BUDS update home stretch.... Basic Utility Dog School....

Looking good...

My wife, my son and myself....

Pretty pup!

Great looking pup..

reading.. all of the Richard Wolters' books...

he doesn't work on correcting problems...


problem gun dogs bill tarrant....

and
Retriever Training for Spaniels

by Pamela Owen Kadlec

I have owned and trained several pretty good retrievers and pointers... have a ribbon or two from trials and tests....

I also have a book written in the 20s that has my great grandfathers hand written notes that i refer to on rare occasions.

I have been lucky and more importantly my son has been lucky to rub elbows with some of the best dog people out there....


fwiw... in my book a pro trainer is not one who brings a trailer full of dogs to a hunt test and gets a handful of ribbons.. a pro - is one who can beat others at their game.

I am 49 years old - I have been around bird dogs since I was 12... I have never had one that I felt needed force fetching....

although I did go halfway a couple of times... I am a believer in once you take the spirit out of a dog - u can't put it back.... I have force fetched other peoples dogs....



also read a lot of larry mueller's stuff

beautiful dog. is it your first Boykin?

You have to gauge a dog to determine whether or not to FF. Some dogs can take it, some can't. Some dogs NEED it, some don't. I went through very light FF with my golden and she's fine. She's got a sensitive personality though, so I knew my limits. I FFed a chocolate for a friend and it made his personality 100% better. Much more biddable, much more attentive. I have also hunted and worked with dogs that I would never even think about pinching because they were just too soft.

ETA: great looking dog.