that he talked Jim Busch's (my Vizsla breeder's) head off at a trial once and still didn't miss a beat.
Can a trainer be good at training all breeds? Yes, perhaps. But training a retriever to mark and a pointer to point is like knowing Longfellow verse and how to design a website, both deal with words but they are totally different tasks. Many large general training facilities can handle different types of dogs, I wanted trainers that only specialized in my breed.
OK so your convinced your dog should go into training, what next? I would call around to find a few trainers you are interested in, in your area. I want to inspect the facility, as I did in each case and wrote about them.
Look to see that the facility is well run and clean. I like to watch the dogs as the trainers enter. Do the dogs cower and run to the far side of the pen, or are they excited to see the trainer. The trainers in our case love their dogs as much as the dogs like them. Ask if they train with e-collars, neither of these trainers did.
Ask about the training program, will they be using live birds? It's a must. Jenny is in Idaho training on WILD birds. And yes you will be paying extra for the birds they use.
Ask about what happens after the 30 days. In both cases I will spend some time with the trainers so I understand how my dogs have been trained to I don't screw-up the training I paid for. This is the biggest complaint I have heard from both sides. It only takes an afternoon to screw-up a well trained dog.
Then when you have finally decided on a trainer and a price make the appointment. I called for Jenny and Scooby a month and a half a head of time. I picked July for several reasons. First our vacations. Seconds trainers are many times campaigning dogs in April, May and June and don't have much time for training. Third I want to work with my dogs for a few weeks before bird season. So my options became, July and August. So there you are.
I have already gotten updates from Tony and Scooby is doing well and loves birds and the gun. Jenny has been gone a month, and next week I pick her up, I'm sure she'll be in great shape and ready to hunt.
In the October-November issue I'll tell you the second half of taking your dog to a trainer. What happens AFTER you pick up your dog and what I learned from the entire experience.

Dennis Guldan Hails from New Brighton, MN by way of Marshfield, WI