• HOW DO YOU CHOSE A TRAINER?
• WHAT METHOD DO YOU USE?
• WILL TRAINING MAKE MY DOG DO WHAT BIRD DOGS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO?
• WILL MY DOG BE WELL TAKEN CARE OF?
• WHAT KIND OF FEED?
• DO YOU FEED ONCE OR TWICE A DAY?
• INSIDE RUNS OR OUTSIDE?
• HOW OFTEN WILL YOU WORK MY DOG AND HOW LONG?
• WHAT KIND OF BIRDS WILL YOU USE AND HOW MANY?
• WHAT BREED OF DOG DO YOU SPECIALIZE IN AND TRAIN PRIMARILY?
• WILL YOU WORK MY DOG YOURSELF, OR WILL A HELPER?
• DO YOU USE ELECTRIC COLLARS? WILL MY DOG HAVE TO HAVE ONE?
• HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE?

These are all questions most people ask..... I would too!

I am more than happy to answere questions and some of them are always the same while others vary. Lets take a look at some of these and I'll try to answer some that stay the same.

How do you choose a trainer? Today we can put a dog on a plane and it will go anywhere in the US, Canada or Mexico and it will be picked up in 4-6 hours at a cost of about $200.00. So location is of little consequence. In other words I would send my dog rather than drive him somewhere that required a long drive.Do you know someone who had their dog trained professioally? Maybe by us? If no, references are the best approach. References are honest. If they are happy they will say so. If they aren't they will also say so. We provide uncoached and unsolicited references. Should you call them and they choose to talk to you,they will. If they don't want to talk to you they won't. Some people don't like to be bothered but then most like to talk about their dogs and are more than happy to visit. I recommend just call and ask how their dog worked out and that you were considering having us train your dog.

What "Method" do we use? Well, I can tell you this....we do not use any "Method". What works on one dog does not, and I repeat does not work for another. I suppose some of these "Methods" apparently must work but it seems to me with all these "Methods" it gets pretty confusing for the average guy with a puppy . Magazine articles,books and films. Do you swing him, barrel him, electrically stimulate him or make him stand on a beam to teach him  to "whoa"?How about hanging weenies on a fishing pole out in front of him, or do you hook him up to a bunch of ropes and a stake in the ground? The list goes on and on. I don't want to sound like a know-it-all but you can invest however much money you want to invest in books and gimmicks called training aids, touted by those receiving compensation for their endorsement, and never finish a bird dog. They will appreciate the income. Have you noticed you can't even buy clothes or boots anymore without them being called "Pro Trainer", "Pro Guide","Pro This" or "Pro That". Pop up dogs, bird launchers, tracking devices, beepers,and command series transmitters for a whole list of electronic gadgetry.I say all of this just to say that NO!!!! we do not follow any"method" that someone else has developed/marketed and we do not use any of the "must have" products that are required as "training aids" for any particular "method". In order for my my Grandpa, Dad and Uncles to have bird dogs they didn't have to have any "method" to follow and "must have" training aids either.... 

What did they have? Birds, checkcords and a whistle. What do we have? Birds, checkcords and a whistle. Very seldom do we have a "washout". But we do get to "fix" other trainers "washouts". Collar wise, bird shy because of bird launchers,won't honor because of pop-up dummy dogs etc... It is just not that complicated.

Do we use "Shock Collars", and if you train my dog will it have to have a "shock collar"? Yes, we do use shock collars. Electric collars are for discipline and correction. They do not electrocute a dog and they do not "stimulate" a dog. Stimulate sounds a whole lot more acceptable than shock. It's like some people "harvest"game and some people "shoot"or kill" game, a harvested bird was either shot or killed. A stimulated dog was shocked. We do not train with a shock collar and no your dog will not have to have a collar. Used wrong a shock collar will cause your dog to be what is called "Collar Wise". Collar wise dogs act one way with a collar on and another without it. Collar wise dogs must wear a collar. I do not like to see a collar wise dog and if we train your dog it will be neither collar wise or "ruined" by the use of one. Can a shock collar ruin a dog? Of course one can, but then feeding a dog too much will ruin him also. Obese dogs can't hunt and neither can a fearful collar wise dog afraid to move. We are not going to send a dog home 20 pounds over-weight and we are also not going to electrocute him silly either. Need I say more?

If you train my dog will it do what birddogs should? Bird dogs should come when called, turn when a whistle is blown, stop when whoa'ed, point staunchly, honor another dog and retrieve a bird without chewing it to pieces. A "Gundog" knows that a gun kills birds. We will shoot approximately 75 birds for your dog, Bobwhite Quail. By then he will know what a gun does. Most dogs get excited when they see a shotgun. Dead Bird is something they hear over and over. I am a firm believer in "whoa". A dog that will "whoa" solves most all problems associated with hunting with a dog. Here and whoa.

Will my dog be steady to wing and shot? No....I personally have never seen a bird dog used for hunting that was. Unless I am sorely naive about it, neither have you. Steady to wing and shot is for trials and tests. It has it's place.The magazine article steady to wing and shot senerio is this: Flush the birds, shoot one or two(hopefully),and the dog stands on point. After having congratulated each other on your shooting and smoked your pipe you proceed to the dog (the point dog), tap his head and he makes an unerring retrieve all the while his bracemate continueing to hold point. Of course, unless you smoke a pipe, shoot a double barrel 28 gauge and wear only "Pro Trainer" series clothes it doesn't work. Me, I shoot a 1100 Remington 12 guage so I have never got to see this feat. I'm pretty sure if a Pheasant falls near a badger hole I would want him there as soon as possible anyway.In all earnesty the average guy who hunts with a dog needs a dog that is happy to mind, steady on point, retrieves satisfactorily and be able to hunt with his dog enjoyably. Our aim in training is to teach the dog to love the birds, the gun and the boss. A well trained gundog has class and manners. We get the dog ready to take hunting. We do not train for NAVDA tests or AKC hunt tests. However, a dog taken straight from here to NSTRA will compete just fine.

Do you have inside or outside kennels? Our kennels are inside with outside concrete runs. We feed a high quality dog food of course, and keep things clean. How can you not?

What breed do we specialize in?  German Shorthair...
Does that mean that I think that they are better or best? No...I beleive that any dog that has desire and is a "bird" dog is my kind of dog. Shorthair... Pointer,Setter,Brittany,Vizsla it makes no difference to me. They all have their own style but pointing, backing and retrieving is the same in them all. I don't think the dogs are near the breed purists their owners are. 

How much do you charge? We are competitive on fees and fees are inclusive.We prefer billing arrangements by Credit card if possible. Flight arrangements are handled by us as the airlines can be exasperating if you are inexperienced at making arrangements with them. A simple procedure can become a real experience with them sometimes.

MUDDY CREEK KENNELS
Craig Burns
Jasper,Missouri
1-800-777-8254

e-mail muddycreekgsp@aol.com