Training the Trainer?

grecothrown · Post by **grecothrown** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 11:33 am

I have a 7 month old setter that I want to train myself. I read numerous books and watched DVD's, you tube and even spent time at a few field trials before picking up my puppy so I knew what I was getting myself into. I trained a few labs previously and called it a success by own personal standards. I have been doing the yard work and we go on walks in the fields. I am ready to start doing some very formal training and this is where I feel I won't succeed on my own.

Here is my dilemma - I am trying to find someone or a club that is willing to help me learn about training while training this puppy. I do not want to send her away to "summer school". I do not want to hire someone for 1 hour every 3 or 4 weeks to help cure my mistakes. I am hoping to find a group of owners that get together and trade war stories and share in the knowledge. I am not opposed to paying for this knowledge or helping with anything that needs attended to.

I am not looking to take her to field trial competitions, just want a dog in the end that I do not impede her ability.

I am located in Northern Illinois / Southern Wisconsin - closer to Monroe than Chicago if that makes geographic sense?

AZ Brittany Guy · Post by **AZ Brittany Guy** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 6:49 am

I suggest that you find a NAVADA or Pointing dog club in your area. Attend a few meetings and get to know the most experienced people in the group.

PntrRookie · Post by **PntrRookie** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 7:46 am

grecothrown wrote:...I am located in Northern Illinois / Southern Wisconsin - closer to Monroe than Chicago if that makes geographic sense...

Some of the people from our 12 O'clock FTC http://www.12oclockftc.com/ get together on Sunday mornings (or different days by request), up near Burlington, WI at Dale Creek Gundogs to train. Let me know if you would be interested in meeting a bunch of us and I will find out the schedule. Summer may be a little more sparatic (sp?), but they/we do meet.

Where did you get your setter from? I have 2

shags · Post by **shags** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 11:20 am

Don't get in a big hurry. Just because *you* are ready for 'some very formal training' does not mean that your puppy is. She's still a little baby and IME setters do better if you go slow and easy and leave the 'formal' stuff alone until they're after a year old, minimum. Push too soon, and pay the price later. Setters are not like labs; foster her independence, let her learn to hunt, work on house manners, but leave the heavy duty stuff alone for now. Think in terms of developing your bird dog, and you'll have a great hunting partner for years to come.

dobrostarr · Post by **dobrostarr** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 11:28 am

I'm looking for the same thing in Southwest Ga!

AZ Brittany Guy · Post by **AZ Brittany Guy** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 11:40 am

If I were in your shoes, I would Google the breed club for my dog. I would find the local chapter and contact them. Shags is right, take your time. Don't throw your first grader into a 12th grade math class.

gundogguy · Post by **gundogguy** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 3:25 pm

grecothrown wrote:I have a 7 month old setter that I want to train myself. I read numerous books and watched DVD's, you tube and even spent time at a few field trials before picking up my puppy so I knew what I was getting myself into. I trained a few labs previously and called it a success by own personal standards. I have been doing the yard work and we go on walks in the fields. I am ready to start doing some very formal training and this is where I feel I won't succeed on my own.

Here is my dilemma - I am trying to find someone or a club that is willing to help me learn about training while training this puppy. I do not want to send her away to "summer school". I do not want to hire someone for 1 hour every 3 or 4 weeks to help cure my mistakes. I am hoping to find a group of owners that get together and trade war stories and share in the knowledge. I am not opposed to paying for this knowledge or helping with anything that needs attended to.

I am not looking to take her to field trial competitions, just want a dog in the end that I do not impede her ability.

I am located in Northern Illinois / Southern Wisconsin - closer to Monroe than Chicago if that makes geographic sense?

I did what you are asking for, for some 30 years. As a trainer I took dogs in for training and in addition offered training classes for owners and their dogs that did not wish to go through separation. I offered classes Spring, Summer, and Fall for 12 weeks each of those periods of times, covering all breeds of sporting dogs. My schedule was Monday,Tuesday,Thurs evenings 5 till dark and Weds mornings 8 to Noon.
During that period of time literally hundreds of dogs and there owners attended one or more of my annual semesters of training. The majority of the dogs were just as the OP described pet hunter companions. However I did instruct over a 200 Test qualifiers of all breeds. with Master hunter qualified dogs as Retrievers (1 breed) Spaniels (4 different breeds) and Pointers (2 breeds).
And of course Springer and Cocker field trial dogs.
My point is with my contacts in the training world that I have i have never known of a PRO that structured and marketed a weekly or even monthly training program for dog and owner on a year round basis the way mine was structured.
Personally for me I was never comfortable with weekend seminars and workshops as the Presenter, though as an intendee i always came away with information I could use.
I'm retired now though it was a printing press for a some 30 yrs. I do miss the challenges that such a program always presented.

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