Jared Moss and I have been training bird dogs together for nearly 2 years now. One of the things that brought us together was the Dave Walker training methods we learned at one of Dave Walker’s training seminars. We were both in awe when we saw the way Dave silently communicated with the dogs at the seminar. Perhaps after training thousands of bird dogs we will finally possess that uncanny ability of reading a dog’s thoughts. Dave Walker has that ability and by so doing he can bring dog’s a long way in a short time. One of the keys is reading the bird dog’s body language in a training situation. As we learned quickly in bird dog training, timing is everything.

One of the things that Jared is getting very good at is the “Stand Up, Stand Still” part of Dave Walker’s training method. Dave believes that before a bird dog can become great, he must first learn to stand up (meaning head high and tail high) and stand still (Whoa). We have been working with Sis on this part of training. She is a firecracker and is full of energy. She trembles when you make her stand still, but once she settles down she is able to learn and focus much better. Dave teaches “Stand Up, Stand Still” while walking the dog around the yard (away from birds). It is more a lesson of focus and attention than a matter of obedience. Once they do this consistently, he transitions to bird work.

I have had the opportunity to attend several of Dave Walker’s bird dog training seminars and also stud his book “The Bird Dog Training Manual”. I have learned so much by just watching him work with other people and their bird dogs. He has a natural talent for both and can communicate a lot of information in very few words. We are pleased to host a Dave Walker Training Seminar in Utah on May 11 and 12, 2012. You and your bird dog are invited to attend with us and learn from a hall of fame, professional bird dog trainer. The cost is $250 for two full days of training, including meals and lesson materials. 90% of the time will be spent working dogs on live birds. This is something you do not want to miss. You can signup here.

Just mailed my check in for the upcoming Dave Walker dog trainng seminar. I have heard so many good things about Dave and his training methods I just couldn’t pass up this opportunity. It’s being hosted by the Wasatch Front Brittany Club and it’s only a couple hours drive to the training grounds. The only hard part for me is deciding which dog to take with me to the seminar. Since Annie has been behaving so well I think I will take her, besides Dave Walker is a brittany guy anyway.

Another thing I am looking forward to is meeting some of the folks from the Utah Bird Dog Fourm who will also be attending the seminar. Since I live in a more rural part of the state it is sometimes hard to connect with fellow bird dog folks. I am hoping to talk to the folks at the Wasatch Brittany Club about the logistics of starting a bird dog club in Central Utah. A few of us have been kicking around the idea of starting a club for some time. The only trouble is we don’t know exactly how to go about it.

One thing we are considering is covering a broader spectrum of hunting dogs instead of specializing in one breed or breed type like pointers or retrievers. The idea is to welcome all hunting dogs and their owners, to get together and discuss training ideas and gear, and to do some fun hunts to prepare for testing or trialing. It seems like the hard-core guys hit the trialing/testing circuit hard during the summer months, but the casual hunters just kennel their dogs until hunting season. Hopefully, a bird dog club could be useful to both hunters and trialers alike.