Granite State Gun Dogs LLC

Derek is outstanding to work with. We sent our Brittany to Granite State Gun Dogs last year for obedience and bird training and were extremely pleased with the results. Throughout the six-week program, Derek maintained excellent communication, consistently updating us on her progress and giving us complete confidence that she was in capable hands. We continue to work with Derek for guided hunts and have had great experiences each time. I highly recommend him for all types of gun dog training as well as general obedience work.

We had an excellent experience with Derek at Granite State Gun Dogs. He boarded and trained our German Shorthaired Pointer ahead of hunting season, focusing on both obedience and exposure to wild birds, and the progress we saw was impressive. Derek was fantastic with communication throughout the entire process, keeping us updated and making sure we understood what our dog was working on. What I appreciated most was how involved he kept us — he didn’t just train our dog, he made sure we were learning too so we could continue the work at home and in the field. It was clear he genuinely cares about the dogs and about setting them (and their owners) up for long-term success. We came away with a more confident, capable dog and a much better understanding of how to work with him. I would absolutely recommend Derek and Granite State Gun Dogs to anyone looking for quality training and a trainer who truly invests in both the dog and the owner.

We came to Granite State Gun Dogs LLC with a lot of concern about doing right by our pointing Lab, Nova. Labs bred for pointing can be easy to mess up if you don’t know what you’re doing, and we wanted to make sure we built her foundation correctly. From day one, the communication and transparency from Derrick made it clear we were in the right place. We started by working side-by-side on puppy basics, then Nova stayed for obedience training, gun intro, bird intro, fetch work, water work, and full hunt training. The progression was organized, consistent, and always explained. Derrick not only trained the dog, he trained me as the handler. He even corrected some steadiness issues that I had caused, and the improvement was obvious. The results speak for themselves. Nova has already passed 2 out of 4 of her AKC Junior Hunter tests and is now ready for her Certified Pointing Retriever test. We’re continuing to train with Granite State Gun Dogs as we work toward advanced levels in both AKC and APLA. If you’re serious about developing a gun dog the right way, this is where you go. Derrick knows what he’s doing, he’s honest about the process, and he stands behind the work. Highly recommended.