Colorado bird dog training
Bird Dog Training for Colorado Hunters
A few hours on the road can buy months of consistent training.
We’ve had Colorado owners bring dogs to Utah Bird Dog Training for retriever work, pointing-dog training, and obedience.
For nearly 20 years, Tyce Erickson has trained hunting dogs full time, working with dogs at every stage from basic obedience and young-dog foundations to advanced retriever and pointing-dog work.
For many Colorado clients, especially those coming from Colorado Springs and the Front Range, the drive to our Payson, Utah facility is manageable when the dog is staying for a substantial training program rather than coming for weekly lessons.
You make one trip for drop-off, the dog stays and trains within an established system built from decades of hands-on experience, and you return when the program is finished.
Why make the drive?
The program matters more than the state line.
Colorado has plenty of dog trainers, and hunting-dog owners have local options.
We’re not trying to pretend Utah Bird Dog Training is the closest choice for every Colorado client.
But training style, experience, program length, communication, and the kind of work your dog needs all matter.
Tyce has spent almost two decades developing a practical training system around real hunting dogs. That experience shapes how dogs are introduced to pressure, birds, obedience, field work, retrieving, and advanced concepts.
We’ve had Colorado owners decide that UTBDT was the right fit even when another trainer was closer.
Because our dogs stay for an extended board-and-train program, the trip is usually one planned drop-off and one planned pickup rather than repeated travel for weekly appointments.
That makes crossing the state line much more practical.
Hunting dog training
Retriever and pointing-dog programs built around real field work.
Hunting dogs are the foundation of what Tyce has spent his career training.
Our programs are designed for owners who want more than basic obedience and more than a dog that simply performs commands in a controlled setting.
We work with retrievers, pointing breeds, and young hunting dogs at different stages of development.
Depending on the dog and the owner’s goals, training may include:
- Obedience
- Collar conditioning
- Force fetch
- Marking
- Blind retrieves
- Handling
- Whistle commands
- Steadiness
- Bird introduction
- Gun conditioning
- Pointing
- Field search
- Retrieving
- Water work
- Live-bird exposure when appropriate
The exact progression depends on the individual dog.
Tyce’s approach is built around reading the dog in front of him, knowing when to push, when to simplify, and when the dog is ready to move to the next step.
That judgment comes from years of working with many different breeds, temperaments, and training problems.
The goal isn’t simply to create a dog that performs well at our facility. We want the dog to go home with skills that carry into real hunting situations.
Obedience training
Your dog doesn’t have to hunt.
Although Tyce is known for hunting-dog training, obedience has always been the foundation underneath that work.
We also offer a two-month obedience-only board-and-train program for companion dogs.
The same principles used to build reliable hunting dogs — clear expectations, repetition, consistency, impulse control, and accountability around distractions — are applied to family dogs.
Depending on the dog, training may include:
- Heel
- Sit
- Down
- Place
- Recall
- Leash manners
- Off-leash reliability
- Impulse control
- Household manners
- Distraction work
- E-collar conditioning when appropriate
Because the dog stays for two months, we have time to build repetition into normal daily routines instead of relying on one short lesson each week.
The program is not built around a one-size-fits-all script. Dogs progress differently, and the training is adjusted to the individual dog.
The drive
Colorado is close enough to make a longer program practical.
Colorado is a large state, so drive time varies considerably.
We’ve had owners come from the Colorado Springs area and other parts of Colorado over the years.
For Front Range clients, bringing a dog to Payson generally means planning a travel day rather than making a quick local trip.
That’s also why the program structure matters.
A hunting dog may stay for multiple months. An obedience dog stays for two months.
You aren’t driving to Utah every week. You make one trip for drop-off, the dog trains with Tyce’s team within a proven system, and you return when the program is finished.
Standard drop-off and pickup are Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM.
If a weekday is impossible, weekend drop-off is $100 and weekend pickup is $200.
The stay
$1,250 a month, boarding included
Training is $1,250 per month and boarding during the stay is included.
Our obedience-only program is two months long. Hunting-dog programs vary depending on the dog’s experience and goals and may require several months.
Food is additional at $75 per month for Purina Pro Plan Sport, or owners may provide their own food.
Live-bird costs vary depending on the training program and are billed separately when needed.
A $100 deposit is applied toward the first month of training.
We send a photo and short update approximately every other week.
At pickup, plan to spend an hour or two with us. We’ll work the dog with you, explain the commands and handling system, and make sure you understand how to maintain the training at home.
The pickup lesson is an important part of Tyce’s training philosophy. A dog may understand the system, but the owner also needs to understand how to communicate with the dog after training.
Winter training
Use the offseason to fix what hunting season exposed.
By the end of bird or waterfowl season, most owners know exactly where their dog’s training is thin.
Maybe a retriever breaks, won’t handle well on blinds, ignores the whistle, or needs better steadiness.
Maybe a pointing dog needs more bird exposure, better control in the field, or stronger obedience around distractions.
Those are the kinds of problems Tyce has spent years diagnosing and working through with hunting dogs.
Winter is a practical time to address them without sacrificing as much hunting time.
December through February can also be a good window for our two-month obedience-only program for families who simply want a more reliable dog at home.
For Colorado owners, one winter drop-off and one pickup after a substantial block of training can make the trip worthwhile.
The trainer
Nearly 20 years built around bird dogs.
Tyce Erickson has been professionally training dogs for nearly two decades.
What started with hunting dogs grew into years of working with retrievers, pointing dogs, obedience dogs, young prospects, finished hunting dogs, and dogs that needed specific problems worked through.
That amount of time matters because dog training is not just about knowing a list of drills.
It’s knowing how to read pressure, attitude, confidence, drive, confusion, avoidance, and progress.
It’s knowing when a dog needs another repetition and when another repetition is the wrong answer.
Tyce’s training style is practical, balanced, and built around producing dogs that owners can actually handle in the field and at home.
Utah Bird Dog Training has grown beyond one trainer, but Tyce’s system, expectations, and philosophy still shape the program.
From Colorado
We’ve had Colorado dogs make the trip.
We’ve trained dogs from Colorado over the years, including clients coming from the Colorado Springs area.
Some have come for hunting-dog programs and others for general training needs.
For those clients, choosing UTBDT meant choosing an established training system rather than simply choosing the closest kennel.
Questions
Colorado Bird Dog Training FAQs
Who trains the dogs at Utah Bird Dog Training?
Utah Bird Dog Training was founded by Tyce Erickson, who has been professionally training dogs for nearly 20 years. UTBDT now has a team of trainers, but Tyce’s training philosophy and system guide the program.
Do you train hunting dogs from Colorado?
Yes. We’ve had Colorado owners bring dogs to our Payson, Utah facility for retriever, pointing-dog, and other training programs.
How long will my hunting dog stay?
Training length depends on the dog’s age, experience, temperament, and goals. Hunting-dog programs may require two, three, four months or longer.
Do you offer obedience training for Colorado dogs that don’t hunt?
Yes. Our obedience-only program is a two-month board-and-train program for companion dogs as well as hunting dogs. Details are on Obedience Training.
Why would I drive from Colorado for dog training?
For some owners, the training approach, Tyce’s experience, program length, communication, and pricing make the trip worthwhile. Because the dog stays for weeks or months, owners generally make one trip for drop-off and one trip for pickup rather than traveling for weekly lessons.
Is boarding included?
Yes. Boarding is included in the $1,250 monthly training tuition. Food and live birds, when needed, are additional.
Do I need to visit during training?
No. We provide periodic updates during the dog’s stay. At pickup, we’ll spend time working with you and your dog so you understand the commands and handling system before going home.