Developing elite hunting dogs through foundational exercises designed to build critical thinking and independence.
At Surefire Kennels, we believe that developing hunting dogs is a team effort. Handlers share their goals and we add our knowledge and experience to bring clarity to their training. Ultimately, we listen to the dog to determine how those goals are met.
No two dogs are alike. The combination of independence, desire, cooperation and biddability is unique to each individual. Every dog has its own combination of exposures and routines. The opportunity to mold and shape that dog’s talent is an exciting journey that we are thrilled to go on with their owners.
Foundation is key to every dog’s learning. We focus on ensuring that a dog has a solid foundation which allows the handler to build upon for years to come. At each step of the foundation progression, we confirm the dog’s understanding of each task. This gives the dog a solid platform to be successful in more advanced training.
First Exposures
Introductory exposures for the young puppy to develop their natural ability in field and water, as well as building confidence.
Obedience
Obedience is the core to all of our foundational work for dogs at all stages of development from molding basic commands for the eager puppy all the way to fine tuning skills in the most advanced bird dogs.
Foundation
Foundation work is key to the longevity of all training sequences. It is through a solid foundation that all of a dog’s advanced level training comes to fruition.
Trained Retrieve
Retrieve training is a critical component of a hunting dog. We develop a dog’s understanding of this task with
- hold and carry
- table work
- overlay stimulation
- exercises on land & water
Water Work
After laying a solid trained retrieve foundation, we take the work to the water. We encourage the dog to develop a love for the water. We build a dog’s independence to effectively tackle a pond in search for downed game. Also, we train more advanced sequences such as blind retrieves and multiple mark scenarios.
Field Work
After laying a solid whoa foundation, we take the dogs to the field to work on all levels of steadiness. Field work is the core of any upland pointing dog. We build cooperation and obedience in the dog to remain steady to the level desired by the handler. Developing a dog’s natural desire to honor is a key to ensuring a safe hunt when in the field with other dogs and handlers.
Developing Handlers
We love developing dog owners into dog handlers! We appreciate owners that want to be involved in their dog’s training and to understand the “why’s” behind their dog’s behavior. We encourage handlers to stay updated throughout a dog’s training time with us and we make sure they are working as a cohesive team prior to going home.
Meet Our Assistants
Our ultimate gauge in how a dog is progressing with their foundational training is by utilizing our assistants. Not only do Makenzie and Kaytlyn enjoy providing love, treats, distractions and attention to any dog in training at the kennel, but they also play an integral part in our program. We know we have reached our goals in developing a dog’s understanding of a task when our assistants can successfully and effectively command a dog on the skills they have learned.
Along with their eye and patience for dog training, their passion for ‘all things dog’ has taken them down other avenues of expressing their artistic sides. Makenzie is a fantastic artist with a passion for animal portraits pastel pencils. Kaytlyn captures our hunting and training adventures with her incredible photographs. We love watching them pursue their dreams!
We have been blessed to work with incredible owners. We are truly humbled to have the opportunity to train and test these spectacularly talented dogs.
Homing Pigeons
Correctly using birds in field work training is such a critical tool. Homing pigeons are an invaluable resource for a lot of versatile hunting dog training. These indispensable training tools allows us to really drill down to the component that a dog needs clarity on and provide the stimulation, scenario and reinforcement to find success.
Homing pigeons used in combination with well flying chukar can improve a dog’s understanding in the field and help a dog meet their field steadiness foundation goals as well as develop a honest team player for years of hunting to come.