"If you are a southern quail hunter, Tumbling Creek should be a must hunt to be placed on your calendar!"
- Don Lewis, Marketplace Holdings, Inc

o reach their full potential, gun dogs need training and time in the field. Field work has no substitute, and as the saying goes, “birds make bird dogs.” The high energy level of a gun dog can be overwhelming to a first time owner, but coupled with sound training techniques, your gun dog can be the most coveted wing shooting friend you have. Learning basic commands not only helps them hone their skills, but also insures that your experience in the field is the best and most productive it can be.

A great bird dog is a tool much like a fine side by side that should work for you in the field. Many experienced wing shooters prefer to train their dogs at home; however, for those who wish to have their dog professionally trained, the staff at PurdyBoyKennels can help. Our training philosophy is simple and based on the belief that any quality bred pointing dog with the proper training can make a fine gun dog. We take all pointing breeds at any stage in their training. The age of your dog and time of year (hot summer days hinder our field work) can be factors to take into consideration when you bring your dog for training. Our program is based on your expectations. To make the job easier, we have created a training table that can help you understand our methods and what we expect a gun dog to learn at each level. This table can help you evaluate your dog prior to discussing with our trainers the level of training you desire. Each dog will undergo a two week evaluation period at the end of which we will have a better understanding of your dog and his/her skill level. We will discuss with you where we think the dog is, and what goals you would like to attain.

Level of Experience:

1. Started Dog- The started dog is more than just a dog who knows to sit or has been in the field once or twice. A started dog of any age must know some basic field commands before you head to the field. These commands are critical to the training of your dog and your enjoyment. They must fully understand these commands, and you as their handler must know how to enforce these commands. There are three basic components the started dog must know:
   • The “here” command or how to come to the whistle
   • The “whoa” command (Standing still with no movement)
   • A solid handle or control in the field
2. Field Ready- The field ready dog has completed the first step in our program and has proven his/her ability to understand and perform all basic commands. In this stage of our training table, we will start to hone your dog’s skills and begin to work them with a brace mate. There are three components in the field ready stage of our training table:
   • Backing or honoring a brace mate
   • Steady to wing or Covey flush
   • Encouraging natural retrieve. (Some pointing dogs will naturally retrieve. We will help to encourage this in those dogs that show they have the desire.)
3. Finished Gun Dog- Finished gun dogs have mastered all of the basic commands needed to excel in the field. They work well with a brace mate and show outstanding grace and steadiness in the field. There are two final pieces of the machine that we call the finished gun dog:
   • Steady to Wing (covey flush) and Shot
   • Trained Retrieve (dog is taught to bring downed game to hand)