are interested in our training services, please contact Casey as soon as possible at 816-260-9646 to get on the list.
Achievements:
We have been running dogs in competitions for 9 years, mostly HRC events but we have recently started running AKC tests. Over that time we have handled our personal dogs, and family and friends' dogs in hundreds of tests. Our own personal dogs have earned 6 Hunting Retriever Champion titles, 8 Hunting Retriever titles, 2 Started Hunting Retriever Titles, 3 dogs have over 500 HRC points, 4 Upland Hunter titles, 4 Master Hunters and 2 Qual JAMS. We have also helped train and/or handle dogs for our family and friends and of those dogs 1 has earned 1500 HRC points, 1 has earned 1000 HRC points, 2 earned Hunting Retriever Champion titles, 4 have Hunting Retriever titles, 3 earned their Started Hunting Retriever title, and 2 young dogs have 2 started passes. To see more of our achievements - go to the Accomplishments page.
Qualifications:
We are lifetime members of the Jim River HRC club based in northeastern SD. During our time with the club Casey was hunt chairman and Jessica was hunt secretary for the first 2 hunt tests. Jessica is also the current President of the club and has also served as vice-president. Jessica is the HRC Region 8B Running Rules Representative. Both of us judge when we can, Jessica is a AA finished judge and recently judged the HRC International Grand. Casey is a licensed seasoned judge working his way up to finished. We are also members of the North Dakota Retriever Club.
Over the years we have both led numerous dog training and hunting seminars. During these seminars, we have taught basic dog training techniques, showed how properly trained dogs are more enjoyable to hunt over and how they can be a conservation tool. We enjoy sharing our knowledge in these settings.
Casey participated in a dog handling seminar put on by a field trial pro and we will continue to use these resources when they are available. We have also spent many days training and learning from other hunt test pros and experienced HRC members over the years, for which we are extremely grateful to them for sharing their knowledge! We are continually adding to our knowledge of dogs and training retrievers through online and personal courses, videos and books.
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