Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)
Q: What is BritishRetriverTraining.com all about?
A: The site’s intent is twofold: To provide important information
to anyone interested in retrieving dogs and bird hunting, be it
for waterfowl or upland birds. The site features the latest news
on these subjects, garnered from a variety of sources throughout
North America and, at times, the U.K., and also an eclectic mix
of opinions about retrievers and bird hunting.
Also featured is information on the basics of British retriever
training. Soon, a chat room where “members’’ can
exchange opinions, dog training tips and hunting information also
will be available.
Q: You say “members?’’ Who’s a member?
A: Anyone who visits the site is considered a member of the British
Retriever Training and Hunt Club, which is an online “club’’ for
people with the above interests.
That said, there are two sides to BritishRetrieverTraining.com — the
free side, accessible to all “members,’’ and
a subscriber side, available to clients who pay an annual fee.
Q: What is available to visitors to the free side of the site?
Visitors to the free side get the latest game bird management news
and information, as mentioned above. They also can submit photos
of their dogs and hunting trips to the site’s British
Retriever Training and Hunt Club Photo Gallery. And they can participate
in the Club’s Chat
Room.
Additionally, weather information worldwide is available on the
site. With a few key strokes, visitors can even keep tabs on their
favorite stocks.
We’ve made all of these available in hopes that people interesting
in upland and waterfowl hunting, as well as retrieving dogs, will
make BritishRetrieverTraining.com the “home’’ page
on their computers, or at least bookmark the site for frequent
reference.
Q: What do subscribing members get in addition to these?
A: Subscribers receive two important additional benefits.
One is a course of more than 30 lessons for owners of retrievers
who want to learn how to teach their Labs, Chessies, flat coats
or other sporting breeds how to be steady and quiet in the field — yet
excellent game finders.
This educational course is unique, in that it is internet-based — and
unique also because for the first time it will teach American retriever
owners the secrets and methods that have long been used in the
United Kingdom to train their retrievers.
What’s more, we will use a variety of media to convey the
message — photos, text and, in some cases, audio.
Additionally, subscribers will receive a monthly
newsletter written
by Dennis Anderson, who with
his wife, Janice, owns BritishLabradors.com — a
kennel that has been importing and breeding British Labradors for
nearly 20 years.
The newsletter will feature training tips and reminders, and also
include important and timely information about upland and waterfowl
hunting in North America. Occasional information about shooting
in the U.K. also will be featured.
The newsletter promises to be highly informative and entertaining.
Q: I just bought a retriever puppy. How would the BritishRetrieverTraining.com
course help me develop the dog into the hunting companion I want?
A: In many ways.
First, it’s important to know that, while there are many
differences between American and British Labs and other retrievers,
equally important to producing the kind of dog most hunters want
is an understanding of the training techniques used
in the U.K. — techniques that accentuate equally civility
and game finding ability.
The result is a dog that is a joy to live with and hunt over.
Q: You mean even if I buy a British Labrador I’m not necessarily
guaranteed to achieve my goal of owning, in time, a good game finder
who is also easy to live with?
A: That’s correct —a dog’s genetics will help
achieve that goal, but they alone won’t guarantee such an
outcome.
In fact, it is this exact point that Dennis and Janice Anderson
have spent so much time attempting, first, to understand over the
past two decades, then define and, finally, apply.
As part of that learning process, they have many times taken puppies
from their British Labrador matings and given them to American
owners with completely different credentials and interests as trainers.
Some were simply family people who wanted good dogs to have around
their homes, but who only occasionally hunted.
Others were hard-charging young guys who wanted to make up a Master
Hunter within only a few years.
Still others were professionals who trained with electric collars.
From these experiences the Andersons have learned that, while retrieving
dogs can be trained in many different ways, to achieve outcomes
that are most similar to those achieved by the U.K’s best
trainers, certain methods and principles should be followed.
To understand these methods and principles still better, the Andersons
have frequently traveled to the U.K. to observe trainers at work.
Similarly, they frequently have hosted some of Britain’s
best trainers at their home and kennel.
Each of these occasions has helped the Andersons understand the
training methods used most successfully in the U.K.
Each also has contributed to the unique training program the Andersons
have developed — an internet-based training program that
is both unique and important.
Q: Why is the training program important?
A: Because while it is intended for owners of British Labradors — whose
numbers are increasing in the U.S. — it is especially designed
for the far greater number of people in North America and indeed
around the world who own the much more physical and hyper-active
retriever that is more the norm in the U.S.
It is these dogs and their owners who can especially benefit from
the British training methods that the Andersons have discerned
over many years, modified for use by Americans and now developed
into a unique training package.
Q: How do paying subscribers receive their lessons?
A: Easy.
Once they’ve registered, they gain access to the portion
of the site where the training lessons are stored. Available are
weekly lessons for the dog’s eighth week through his 26 week,
and monthly lessons thereafter until the dog reaches its first
birthday. About 30 lessons in all.
Each lesson is copyrighted and can’t be duplicated in any
form, including electronically. But the lessons will be presented
in PDF format, and can be printed from a subscriber’s computer
for his or her easy reference at home.
Q: What about an advanced training course for dogs older than 1
year?
A: That course is being developed and will be available later.
Q: What is the price of a one-year training course?
A: Not much, considering the costs nowadays associated with dog
care and dog training.
For example, a typical visit to a veterinarian often runs $100
or more. Dog food can be $35 for 40 pounds. And many professionals
charge $600 a month or more for training.
Given those comparisons, the $49.95 introductory price for a one-year
training course from BritishRetrieverTraining.com — and the
monthly newsletter — seems a bargain.
Q: How do I sign up?
A: To sign up, simply click here and follow the easy instructions.
To check out a sample lesson in the training course, click here.
And for a sample newsletter, click
here.
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