by Karen_P » Sat Feb 03, 2007 4:50 pm
Have you spoken to Bob Burchette(sp?) in IA? He's probably one of the absolute best in your area. Trains and handles LOTS of dogs and wins a lot. I've never met him but I've heard good things about him and the dogs he trains and handles.
Ask for pictures of the kennels & training grounds. Ask about his training schedule, how often and for how long each session is. If you're looking at summer camp, find out what's included, what isn't, how many birds, if there's an extra charge for going over and what the goal is. Ask who his vet is, ask for references, what records are required, how they handle sick dogs and emergencies.
Ask about his training philosophies. Is he a start low and work his way up as needed guy or a start high stay high kind of guy (e-collars). And ask him about teaching you what your dog has learned. Ask about safety, does he run the dogs with tracking collars, does he train off of horseback or ATV (I prefer ATV...you can get where you need to be faster and safer).