Programs

Training

Retriever, pointing, and obedience board-and-train programs. All programs are $1,250 per month. Boarding during the stay is included. Food is not. This is the same program Tyce Erickson has been proving in the field for nearly 20 years.

How long a dog stays depends on the dog, the goals, and the level you choose.

$1,250 per month
Boarding included
Food not included
Nearly 20 years of professional training

Retriever

Retriever Training

Built for waterfowl hunters who want a dog they can trust on land and water.

Starting age 6 months
Foundation ~4 months
Complete ~7–8 months total
$1,250 per month

We will cross-train for upland work when the breed and the owner’s goals allow it.

About Junior Hunter level · ~4 months

Foundation

Bird and gun introduction, kenneling, sit, here, heel, place, down, whistle, e-collar, force fetch, hunt command, swim work, steady to shot, decoys, and single marks.

About Senior Hunter level · ~7–8 months total

Complete

Includes the Foundation work, then adds double marks, blinds, handling on land and water, and multiple retrieves. This is the program we recommend if the budget allows you to leave the dog for the full duration.

Black lab with mallards and mountains behind

Chesapeake and black lab sitting with ducks

Chocolate and black labs each holding a mallard

Yellow lab in a blind after a goose hunt

Black lab sitting steady among goose decoys

Retrievers

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German Shorthaired Pointer on point in tall grass

Pointing

Pointing Dog Training

Built for upland hunters who want a dog that hunts, points, and is under control when a bird goes up.

Starting age 6 months
Basic ~2 months
Foundation ~4 months
$1,250 per month

We work in real cover and shoot birds over the dog — not just yard whoa.

Basic gun dog · two months

Basic

Kennel, here, and whoa, plus a proper bird and gun introduction. We get the dog hunting and pointing, then shoot birds over it in mixed terrain. We don’t clean up the retrieve on this program — the dog keeps whatever natural retrieve it has. You leave with a dog you can take hunting, with the basic control to do it.

Finished family gun dog · four months

Foundation

Full obedience for the house (sit, heel, down, place, whistle), whoa, e-collar, hunting and pointing, and real shooting over the dog. We also force fetch so the retrieve is to hand, not whatever the dog felt like that day. If you want one dog that lives in the house and works in the field, this is the one.

Additional work — honor / backing, and steady to wing, shot, and fall. Those run month to month after the foundation is done.

Pointer on point in an open field with mountains beyond

Pointer on point in a Utah field with snow-capped mountains

On point

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Tyce Erickson working a golden retriever in tall cover

Obedience board & train

Obedience Training

Two months to build a dog you can live with.

2 months
$1,250 per month
Boarding included
Family dogs and hunting dogs

Obedience is the foundation of every dog we train, but your dog doesn’t need to hunt to come through this program.

Our two-month obedience board-and-train is built for families who want a dog that is easier to live with at home and reliable when life gets distracting. We work toward real-world control — not just commands that look good inside a training room.

Depending on the dog, training may include:

Kennel
Sit
Here / recall
Heel
Down
Place
Leave it
Off
Leash manners
Impulse control
Distraction work
E-collar conditioning for reliable off-leash control when appropriate

The advantage of board-and-train is repetition. Your dog isn’t getting one lesson a week and then spending the other six days practicing old habits. We work with the dog consistently throughout the stay, building the commands into everyday routines and around real distractions.

At pickup, plan to spend 1–2 hours working with us and your dog. You’ll receive a command list and video, we’ll teach you how to use the same handling system we’ve used in training, and after-care is available for the life of the dog.

Obedience

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Chocolate lab retrieving a shed antler in the snow

Nose work

Shed / Antler Training

For hunters who want a dog that can find sheds with the same drive and manners we expect in the bird field.

Nose work in real cover
$1,250 per month

Sheds

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In the field

See how the work looks

Proof from the field — not a highlight reel. Client training videos for pickup and the first weeks at home are on a separate page.

Watch client training videos

From owners

We were nervous about leaving the newest member of our family with someone else for three months. It was as if we had never been gone. Alex is first class in the field, in the blind, and at heel in the park with no leash.

Jesse, with Alex

More than 100 five-star Google reviews from families who sent a dog. Read them on Google

Optional

Add-ons while they’re here

These sit on top of whatever program you choose. Check them on the registration form if you want them.

Conditioned Athlete — $250 / month

An extra 20–30 minutes of running, three days a week. For dogs that need more exercise and something to do with their brain besides the training day.

Tracking — $275 one time

Eight extra sessions on wild-running birds. If you hunt birds that don’t sit tight, this gives the dog a real jump on following a track.

Trainer-watched play — $250 / month

Two days a week, 20–30 minutes, with a couple of buddies and a trainer in the mix. Extra free time — without it turning into a free-for-all. Good for the social butterflies.

Included with a stay

Training, boarding, and what sits outside tuition

What’s included
Training and boarding. A $100 deposit reserves a spot and applies to the first month. Pay online.
Food
Bring one large bag per month, or use our Purina Pro Plan Sport 30/20 feeding program for $75 / month.
Live birds (upland)
Plan on about $450 for the birds we shoot over your dog in training. Dead-bird work with pheasants, ducks, and chukar is included.
Add-ons
Conditioning, tracking, and trainer-watched play are optional — details above.

Looking for a dog that’s already been through the program? See Started Dogs. We don’t have one available right now.

Get Started After Training

Retriever Training

Foundation

Complete

Pointing Dog Training

Basic

Foundation

Obedience Training

Shed / Antler Training

See how the work looks

Add-ons while they’re here

Training, boarding, and what sits outside tuition

Reserve a spot