Mike and I have gotten numerous questions and criticisms for our decision to send Dale away to be trained for hunting. We have not made this decision lightly and are, even now, still discussing if this is something we REALLY want to do, and we leave tomorrow morning to drop him off.
When we got Dale, we got him with the ultimate goal in mind of having both a hunting dog and pet. That is the main reason we got the breed we did. Llewellin Setters are known for their strong hunting instinct as well as their friendly family attitudes.
We worked very hard to train Dale to be a good house pet. He knows numerous commands and has very good manners, even if he's still a bit exuberant with his greetings.
But we've reached the limit of our capabilities.
We have neither the space, the birds, nor the skills and knowledge necessary for training a dog to hunt. And though Dale has strong hunting instincts, we do not want to run the risk of taking him out hunting, untrained, and have him get shot or run away.
Just as we spent many months researching what dog breed we wanted to get, and the pros and cons of each; we have spent months looking for a Trainer whom we feel comfortable enough to entrust Dale to for training. Dr. Fortner has impressed us, not only with his philosophy and in conversation with him, but we've checked references. We've talked to previous customers of his to find out what they thought of him.
A couple of days ago, I wrote an email to him because I was still concerned... I wanted to know more about how Dale would be spending his day...How many hours would he be confined to a kennel? How many hours in training? What about adjustment? How many dogs will be there? Who else will be working with him?
Here's the response I got...
Joanne,
I appreciate your apprehension and concern about leaving your dog with a compete stranger…it is a huge “ leap of faith”….I don’t know if I could do it with our own Llewellins….we have seven and they are all our “babies”.
I think once you meet us, see our kennels and the training facilities you will be more comfortable with the situation….you will still miss your dog, of course, but you can be assured he will be well taken care of…we will treat him like he is one of our own.
Each kennel run has an individual fan with a large fan at each end of the building. He will adjust to kennel life within 3-5 days.
I do the training myself….Jane does assist in certain training procedures. We send photos via e-mail every 9 – 10 days with a written report…she also makes you a personal CD of every photo taken.
A typical training day is as follows:
I am at the kennel by 6:00 am….the dogs are put in the exercise yard for 30 – 40 minutes of “happy time” while I clean and bleach the kennels. The dogs are then worked on various commands in sessions of 15 – 20 minutes each…the dogs are placed so they can observe each other….they learn from repetition and association. The same procedure is repeated in the PM. Dale will enjoy every moment of his 90 day program…he will have a minimum of 300 bird contacts while he is here….this will increase his hunting instinct and prey drive….this is what he was bred for, but he will still be an enjoyable pet while at home.
Your dog will bond with me within 7 -10 days but will “re-bond” with you quickly after he returns home…you will need to continue to reinforce the training he has received.
Please visit our web site at www.llewellinkennels.com to read previous owner’s comments.
I will address any other questions you may have when you arrive.
Take care,
Phil & Jane
PS. I keep music on 24 hrs. per day at the kennel….the dogs enjoy the “oldies”…..especially Elvis!!!
I am still worried, and Mike and I both know that we will miss Dale terribly. He's our baby. I will miss coming home from work and seeing him in the front window waiting for me. I will miss the puppy cuddles, the ball playing and his chasing the flash light. I will miss a lot of things.
BUT.
We will have a better dog for this.
And anyway....if we get down there and we don't like the facilities or Dr. Fortner or something feels "wrong," we aren't going to leave Dale.
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