Best Retrievers

BR is one of the superior gun dog training kennels in the nation. Specifically Kristen and Rody Best are the most knowledgeable puppy/young dog trainers that I have worked with. I have had several dogs with BR including a very hard headed german wirehair pointer. All have excelled in the program. The gwp did not progress beyond the intro gun dog program but with BR’s help and guidance, I was able to get a junior AKC retriever title and I am currently pursuing upland titles. I would not hesitate in utilizing Best Retrievers for dog training in any capacity.

Maybe a good place if your dog is a lab. Otherwise, I would not recommend you leave your dog here based on my experiences 3 weeks into their obedience program. I have a friend who has had a lab go through their obedience and gun dog program and they recommended best Retrievers. I dropped off my seven month Vizsla, Terry, for the obedience course with the intention of him staying longer for the gun dog training. After two weeks, they let me know they would not be accepting him into the gun dog program. I went to visit him a few days later so I could speak in person with the trainer and understand what was going on. When I arrived the first thing that I noticed was that Terry looked very skinny and I could see his ribs. When I brought this up, they said oh would you like us to feed him in the mornings as well? I was shocked that this was something that apparently needed to be specified. Of course, he’s growing puppy. His kennel did not appear to be dry and it was cold in the building. He is not a lab. He doesn’t have a thick coat to keep him warm so keeping the kennel dry is extremely important especially in January during a cold front. When I asked his trainer, why he wasn’t accepted into the gun dog program, she told me he doesn’t have a desire to retrieve. This is contradictory to every thing I have experienced with my dog. From the time I got him at two months, he loves to retrieve. He would even go into the tank at our family form and retrieve sticks at three months old. When I told her that what she was telling me didn’t line up with my experience with him, she was dismissive of what I was telling her. I finally asked to talk to the owner and the owner suggested that we have Terry do a couple of retrieves. When I threw the toy, he ran immediately and brought it back. We did this a couple of times. They told me oh he’s never done that for us, which is weird. I got the sense that they maybe tried to get him to do something once or twice and when he didn’t perform, they wrote him off. I also suspect that they do not have experience working with Vizslas or don’t have the knowledge, experience, or patience required. They brought out another dog who had been excepted into the gun dog program and had him do some retrieves and he basically did the same thing my dog did. So it doesn’t make sense to me that they would not try to work on his retrieving skills. If they do accept a dog into the gun dog program, then they start working on retrieving stuff while they are still in the obedience program. If they are not accepted, then they do not get the additional time or attention that they would receive if they are accepted into the program. So what that means to me, is if they don’t accept your dog into the gun dog program then they basically leave him in the kennel all day and maybe take him out two times a day for 15 minutes training sessions. I am not trying to turn my Vizsla into a lab. He is not and will never be a duck dog. I understand that completely. All I wanted was some basic retrieving instruction around dropping it/and giving it back to the owner. I asked them if they could do any work around this and they said they could not because he wasn’t accepted into the program. So I left that day with not a very good feeling, but I decided to not make any rash decisions and come back in a week to visit him. I came back a week later. He did appear a little less skinny, but still did not look like he was being fed properly. When I asked to see his kennel, they would not show it to me. So I asked the trainer on duty to take a picture of it and show me. The platform bed was not on the ground so all he had to sit on was damp concrete. I’m currently wrestling with the decision to take him home or let him finish the rest of the obedience program. I’m not sure it makes sense to leave my dog if he’s not in the program because he’s cooped up in a damp kennel all day and seemingly underfed.