HRCH Sterling

Training Programs and Services 

Basic Obedience Training - 

All of our programs start with basic obedience. Dogs will be taught "sit", "here", "heel", "place" and "kennel".  Nobody likes a dog that is out of control. The place command is useful for dogs that stay inside. We offer crate training for inside dogs as well. 

​Early Puppy Training - age 7 weeks to 5 months. 

More and more trainers are offering early puppy training.  The benefits include but are not limited to: better obedience, earlier finish time of overall training, less development of bad habits.  This early puppy training program can be especially handy to one who wants a serious gun dog and wants to skip the puppy at home part.  There will still be plenty of time to bond with your dog after training is complete. 

Retriever Training (Gundog training) - Age 5 months and up... 

All of our programs start with basic obedience.  Dogs will be taught "sit", "here", "heel", "place" and "kennel".  In these basic commands lies the basis of what the dog will do in his or her hunting life.  Go, stop, come,  and---of course, RETRIEVE. That should be bred into the dog but we also teach the conditioned retrieve known as "force fetch".  Once the dog is through obedience, we teach the dog to "hold" the bird and then we teach the dog to "fetch" on command.  The force fetch is also the "impetus" that gets the dog going for blind retrieves (when the dog does not see the bird fall). 

Started Dog Program - 

Basic obedience, gun breaking, intro to birds and decoys, basic marking (shotgun range), conditioned retrieve (force fetch). At the end of this time your dog should be steady to the gun, mark a shot and fallen bird, deliver the bird to hand. 

Transition/Finished Dogs - 

Dogs will have completed the started dog program to move into the transition and finished dog training.  After force fetch, we start with force to pile. This builds into the dog going on a blind retrieve (when he did not see a bird fall), more marking, and hand signal drills.  At the end of this training, the dog should be able to mark multiple falls, and run blind retrieves (go to a bird that was not seen).  Dog would also be ready to run Seasoned Hunt Tests in HRC. 

HRC hunt tests -

We run several hunt tests each Spring to get dogs titled. We will gladly run your dog as well. This not only reinforces their training but makes each dog a much better hunting companion and conditions them to handle many different hunting setups. Call or email for more details about getting your dog Titled. 

Dog Boarding -

Don't worry about your hunting buddy while you are away, we will take good care of them. Our boarding fee is a very competitive $20/day per dog. We feed Sport Mix. Unless your dog is on a special diet, there is no need to bring anything, just your dog. We will be happy to keep them! ~ Be sure to call ahead to ensure we have kennel space available. 

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                       I like to barter or trade, please email to discuss.  info@huntinweatherretrievers.com • 325-262-1713