Dynamic DIY offers a mentored training program for dog owners. Traditionally people attempting to train their own dogs through the use of books and/or videos are not as successful as they could be under the guidance of an experienced and successful trainer. For the amateur trainer wanting to train successfully by being fair and thorough, Dynamic DIY is the perfect option.
Choosing the right puppy or stud dog for your female is a big decision and should not be taken lightly. Dynamic Retrievers does not engage directly in the breeding of dogs or gain monetarily from puppy sales, etc. We do help guide people in choosing an appropriate match for their needs and wants. Many of these puppies end up in our training program down the road. The result is that we get to train talented dogs, which makes our job a lot easier and more fun and rewarding for the trainer, owners, and of course the dog!
Having personally owned dogs with a variety of backgrounds and lineage, and having trained hundreds and hundreds or dogs with varied pedigrees, I will tell you that on average, the more well-bred a dog is, the better that dog will be. This includes temperament, natural talent, trainability, and health.
Before even looking at future breedings or considering which stud dog to use, one should first determine the most important traits that you want. Think about what you want in a dog or what you want to produce in your litter. One person may want to produce more laid back, casual hunting and house pets, while another person may want a dog to hunt with 60 days a year and run field trials in the off season. Generally speaking, we all want the same thing in our dogs. We want healthy and mentally stable dogs that are trainable and fun to be around. We differ in the things we want these dogs to do for us and personal preferences such as color, size, gender,and breed.
Being active in retriever competitions exposes us to a lot of different dogs, we get to know these dog’s characteristics and see those same characteristics in their offspring. Many dogs that we have trained and handled are also eventually bred and many of those offspring end up in our training program.
Give Tim or Lauren a call or email, and we will help point you in the right direction. You and your future dog(s) deserve the best shot at being a Perfect Match!
Although we seldom have started dogs for sale, we often know of a few that are and can help you in finding a good match. Started dogs are one of the best values in the dog world. You can see the realized talent, abilities, and looks of a dog versus the hypothetical potential that a puppy has.
If you would like more information please contact us.
Puppy socialization is available at Dynamic Retrievers. We can only take one puppy between the age of 7 weeks to 5 months old for socialization. Puppy will live inside, taken into the community for social outings, socialized to the training environment and trailer, introduced to birds, fun retrieves, fun obedience games, and thinking games meant to take advantage and optimize this vital time of brain development. Puppy training most closely follows Bill Hillmann’s philosophy of encouraging “balance” from the beginning. We absolutely recommend the Hillmann puppy training DVD for those working with their own pup. Go to WWW.HAWKEYEMEDIA.NET for more info.
We conduct field trial training for puppies through early all-age training. Handling services are offered for the derby and qualifying stakes. For most dogs, running a lot of derbies is a detriment in the long run, therefore we encourage running a few derbies for the dog’s experience but avoiding “derby fever.” The
qualifying stake requires a more balanced dog, running marks and blinds, versus strictly marks in the derby. A derby dog can be wild and out of control and still win or earn a placement. The problem with that is when their derby career ends at age 2, the dog is not prepared for more advanced work and has developed bad habits in competition. We do not handle dogs in the open all-age stake, but we can make recommendations that are a good match for you and your dog.
We encourage our owners to run their own dogs and are happy to offer advice during training to improve the human’s skills as well.
Young dog development for those wanting a well-trained hunting dog and family companion has been and continues to be an important part of the training going on at Dynamic Retrievers. We ourselves are hunters and understand the importance of having a well behaved yet stylish retriever afield. We generally take in young dogs at around 6 months of age, and like owners to commit to a minimum of three months of training. This allows us to take the time and do things right, without unnecessarily rushing or pushing a dog too much. Solid basics, although not very exciting, are very important to a young hunting dog’s entire career. Your dog will learn obedience, formal hold and fetch training, bird and gun training, water and land marks, upland hunting, and exposure to decoys and other hunting scenarios.
For those wanting a finished waterfowl dog, it is highly recommended to continue training to include hand signal and blind retrieve training. This is often 2-4 months more of training, depending on the natural skill level of the dog and the amount of training desired.
The biggest reason dogs struggle in hunt tests is because some aspect(s) of their early training is weak or missing. Temptation to run dogs that are very young and/or rushing to run a dog without adequate training also limits their success in the future. These dogs often fail to reach their full potential and the lack of proper training can result in frustration for the dog and handler throughout the dog’s life. Good habits are a result of proper training conducted over a long enough period of time and in a variety of places.
The best way to train a hunt test dog is to train it for field trials! Although we do not require hunt test dogs to complete some of the longer retrieves, their training is initially the same as field trials dogs. This is the best way to teach proper marking and blind running skills. These dogs transition very easily to running hunt tests with only a week or two of hunt test exposure. A hunt test dog’s training should largely resemble field trial training, without extreme distances, for their entire career!
Lauren runs a few hunt tests in Texas and then typically has a more intense hunt test running schedule while in Minnesota during the spring and summer. Lauren handles dogs in the junior, senior, and master stakes. Tim is very supportive of the hunt test program but no longer runs dogs in hunt tests. We strongly encourage our clients to run their own dog(s), it’s a lot of fun!
For owners who want their dog ran in the master national events, a great option is to have basics, transition, and early advanced work done on their young dog at Dynamic Retrievers. The solid foundation work will serve the dog well throughout their career.
Owners that have a dog in training or had a dog in training with us are always invited to train with us, just give us a call a day or two ahead of time. For everyone else please call Tim or Lauren to discuss options.
“What the Books Don’t Tell You,” seminars have been gaining in popularity. The seminar is a thought-provoking combination of classroom and field work with handlers and dogs. Meant to compliment any training program, we discuss core and basic principles that underlie any solid training approach. Topics include a dog’s mentality, understanding dominance and submissiveness in a pack, the tools of pressure and exactly how much pressure is ok to use and when to use it, and how to maximize your dog’s learning. Contact Tim or Lauren for more info. Typically a 2 or 3 day seminar.
Dynamic Retrievers specialize in training young dogs (retriever breeds) for field trials, hunt tests, and hunting. Our basics and transition training is very thorough and ensures that each dog is properly conditioned to have the tools needed for a successful lifetime of competing and/or hunting.
Most dogs begin their training with us at around 5-6 months of age. We strongly encourage owners to utilize the DVD “Training a Retriever Puppy with Bill Hillmann,” prior to bringing us their youngster.
Training begins with bird introduction, obedience, fun retrieves, teaching the hold, drop, and fetch commands, and a complete and fair collar conditioning process that focuses on improved effort from your dog. We also begin teaching marks in a manner that is highly successful for your pup, and develops proper marking mechanics with a great attitude. We work hard to establish good habits and prevent bad ones!
As your youngster advances we start teaching the skills needed to handle. This means a conditioned response to the ‘back’ command, whistle stops, and hand signal direction changes. Your dog is now learning to run blind retrieves and, if needed, handle on a mark. Marking is an important skill and helps maintain and build a positive attitude in training, therefore, your dog is getting marks and is progressing in distance, difficulty, and is learning basic doubles, triples, and retired guns.
Our philosophy at Dynamic Retrievers prioritizes proper care and health of your dog. Next, we make sure your dog has a great attitude and love for birds and retrieving. When we combine good health and a great training attitude with the right dose of control and obedience, the result is the best dog your dog can be!
Some of our clients have very specific goals for their pup, such as strictly hunting or strictly field trials, but a growing number are approaching the process in a more open minded manner. Many owners are wanting to see how their young dog develops and matures before making any firm decisions for their pup’s future endeavors. A common scenario is to purchase a well-bred pup with a basic minimum goal of a good hunting dog, then determining the dog’s skill level before committing to more advanced training for competitions (field trials and/or hunt tests).