Sending your spaniel off for training should be viewed as teaching the dog to comply with certain tasks and understand how to solve the problems presented to it. These tasks generally are items the owner cannot accomplish due to many reasons, but are generally due to lack of time or experience. However, if the gun dog is taught the task and the owner does not understand the process, the owner cannot get the spaniel to comply without undue pressure on the pupil. Pushing a button to get the dog to comply is not teaching, is not shaping, and is not developing. It is not the way to develop a class gun dog and is barbaric. Electronics are a tool that is valuable but is not a tool used just to get the owner’s way. If you do not get trained in the process, you are wasting your time and money and being inhumane to your English Springer Spaniel or English Cocker Spaniel.
We are a small operation and we like it this way. The only people working with your gun dog is myself and Christina. Most of the obedience and field development is done by myself; although, Christina is very talented and will “play” with the dogs at times with a clicker, treats or retrieving games. All of your happiness and any of your concerns are a direct result of what the two of us do. As they say, the buck stops here. There is no other people at fault! There is no “junior/associate” trainers. We are not “getting a piece of the action” by carrying more dogs and farming out your gun dog training to less experienced trainers.
Your goals do not need to be our goals. We work for you/with you on what your wishes are. Developing your English Springer Spaniel or English Cocker Spaniel is relatively easy. It just takes patience and a lot of time. However, developing the owner is more problematic due to the owner’s limited time and/or expertise. This is our job and our responsibility to figure it out. We can provide significant verification and references of “above and beyond” effort we put forth to ensure your success through education and “on the ground” learning to give you and your spaniel the greatest probability of success. We wish you the best of luck in your search for a trainer of your gun dog. Thank you for considering Craney Hill Kennel.
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