Training for Labrador Retrievers and all Retrieving breeds. Located in Murrells Inlet SC near Myrtle Beach South Carolina.

We are happy to announce our partnership with Chris Bishop of Goose Pond Kennels .... together we can create the best hunt test competitor or hunting companion your dog can become!

Dogs will be kenneled at Goose Pond Kennels in Gresham SC. Primarily, dogs designated as clients of Danielle's are worked by her Mon. thru Wed. and trained by Chris Thurs/Fri. We will each handle almost every dog at some point and believe this helps to keep the dogs consistent and relaxed with multiple handlers making it easier to transition back to working with the owner.

We stress a strong bonding relationship between handler and working dog.

Our obedience program is conducted at the highest standard: making sure that the dogs are precise and that they ENJOY their work. We take pride in our dog's line manners and over-all obedient and happy attitudes. From the holding blind to the line we strive to create a dog that is a pleasure to work with. Ultimately, we want your dog to be an enjoyable hunting companion or hunt test competitor you can always rely on.

Preferably obedience and drive building exercises starts at 8 weeks of age under your teaching with our guidance, then, we re-enforce with board and train starting as early as 6 months: Private lessons are available for the puppy work (8 weeks to 6 months) $30 per session

The Basics: Obedience

Sit/Stay
Here
Down
Kennel
Load up (in truck crate)
Quiet (no barking)
Heel (right and left sided)
Whistle conditioning to "sit" and "here" commands

An enthusiastic retriever is not created over night. Dogs must be trained in a variety of enviornments and under all condtitions.

The Foundation: Field Work

Introduction to real birds/feathers
Introduction to gunners in the field, holding blinds, and other appropriate hunt test scenarios.
Introduction to gun-shot
Introduction to water
Appropriate marks with birds and/or bumpers.

The next step for young dogs (approx. age 6 months to 1 year) is to transfer into the board and train program and let us "fine tune" some of those puppy skills while building drive, memory, and education within your dog. Boarding and training offers the consistancy, repetition, and every day dedication to training that most owners can simply not provide in a home environment. We offer an initial 6 week evaluation period and then ultimately, recommend at least 3 additional months to get started.

After completion of this stage of training, your dog should be ready to spend a comfortable day of duck hunting with you, run an AKC Junior Hunter Stake, or a UKC Started Stake. This stage of training also starts to prep the dog for learning cold blinds and the introduction to concepts needed to run Senior Hunter AKC tests:

Force Fetch
Electric collar conditioning
Proofing whistle commands
Field related obedience including steadying, line manners, holding blind manners, and movement on the line. (push/pull and lining drills)
Single and multiple marks as well as starting handling skills (3 handed casting).

After a solid foundation has been established we move your dog into more complex stages of training:

Morning Yard Work:

Pile work, 3 handed casting, single & double T, walking base ball, no-no drills, wagon wheel etc ... are fine tuned and made more challenging during this stage.
De-Cheating for proper water entry, re-entry, and exits.
Swim-by
Taught (pattern) blinds, bird boy blinds and eventually cold blinds.

Afternoon Field Work:

More complicated single marks and multiple marks are taught and the concepts introduced are enhanced by holding each dog to an appropriate standard of accomplishment.
Taught Blinds are in-corportated into set-ups and then transitioned to cold blinds both on land and water.

Photos of some of our Retrievers and Clients Retrievers

Danielle is happy to offer AKC Hunt test training/handling for young dogs to the JH/SH/MH levels, which skills usually provide a more than qualified hunting companion, and... we want to ensure that YOU will be invited to be part of teaching your hunting or hunt test dog if you choose to be.

** Obedience is ALWAYS top priority while maintaining each dog's POSITIVE attitude about his/her work. EACH DOG WILL LEARN AT HIS/HER own speed as there is no set time table for learning. ***

*Fees:

$600 for the initial 6 weeks of training ** Manditory evaluation period for 1st time dogs **

$500 per month

$1,350 for 3 months of training - commitment paid at drop off ($150 savings)

$1,850 for 18 weeks (for new dogs and returning clients alike) commitment paid at drop off ($250 savings)

$30 private on-site one on one lesson

$10 - $40 per month for flyer fees

$50 - $75 AKC hunt test or field trail handling fees*

*Fees above p[ertain to trainer Danielle R. Pellicci ~ Please contact Chris Bishop directly about his training/boarding/handling fees

$600 for the 1st six weeks is required. This is an initial trial period where we will focus on both obedience and retrieving skills. If it is decided that your dog will stay in the program, we highly recommend an additional 3 months at minimum. Invoices are sent on the 15th of each month.