Training Objectives

The Right Start Puppy Program

The Right Start Puppy Program starts your puppy out ensuring a well-rounded companion.  Let’s face it, nobody wants a dog that is amazing in the field with no personality or kennel manners.  We ensure that your puppy gets off on the right foot. 

Your puppy will be crate trained and begin kennel manners, be exposed to field stimuli from field noises, gunshots, other dogs, water, birds, etc along with household stimuli while also learning household manners. 

Puppies coming into this program arrive at 7-10 weeks.  We ensure that your puppy is given the “Right Start” to ensure you have a well-rounded companion.  The time that you spend teaching your retriever the “fundamentals” during the first few weeks/months of their lives will greatly impact their abilities, drive and intelligence.

The Puppy Preschool Program

This is the critical next step for all of the following programs we provide.  It is absolutely critical to ensure that your retriever is worked daily between 16 and 24 weeks.  This is the time when they are developing mental imprints to guide their abilities later in life.  Your pup’s desire is developing at this point and we strive to maximize that instinct to take them to their highest level and potential.

These absolutely critical lessons create a concrete base to build all future levels upon.  Our preschool program properly moves your puppy to the next levels in their exposure to birds, water, and other dogs in various situations.   Sixteen (16) week- old pups are accepted for this program. Training objectives can usually be reached much quicker with the program phases, and will pay off throughout their lives. 

This program will last until the movement into the None of the above next phase of training described objectives are a complicated science.  The issues arise if they are not done properly, consistently and with care.  Improperly trained “fundamentals” can result in lifelong problems such as fear of water, poor socialization, fear of gunfire, etc.

It is very important to break down every lesson into the smallest increments. Teaching and ensuring we positively reinforce every command helps to eliminate the pressure that can cause breakdown.
 

Field Trial Training

As noted for earlier training, it is very important to continue to break down every lesson into small increments.  Eliminating pressure and ensuring ease of performance is crucial for your competitor’s full understanding of their tasks.  We train for Derby, Qualifying and All-Age competitions. 

Dogs learn through repetition, positive reinforcement and correction when needed allowing continued success.  With this method of training, we ensure that the dogs have a clear understanding of what is expected while building solid foundations. 

Advancement to levels is taught in such a way that our dogs perform with confidence, control, and ongoing
desire.  Trial dogs are taught to learn to think for themselves and resolve problems/obstacles in the field, therefore allowing consistency and high-quality performances. 
 

Hunting Dog Program/Refresher 

A dog that completes our Hunting Dog Program will be a productive partner in the field. Your pup’s obedience will be evident with their full cooperation/understanding of the commands Here, Sit, Down, Kennel, Quiet, and Leave It.  Your dog will be capable of delivering game to your hand without delay. This dog should be capable of marking and retrieving single birds down for the hunter.

Your dog will be properly introduced to the electronic collar during obedience training and will accordingly obey commands quickly, but at the same time retain a good working attitude. This level of training usually takes 3-4 months to complete, depending on the dog’s natural ability.  Please remember that a pup with no training prior to this will take longer. During this program, your dog will learn all the basic necessities to be a good hunting companion.  This program is a mandatory three months in length.  If your companion has completed our Hunting Dog Program, we offer a refresher course that is 6 weeks in length.

Examples of Training Set-ups

When you are ready to take the next step and give your dog the best, we are ready to welcome you to the B2R family.

 We do limit the number of dogs in our program to no more than 22 to ensure that your dog receives the attention and training that you are guaranteed. 

The training is performed exclusively by Greg Sharer and is not passed on to an assistant.