Field record

Every dog here hunts every fall, ducks and geese on the Bitterroot and pheasants in Eastern Montana. Hunt tests are how we check that against a standard; field trials are how we look at the very top of the breed. Matt trains our dogs himself through Senior level, and our young dogs spend February to April with a professional trainer in Texas, who also campaigned Skye in the Derby.

Training philosophy, briefly: a puppy's first year is about wanting to retrieve, a solid sit, and a recall. Force fetch and collar conditioning come later, done carefully, by someone who has done it many times. We send every puppy home with a first-month plan and an open invitation to call.