Retriever Training


A loyal retriever is the quintessential companion to any duck hunter. While the retriever is bred with innate qualities that make duck hunting easy work, regular training is necessary for optimum field performance.This photo from 2009 shows Hazel and Barry waiting patiently for the birds to come in.
 
A duck hunter uses a retriever to locate the game bird after the hunter has killed it. The retriever returns the game to the hunter. Training teaches the dog to remember or "mark" the general location of where a bird falls, to respond to whistle and hand signals from the hunter who will then direct the dog to birds it may not have seen fall (blind retrieves), to deliver the bird to hand and to remain calm, steady and quiet prior to (and during) the action! The hunter saves time and energy by working with a well-trained retriever, especially when duck hunting over a large area. 

Some hunters, during the "off" season, participate in retriever hunting tests and field trials. These events are not only fun for both dog and handler, but they also give us a reason to continue training the dog which, in turn, keeps the dog in top mental and physical condition for when duck hunting season rolls around again in the fall.
Hazel bringing back the bird - Pinelands Ret. Club 2013 hunt test - Master level


Blucollar Chesapeakes is now offering in house
 training of your dog or puppy for obedience and retriever field venues 
(Because the dogs live in our home with us, rather than a kennel building, we are limited to no more than four dogs/puppies at any given time).


Puppy Head Start Program 
Training program for retriever puppies from 8 to 20 weeks old
$500.00 per month - ($400 per month for pups born at/purchased from Blucollar Chesapeakes)

Our puppy training focus is to develop a foundation that will help your puppy grow to be your next Master Hunter or Field Trial Competitor, and well behaved best friend. Puppies are raised in our home and are treated as part of our family. This training program is offered for retriever puppies from 8 to 20 weeks old, on a monthly basis.

We begin as early as eight weeks with positive re-enforcement obedience as well as drive building exercises. Later we use a balanced approach with 
"reward vs. pressure" work during a pup's adolescence.
SOCIALIZATION: Puppy Head Start is designed to maximize the benefit of proper introduction to: gun-fire, decoys, duck and goose calls, live and dead birds, terrain and cover, swimming (weather permitting), holding blinds and other important social experiences of the field retriever's world, as well as experiences with other canines and people.
OBEDIENCE: The obedience program for puppies includes 2 sided heeling "on leash", Sit/stay, Down/stay, Here, No, Leave it & Kennel. We also deal with, and curb, the common annoying "puppy" behaviors of chewing, jumping, biting, etc. Pups will be crate trained, house-broken, and given lots of one on one attention. Depending on the length of time your puppy is with us, we may also begin introduction to whistle commands.Puppies completing the Head Start Program will be confident, socialized and ready to enter a more formal training program. 


Foundation Training Program
Training program for retrievers 6 months old and older
$600.00 per month - ($500 per month for dogs born at/purchased from Blucollar Chesapeakes or pups that are transitioning out of the Puppy Headstart Program)



 After puppy training it is time to "fine tune" some of those skills while maintaining drive, building memory, and broadening the education of young dogs. We offer consistency, repetition and every day dedication to training that most owners can simply not provide in their home environment. We recommend at least 3 months to get started at this level.
The Foundation Training Program builds on all that was learned in Puppy Head Start. In this program, all obedience becomes formal with training on and off of a lead and includes collar conditioning with an electronic collar. Now is when our balanced teaching approach of "reward vs. pressure" is introduced.
Solid obedience from the beginning is what builds the foundation for  future success.
Once obedience is proven to be solid in the yard and also in the field, the dog begins the force fetch training which teaches them to hold, fetch, and drop bumpers and ducks properly.When all of these steps are completed, then everything is combined in the field.
Depending on your dog's aptitude, drive and over all length of stay we will cover:
  • Force Fetch.
  • Electric collar conditioning. 
  • Proofing whistle commands for "sit" and "here".
  • Field related obedience including increased  steadying, line manners, holding blind manners.
  • Single marked retrieves and building up to multiple marks.
  • Intro to handling skills (3 handed casting).

Dogs finishing foundation training will be obedient, steady, marking in cover, retrieving out to 100 yards or more on land and in water and delivering to hand. 
They can be expected to work at levels capable of passing an HRC Started or AKC Junior test.


For more information call Michelle at 518-573-6225 or email blucollark9s@yahoo.com

Jack winning Derby 1st at ACC Specialty - 2013

ABOUT THE TRAINER
My name is Michelle Dunn and I have been training dogs and teaching dog owners how to train their dogs since 1993. I am a member of the American Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club and the Schenectady Dog Training Club, Inc. where I have been an instructor since 1996. I am also an AKC approved Canine Good Citizen evaluator.
I enjoy training and competing and have earned numerous AKC and UKC titles on my dogs in a variety of dog sports, ranging from obedience and retriever hunting tests to breed confirmation. 
Dogs I have owned and trained in the past include:
Labrador Ret. - Shadkatz L'il Annie Sunshine CDX JH "Annie"
American Staffordshire Terriers - Shadkatz Sensational Sadie CDX "Sadie", CH Shadkatz White Rock Dixie CDX "Dixie", UKC GRCH U-CDX Cheyenne Indian's Running Bull CDX, RN "Dutch" and Chesapeake Bay Ret.'s - Wildfowlers Blucollar Ranger CD JH "Ranger", Blucollars Absolute Ambition CD JH "Abby" and current Chesapeakes: CH Blucollars Hocus Pocus RE UD MH "Hazel" and her two pups Blucollars Full Metal Jacket "Jack" and Blucollars Broom Hilda "Hilda". Jack is featured in this photo with me after winning the Derby class at the 2013 American Chesapeake Club Field Trial Specialty in Cheraw, SC.

              

AKC CGC Approved Evaluator since 2004

Associate Member of TDI with an Active Therapy Dog