Puppy Backgrounding

We believe this is the most important and fundamental part of a dog’s upbringing and training. Backgrounding can begin as soon as 8 weeks. After successfully completing backgrounding, your puppy will be well socialized and have the basic obedience training they need to proceed into Gun Dog Training, or go home to integrate with your family.

Puppies enrolled in backgrounding will learn:

• Name recognition
• Housebreaking
• Crate Training
• Threshold training
• Sit & Recall
• Place training
• Socialization with other dogs

Puppies who do not come right in at 8 weeks will be evaluated for backgrounding, but the pace of learning may be different based on early upbringing.

Basic Gun Dog

During Basic Gun Dog training we build upon the steadiness and core skills learned in backgrounding and begin building the basic skills of retrieving. During this training, we encourage visits from our clients who will learn how we train and handle the dogs which is an important step to ensuring a successful transition back home.

Dogs enrolled in Basic Gun Dog Training will be introduced and exposed to:

• Place training in the field and in the home.
• Focus on Obedience
  • Steadiness training
  • Heeling under varying conditions
• Hold Conditioning
• Trailing memories
• Introduction to water
• Circle memories
• Introduction to live birds
• Introduction to gun fire

Most dogs will spend 5-6 months in Basic Gun Dog Training, but this varies based on breeding, temperament and prior training.

Advanced Gun Dog

Advanced Gun Dog training is for the serious hunter who is looking to build upon and refine the skills their dog has learned in Basic Gun Dog training. Based on interviews with the client, we will develop a personalized training program that builds the necessary skills to meet your expectations. Advanced gun dog training will include waterfowl hunting, upland hunting or both.

Dogs enrolled in Advanced Gun Dog Training will have the following skills entrenched:

• Trailing memories
• Circle memories
• Time-delayed memories
• Marks
• Hunting in thick cover
• Remote stop to the whistle
• Three-handed casting
• Switching on doubles
• Sit to flush
• Blind retrieves

Waterfowl dogs will have the majority of their training focused in and around water, learning to work through decoy spreads, out of blinds and out of dog hides. Upland dogs will be trained to sit to the flush, quarter in close proximity to the hunter, mark downed birds, and hunt in thick cover.

Because of the individualized nature of Advanced Gun Dog Training, there is not a set time that dogs spend in this program. Expectations are set by the owners and we build an estimated plan that typically ranges from 6-9 months.

Handler Workshops

Our Basic Handler’s Workshop and Advanced Handler’s workshop are specifically designed for our clients who prefer to train their own dogs using The Wildrose Way. The limited size of our workshops ensure individualized attention for each participant while getting the benefit of group work. Basic Handlers is not a prerequisite for Advanced Handlers, but dogs enrolled in Advanced Handlers will need to pass a basic proficiency test. Clients enrolled in our Handler Workshops will have full access to; Wildrose Training videos, written training aids and access to our trainers for individual consultation between workshops.

Adventure Dog Workshops

Wildrose has developed a unique training program called Wildrose Adventure Dog. In this program, dogs and their handlers can earn merits toward becoming Trail rated, Adventure Dog Certified and Master Trekker. The merits that are offered include; Hiking, Mountain Biking, Shooting, Watercraft, Off Road Vehicles, Transportation, Public Access, Cross Country Skiing, Shed Hunting, Fishing, Flying and Camping. Owners and their dogs can participate in group workshops, or Wildrose trainers can work on these skills as part of an in-house training program.

Tune Ups

Based on availability, clients are able to bring in their dogs, space permitting, for a minimum of 4 weeks to work on specific skills they need to learn or behaviors that need correcting. First priority will be given to existing Wildrose dogs that we have trained.

Private Training Lessons

Similar to Handler Workshops, we recognize and appreciate that some of our clients would like to try Training the Wildrose Way on their own, but need some help from time to time working through issues and transitions. Our trainers will establish a customized training program for you based on your dog’s current skills and what you would like to accomplish. After each session, owners will receive written feedback on what is working well, where more focus is needed and what to prepare for in advance of our next session. Training is done on an hourly basis.