To make a good bird dog, it takes two things; a lot of love and a lot birds. David works tirelessly to ensure that your dog receives the best training possible. Understanding that each pup is different, David works to develop a training strategy or each pup which will bring out their natural ability, build confidence, and ensure they are able to meet the owner’s expectations in the field.
While certain things may vary by dog, some things remain the same regardless of the pup. The fact that they see a lot of birds and even more love, is a constant for all pups. We house all of our training dogs in an indoor climate-controlled kennel facility and treat each pup as a member of the family.
In order to ensure that your pup receives adequate time, attention, and training we limit the number of pups we train at any given time.
One of the most important roles you play in your dog’s training, is having an open and honest conversation concerning your dog’s history and experiences which may have had a detrimental impact on their training or future as a Bird Dog. A few examples of this are previous failed/poor attempts to gun-break a pup, previous over/improper use of an E-Collar around the house or in training, or bad experiences concerning other dogs, handlers, trainers, or even birds. These are just a few examples of situations we have seen and found out about late into a dog’s training time here, ultimately resulting in longer training times.
Running a close second in terms of importance to your pup’s training actually takes place after you pup is finished here and returns home. Consistency is paramount to a dog’s training and future continued success in the field. With the completion of your pup’s formalized training with FIT Point Bird Dogs comes the beginning of the reinforcement training phase which will last for years to come. There must be boundaries, rules, and expectations that are enforced in the home and in the field.
We want you to be as involved in your dog’s training as you desire to be. You are not only welcome to attend training sessions but encouraged to. We find this helps you understand our methods and helps to strengthen the bond and confidence between you and your dog in the field. We only ask that you give us a minimum of 24-hour notice prior to showing up.
The length of training greatly depends on the combination of a few things. The experience of the dog, the desired end state of training and of course the weather. Your pup’s health is of the utmost concern to us and plays into our decisions of when to take them to the bird field.
Nothing flies like a quail, but a quail and it is for this reason that we primarily utilize Northern Bobwhite Quail in the training of your dog. In addition to the quail, we also utilize homing pigeons as a means to build steadiness and introduce young pups to birds and the gun breaking process. We also maintain several Ringneck Pheasants which we utilize to train tracking in pups we are preparing for entrance into a North American Versatile Hunding Dog Association (NAVHDA), Natural Ability (NA) test. We have found the combination of these birds for various aspects of the training to be a key factor in helping your dog reach its full potential.
