Hiring a Professional Dog Trainer
This is Chris Colt - he is my new neighbor and friend here in Annabella, Utah. He has been training hunting dogs for over 14 years. I have had the opportunity to hunt behind several of the dogs he trained and was very impressed. He focuses a great deal on obedience and getting the dogs experience on wild birds. We will be placing our new Brittany spaniel with Chris and his family for training during the next 12 months. I am anxious to see what he can do with our little Brittany puppy Annie.
Besides having a lot more experience than me in training gun dogs, there are a few other reasons we decided to go this route. First, Chris has a home and family where dogs are allowed inside the house and are accepted as members of the family pack. My wife won't allow dogs inside of our house. Second, Chris had never trained a Brittany before and was excited about the opportunity to become familiar with another dog breed. He has mostly trained labs and wirehairs in the past. Finally, I like Chris and his family and this gives me another excuse to hang out at his house and visit him often.
Most of the time when you send your dog away to a professional dog trainer it is usually miles away and often times out of State. Since Chris is just a few blocks away it makes the long distance concern a non-issue. I do have a few concerns about whether a dog can adopt a new family and home after spending it's first year of life with another. I am hoping we can make the transition smoothly when the time comes next year. If you get a chance you can read more about Cove Mountain Kennels where Chris and his wife Julie run a small dog boarding facility out of their home that they call a "Bed and Biscuit" for dogs.