GUNDOG TRAINING SERVICES

We have a combined total of 35 years plus training between Tate Martinsen and myself. We know how to get the best from your dog but we also know when to find the balance between shaping your dogs hunting career and when we are truly training for a particular exercise.

ELEMENTARY BIRD DOG ACADEMY

Our Puppy Bird and Gun Introduction Program is one of the most important building blocks to starting your baby bird dog on its career for hunting and performance testing. Our 6-8 week program is an intensive bird dog camp where your pup learns to search for birds and point them. Your pups natural retrieve will be fostered and shaped to its maximum potential all while becoming accustomed to the sound of gunfire. Give your pup the best opportunity for its best hunting career!

TRAINED RETRIEVE PROGRAM

Our 6-9 week program for teaching your dog to retrieve birds to hand is an intensive and focused process for all breeds of hunting and performance dogs. We teach your dog to HOLD, FETCH, and DELIVER to hand dead and live game. The dog is worked through focused obedience work with an emphasis on becoming competent in offering the correct behavior through the use of the training collar. We finish every dog's training with the shooting of live birds to ensure that the dog will behave even in high prey drive circumstances. Trust us to teach your dog the foundation for NAVHDA's Duck Search and Blind Retrieves for the Versatile Hunting dog.

ADVANCED GUNDOG TRAINING

Wanting a steady dog in the face of birds and guns? We offer steadiness training for hunting and performance dogs. Dogs are worked on live birds and taught the foundations of "whoa" training through basic obedience all the way up to understanding e-collar stimulation. Our program adapts to YOUR DOGS Temperament, We are both trained in many different forms of steady training ranging from the famous "Steady with Style" type of training and the Rick Smith "Whoa Post" training with variations in between. We adapt to what your dog needs to understand and learn appropriately. Style and obedience are of utmost importance!

Competition Training and Testing

We train dogs to their potential and to meet the standards of the NAVHDA Hunting Dog Testing System. Tate and I have both been successfully training and testing dogs professionally for a combined 20 years. Training programs for NAVHDA Utility and Invitational Testing are highly variable amongst dogs. We also test your dog in the systems as well.

Call for specific information regarding timing and work involved to train and test your dog.

OBEDIENCE TRAINING

An obedient dog is a pleasure to be around. We provide one - two month long obedience programs for your dog. Beginning obedience and leadership training is taught to your dog with commands like sit, stay, place, kennel, come/hear, and leave it. We can include electronic training collar training and when your dog has completed the program, we will teach you how to cultivate and encourage your dog to accept your leadership.

BOARDING

Trust us to care for your dog while you're away. We take limited numbers of boarding dogs as long as your dog has been fully vaccinated. Our facility is temperature controlled with indoor kennels, and we provide Purina Pro Plan food to all of our clients. Call us for daily rates!

Meet Our Trainers

Expertise paired with dog sense....

Trust us with training your dog for performance, hunting, or everyday living. Tate Martinsen has handled and competed with over 100 dogs in the NAVHDA dog testing system. His success speaks volumes, 5 Versatile Champions, Over 39 PRIZED Utility titled dogs with 26 of those receiving prize 1's. His success with puppies is proven with over 35 prized puppies.

Bridget Nielsen focuses on the vizsla breed for training and testing and she has been highly successful testing puppies with almost all of her pups receiving Prize 1's. Utility testing with vizslas can be like a roller coaster but with that in mind, she has Prized 20 dogs in the Utility Testing system in addition to Earning 2 Versatile Champions with her personal dogs.

We bring adaptability, experience, and true understanding of the hunting dog to your dog's training experience. In particular, we have an intimate understanding of vizslas and know how to manage the breed for training and testing.