Guns Up Dog Training

Guns Up Dog Training started the way most good ideas do—a friend was impressed. Ron's own retriever, Reed, had become such a formidable hunting partner that another hunter asked if he'd train theirs. That was the spark. A decade later, Reed still hunts at 10 years old and holds the title of Grand Master Hunting Retriever. Wendy's dog Waylyn earned the Master Hunting Retriever title at just 3 years old. This isn't a kennel operation with a revolving door. Ron and Wendy board one dog at a time in their home, treating each dog like part of the family while running a serious training program.

• •Board & Train - Your dog lives in their home for 6-8 weeks (upland) or 3-4 months (waterfowl). Ron and Wendy handle everything: foundation obedience, force fetch, e-collar conditioning, introduction to birds and gunfire, marking drills, steadiness, and handling. The dog sleeps in a crate, has dedicated training sessions, and gets individual relaxation time. This isn't cheap—contact them for monthly rates—but it's comprehensive.

• •Hourly Training ($150/hour) - You train your dog at home with their guidance. One-on-one sessions happen Sundays during hunting season, Saturdays the rest of the year. Upland and basic waterfowl dogs typically need about 10 sessions (1-2 hours each). You get follow-up emails with homework assignments between sessions. This requires real commitment from you—they recommend training at least twice daily at home—but it works if you're willing to put in the work.

• •Hunt Test Add-Ons for dogs competing: honoring, advanced handling, retired memory marks, triple marks (land/water), poison birds, cold blinds (land/water), and decheating.

They work with Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, German Shorthair Pointers, Brittany Spaniels, Pudelpointers, Setters, Standard Poodles, Wire-haired Pointers, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, Weimaraners, and Vizslas. One non-negotiable: dogs must be purebred bird-dog breeds descended from hunting lines. You'll need to provide AKC registration and pedigree. This isn't arbitrary—their experience shows the difference between dogs bred for hunting and those that aren't is significant.

"We believe in providing a personalized, in-home environment... unlike traditional kennels, we do not operate a large facility, which allows us to focus on one dog at a time."

Because of that model, boarding dogs must meet specific behavioral standards:

• •Fully housebroken
• •Comfortable in a crate (overnight sleeping, no barking or escape attempts)
• •Won't jump over baby gates
• •No biting, jumping on people, or destructive behavior
• •Male dogs must not mark indoors
• •One-week settling-in period; if your dog struggles after that, they'll offer alternatives like hourly training instead

Equipment needed: prong collar, e-collar, whistle, bumpers, place board, bird dummies, long check cord, and their food. They don't upcharge for equipment or birds—you pay their cost.

Ron and Wendy are active members of a New Jersey retriever club, participating regularly in club training sessions and test days. Both are certified NAHRA Field Test Judges and actively compete in NAHRA and HRC hunt tests. They're not gatekeeping—they say dog training is an evolving process and they learn from books, seminars, mentors, and hands-on experience. That continuous education shows in how they tailor each dog's training to its individual personality and needs.

If you have a hunting-bred dog and want it trained right, you're getting people who actually hunt with their own dogs, who understand the difference between natural instinct and reliable performance, and who will spend weeks or months working with your dog in their home. It's not a production kennel. It's two serious hunters who know what a well-trained gun dog means in the field.