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  1. #11
    House Broken EvanG's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by barry581 View Post
    Thanks for all the replies. The biggest negative for me is the 4-5 months he'd be gone. I really don't want to miss the time with him. I'm having so much fun with him, and he's learning so much. We had our second CGC class tonight and he did so well!

    I think if I actually was going to shoot over him, it would be worth the investment in time and money. There is a Dock Dogs training place fairly close to us, and I'm going to take him to the next practice day in September. I just wish there were more training classes/opportunities close by. The nearest training for Rally, Agility, etc is an hour away. It sure would be nice to have some closer!
    Let me just touch on a couple things. First, everyone should come to understand a few things about this subject. First, try not to obsess about time. Training takes as long as it takes, and that varies dog to dog. Quality training tends to take a bit longer. The same applies to the fees charged by pros. If you're a quality pro, and you're not charging over $400 per month, you're under valuing yourself. A good pro is worth the money they charge...period. There is a difference, of course. To be a pro a person only needs to charge for doing it. That's no guarantee they're actually good at it. Shop wisely.

    As a client, you need to decide if you want your dog trained, or if you want your dog trained well. A good pro has a good reputation, and that should be verified by references. Good luck!

    EvanG

  2. #12
    House Broken LuckyLuna's Avatar
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    Hunt training is 100% out of my field of knowledge so my comments are purely based on other reasoning.

    From your own comments: You don't plan to hunt or show in hunt. You may or may not want to breed for a future pup for yourself. You would miss the opportunity to further bond with your dog for 3-4 months. Sending off for boarding and training is expensive.

    No one can ever show the love and care to your dog in a group setting that you can at home. Why not get a pro to work with you and your dog together as feasible. I can't imagine that you wouldn't be satisfied with that in the long run.

  3. #13
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    I really appreciate everyone's comments and feedback. Since Bruce is so young, I don't see any reason why I couldn't give training him myself a shot. He's proven to be pretty smart and biddable, and since I will never truly hunt him, I don't really worry about screwing things up.

    Again, thanks to everyone for giving me a lot off good things to think about.

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to barry581 For This Useful Post:

    BaconsMom (08-14-2014)

  5. #14
    Senior Dog Maxx&Emma's Avatar
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    I couldn't send one if mine off for that long and don't hunt so it would be pointless, IMO. We recently started tracking work and did nosework for a year, Maxx loves them both and they are lots of fun. I think keeping them busy and engaged is really important.
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    Ozzy - 10/2002 - 06/2011 - Rest well my sweet boy. You are forever remembered, forever missed, forever in my heart.

  6. #15
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    I met with the trainer today and I was thoroughly impressed. The kennels we clean and orderly, and the facilities were all top notch. We spent over 2 1/2 hours just sitting and talking, walking around the grounds, etc. They breed both Labs and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, and in addition to boarding, do obedience and gundog training of all types. In addition to the Labs and Chessie's, he had a few different spaniels there for training, one who was close to his MH title. He had two litters of pups on the ground, one of Labs, one of Chessie's. So stinkin' cute too!!! As we were leaving they we loading all the puppies up to take them for a swim in one of the ponds. He invited us to go watch, but we had already been there much longer than planned so we declined. I would have loved to have seem that though!

    I did book both dogs to be boarded with him when we go to the UK next month, but I still haven't decided on having Bruce trained. After meeting with him, I can say I'd have no issues with having him train Bruce. I guess my only real decision now is if I really need him as a trained gundog!

 



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