This course covers a balanced approach to the trained retrieve and is suitable for gun dogs and companion dogs alike! Because of our unique approach, this course is fine for young dogs as long as they have their adult teeth. The timing of the course puts handlers who participate in NAVHDA or JGV tests in a very good position to maximize their training season in preparation for the HZP, UPT, and UT tests. With the retrieve completed by early March, you'll have all Spring and Summer to train your water work and dragged game retrieves on a comfortable timeline.
No special equipment is needed. You'll be able to use things you already have around your home. On the off chance that any additional equipment is needed, it will cost less than $20 from a hardware store.
The process we will follow in this course:
Teach behaviors with rewards. This builds confidence and enthusiasm.
When things are going well, introduce pressure (your choice of a number of options) that will be used to enforce compliance. This builds responsibility and reliability while maintaining a good attitude.
Once the basic behavior is taught, we will layer remote collar on top of the behavior for additional versatility, and reliability at great distances
After the core retrieve behavior is taught, additional lessons cover initial yardwork drills applicable to hunting dogs, as well as utility/service applications such as fetching named objects, opening doors, and flipping light switches.
There are no prerequisites for this course but a solid understanding of dog training concepts and a conditioned reward marker are strongly recommended.
This course meets at the same day/time for 8 consecutive weeks and participants will maintain access to the class recordings for 6 months after the course is complete. Class recordings will be shared with the group the day after the live session, so if you need to miss sessions, you will still have access to the content.
Additionally, participants will receive access to our online training theory course in advance and keep access to it indefinitely. This ensures everyone has a baseline understanding of critical concepts that impact all dog training endeavors.
Finally, if you need additional assistance, Nate will be offering “office hours” both in person and online. These 30 minute private sessions provide one on one support for class participants on an ad hoc basis for $25/session. Sessions are available in Baltimore City, MD, South Central PA, and online via Google Meet.