Shed Introduction is 2 weeks long. (Dogs must be at least 5 months old.)
The Shed Introduction is a key step in starting a companion shed hunting dog. This program is designed to bring out and enhance your dog’s natural retrieving instincts. In this program your dog will be introduced to shed antlers, as well as an evaluation for further training. All dogs in this program are worked on a check cord to develop a retrieve. All phases of this program are positive and fun. We will not work on obedience in this program because we want to bring out the drive and natural desire of each individual puppy.
Shed Dog Intermediate Program (Dogs must be at least 8 months old.)
The program is 12 weeks long. If your dog has already done our Gun Dog Intermediate class then the Shed Program is 6 weeks. The first two weeks of this 6 weeks is the Shed evaluation week for dogs who have already done the Gun Dog Intermediate.
This program is designed to give your dog one on one attention. We will establish on and off leash control of your dog. This will give you control of your dog both at home and in the field. We will establish a whistle control. We will force fetch your dog for a finish to heel delivery and hold until you give the command to release the shed into your hand. All dogs will be worked under a wide range of shed hunting conditions. This will consist of sight and scent training in wooded areas as well as search and find in food plots as well as grasslands. Special emphasis on nose development and sight identification training. If we have any concerns with the training of your dog we will call during the first month of the program.
Your key part in this program is to call at the 1 month mark and leave a message with the office staff for your trainer. Because our trainers spend most of their day working with the dogs to ensure every dog reaches their full potential, you will need to leave a message. The trainer will call you and go over the progress of your individual dog. He also will schedule your 3 lessons at that time. These lessons are crucial for you to attend. The lessons will go over the commands and steps you need to know to keep your dog’s skills sharp. You will also learn the drills that you need to work on to establish team work between yourself and your dog. These lessons will be approximately an hour and a half long. It is crucial that you are on time so you can go over these drills and any questions you may have about your individual dog. These lessons will be scheduled on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and occasionally on Saturdays from 8:00am to 3:30pm. We do not schedule the days completely full because our trainers continue to train each dog on those days.
