A Lifetime Around Dogs Turned Into a Living.
ABOUT DRAKE GUN DOGS
I started training my own dogs as a kid with my first Lab.
I grew up around dogs, horses, and working animals, surrounded by people who understood how to handle them. My family raised animals, and from an early age I spent time around different trainers, learning by watching and doing.
As a teenager, I worked with cattle dogs, which taught me a lot about control, timing, and consistency. Later, I became more focused on training my own gun dogs and understanding what it takes to build a dependable retriever.
Before long, people began asking me to train their dogs as well.
That is where Drake Gun Dogs began.
Knowing Dogs Comes From Time and Experience
A dog does not become dependable because somebody knows how to make it sit or chase a bumper.
You have to know when the dog is confused, when it lacks confidence, when it is avoiding pressure, when it understands but refuses, and when you are asking for more than it is ready to give.
The dog has to be taught. It also has to be held accountable once it understands.
Finding that balance is the work.
The Basics Cannot Be Optional.
Owners sometimes underestimate the number of steps involved in developing a dependable dog.
They may also expect one standard in the field and allow another one at home.
A dog does not understand why “sit” is mandatory beside a duck blind but optional in the living room.
I establish a standard when a dog arrives. As the dog learns, that standard becomes higher.
I will not skip the basics just to tell an owner the dog is farther along.
A good gun dog needs to:
Retrieve birds
Remain steady
Deliver to hand
Mark accurately
Handle when it did not see the fall
Work confidently on land and water
Stay under control around excitement
A truly finished retriever should be able to pick up multiple marks and run blind retrieves on land and water while remaining steady.
It should also be a dog a capable handler can take hunting without fighting it all day.
Drake Gun Dogs is known for producing dependable dogs, taking care of them properly, communicating honestly, and doing business the right way.