A man called the other day and asked me if I did seminars. I said that yes I do seminars, handling lessons, private tutoring,evaluations,and/or general helping people with their bird dogs. But what he really wanted to know was.... did I teach people to train bird dogs.

    He said his son wanted to learn to train bird dogs and he was looking for an apprentice program. He asked did I offer anything like that?

   We were at Heartland Lodge a while back and I got to know Mike Retterer who is head guide/hunt master there. Mike was telling me his background which included agriculture studies and hotel/resturant management. He also said that he was working toward general manager there at the lodge. Mike can also train a bird dog. Today there is a bigger and bigger demand for qualified help in the lodge, hunt club, preserve business. I personaly know numerous people that are guides and we sell dogs regularly to them.

    Always in the past if someone learned to train bird dogs they probably learned by working for someone who trained bird dogs. But that avenue is

limited and also restricted as most of us have never thought much of actually training someone to be competition. I have had people who worked for me go into business for themselves and become direct competition, advertizing in the

same places I do. Duh.... I  don't think that the idea today is so much someone wanting to go into breeding, training and selling bird dogs full time as it is more that there are opportunities out there today for someone that is knowlegeable handler.

    There are outfitter/guide apprentice programs for big game hunting.

Learn the business hands on. There is a school for learning horse shoeing just down the road from me. People that like big game hunting can now make an income big game hunting. People that like horses can now make an income with horses. People that like bird hunting can now do the same thing.

     We have decided to offer an apprentice program that includes the following:  

• nice lodging provided on premises
• complete training of two dogs belonging to you during the program
• start to finish development of thirty green, dumb, don't know nothing dogs 
• see different breeds worked daily.... pointers, shorthairs, setters, brittnys,gordons and work with top bloodlines of all the breeds.
• be 100% involved in daily routine of checkcording,whoa, here, whistle and obedience training
• learn steady to flush, wing, shot and kill
• shoot 30-35 bobwhite daily
• learn basics of raising and using Bob White for training
• letter of recomendation/reference 
• hard work and lots of fun 

    We have also decided that since our training program is based on a three month time frame (most all dogs finish in three months) that the Apprentice

Program would work best based on a three month schedule too. That will 

allow for your dogs to finish training  (2700.00 value @ 450.00 per month training fees) and also for you to be involved start to finish with aproximately thirty dogs. That is a pretty good foundation for you to know enough to train a birddog start to finish.

    The cost of the program is 2000.00 monthly. We need a 90 day advance booking and first month paid at time of booking. We look forward to meeting and working with you!