Northwoods Bird Dogs offers one of the finest facilities in the country for training grouse dogs. It is managed by husband-and-wife team Jerry Kolter and Betsy Danielson who have extensive experience with upland bird hunting, guiding and field trial competition.
In addition, Jerry is a nationally recognized bird dog trainer with more than 30 years of experience. He brings each dog to its fullest potential through proper conditioning, proven training techniques and extensive exposure to birds.
The goal of training at Northwoods Bird Dogs is simple: development of the dog so it hunts with intensity, handles kindly and points birds with impeccable manners. Betsy and Jerry want owners to be proud of their dog’s confidence, desire and style as a result of their training.
Training Programs
The Puppy Foundation program will bring out a puppy’s pointing instincts in a natural manner through bird contact. The puppy will become confident, bold and accustomed to gunfire and it will develop its inherent desire for birds. It will have birds shot for it during pointing exercises and field work. The puppy will be taught to handle in the field and will be introduced to basic field commands. It will learn to will stop and stand still (prerequisite to the Whoa command) and become accustomed to ecollar corrections.
The Gun Dog program will teach the dog basic commands such as Whoa and Here. Whoa is used to teach a dog three things: stay on point until the handler flushes the bird; stop-to-flush of the bird; back another dog on point. In the field, the dog will be taught to hunt in front and handle to voice and/or whistle. Training is done in a controlled area with extensive use of pigeons to ensure the dog gets a sound understanding of what is expected.
In addition, Private Training with Jerry is offered in one-hour increments.
Training space in the Puppy Foundation and Gun Dog programs is limited to dogs bred by Northwoods Bird Dogs. Private Training is open to other dogs. Please contact Jerry and Betsy for more information.
