Gun Dog PUPPY HEAD START PROGRAM
The Puppy Head Start program is designed to introduce young dogs to the concept of retrieving.
During the program, your young dog will be introduced to birds, water, and gunfire. The puppy will also be introduced to the proper obedience commands. The age requirement for this program is 13 weeks to six months.
BASIC RETRIEVER TRAINING
During the Basics/Gun Dog program, your dog will learn all the basic necessities to be a good hunting companion. During the basics program, your dog will learn how to deliver bird to hand, retrieve long land and water marks, and be steady to the shot. Your dog will also be introduced to any hunt scenario you wish.
Your dog will also be collar conditioned to all obedience commands. Collar conditioning is an off-leash training tool that reinforces the importance of following commands on an e-collar. Eventually, with the proper training and techniques, dogs can be trained to transition from the e-collar to working off-leash when they are retrieving.This program is a mandatory three months, and can take up to 5 months.
Your dog stays at our facility, but you are still welcome to come by and see your dog during that time!
On lead obedience (heel, here, sit, kennel “into or onto”)
Collar conditioning (off leash transition)
Conditioned Retrieve (natural, marked, and/or forced retrieve)
Intro to the gun
Intro to live game
Steadiness on marked duck/geese/ and pheasants.
ADVANCED RETRIEVER TRAINING
In addition to nurturing and developing your dog’s natural retrieving ability, Dillon utilizes both reward-based systems (marker/clicker) and (force fetch) to build a well rounded, nonslip retrieve. Handling and Casting is also taught in the this phase.
This program is designed for dogs that have completed the basics program and can compete at higher level hunt tests, or if you simply want a finished gun dog. During this program, your dog will learn how to perform a blind retrieve and mark multiple birds as well as be exposed to more challenging concepts.
Average time in training is between 3-5 months.
A FREE phone consultation is available for all dogs.
Dillon is not only an amazing doggy trainer, but a really really awesome person. You can see his true passion and care for all of the animals he sees and takes care of, just as he would his own. Going into seeking boarding training for our 5 year old staffardshire terrier as we have a baby on the way, and her excitement and energy was becoming impossible for us to manage. I was so nervous and anxious about if it was the right thing for her and who could we trust. Dillon did not disappoint in anyway shape or form, and the entire 7 weeks our babe girl Bailey was with him I felt so at ease. She was truly living her best life and looked so happy anytime I saw a picture or video of her. She not only came back as the same happy, cuddly, and loving pup she was before but we instantly saw such a difference in her discipline. She actually listens now, with all the commands Dillon taught her and taking her for walks is actually enjoyable and manageable now. She is a very very high energy dog and Dillion really brought us to the reality of what Bailey truly needs to live her best life while being able to control her excitement and have extreme discipline. My husband and I have never been more committed to stay consistent with all the training Bailey was taught, and without Dillon it wouldn’t have be possible. I so wish we meet Dillon years ago, and I have already referred him to so many friends. If you have any doubts…. I can put you are ease, as he is the BEST out there without a doubt!
An evaluation is important for our professional trainers to observe any inappropriate or unwanted habits, and to gather a baseline of your dog’s behavior, especially in public (we recommend doing evaluations here at our location). This also gives us a chance to discuss training goals, while creating realistic expectations for our students and clients.
Once the evaluation is complete, Dillon will be able to recommend an appropriate training program/package.
An evaluation enables us to make sure that the dog coming in to train with us will not pose a risk to any of our staff or students during their stay. If your dog is a behavioral case, we want to experience firsthand exactly what it is that we need to be prepared for. All breeds, issues, and sizes are welcome. We typically operate on a 2-week lead time.
The first step to enroll in any one of our Board and Train programs or private lessons is to schedule a complete behavioral assessment and temperament test. This allows us to observe your dog’s behavior, discuss your goals for them, and briefly work with your dog so that we can recommend the best course of action. Contact us now to schedule this.
Food, feeding instructions, as well as a paper copy of your dog’s vaccination records.
The best age to start the training is between 8 to 12 weeks of age because that’s the puppy’s critical socialization window. It’s when puppies are super impressionable, therefore socialization, exposure, and confidence building are very important. That said, if you do early socialization yourself, then anytime in the two-to-six-month age range is great. Puppy training makes a huge difference so the more you do, the better!
Yes. We are happy to accommodate any special diet requests, raw food diets, medication needs etc.
We guarantee we’ll do our job, and we guarantee your dog will be trained, but we can’t control you and we can’t make you follow-through once the dog is home. Ninety-nine percent of our clients do an amazing job with their dogs once their dogs are home. They follow-through, they ask questions if they have them, and they see great success.
Occasionally, we have clients who think their dog is a robot and will obey commands regardless of inconsistency or lack of follow-through on their part. Dogs aren’t robots and they aren’t perfect. We are doing the hard work. All we ask is that you maintain it.We give you specific, customized, written and verbal instructions to help you do so! Listen to your trainer, and your dog will do great
Some other trainers seemingly disappear after the dog has gone home. They don’t return your calls or follow-up with you. We’re not them! We care about you and your dog. We put a lot of hard work into your dog’s training and want to make sure we’ve done and continue doing everything possible to help you succeed. Follow-up lessons are included in most of our board & train programs, and after that we are always available by phone or email to answer any questions you might have.
Many of our clients continue sending us updates and happy stories months and years after their dog has graduated. We’re in this for the long haul and want you to know you can always count on us. We’re here for you!
Yes! This helps us to further generalize the dog’s training and allows us to answer specific questions clients have in regards to their home set-up and environment. In everything we do, we strive to set dogs and their owners up for success.
Both. We generalize our training, meaning once we’ve taught the dog the commands he or she needs to learn, we have him or her work for multiple handlers in multiple locations around a myriad of distractions. Generalization is a key aspect to training that many other trainers don’t do. Our handover process is very smooth. We ensure that the training transfers so everyone is happy, and the dog can be successful at home
No. In all our years of training, no dog has ever forgotten his owners. They may not realize their owners are in the room right away, during midway lessons for example, but once they see/smell them they are always happy to see them.
The way we train is fun for dogs, so in their minds their whole day is fun! Depending on the dog’s specific training goals and needs, we will do a combination of obedience, agility, urban agility, treadmill training, clicker training, and more. Many owners see how much fun their dog is having and wonder, “Will he want to come home?!”
As much as he/she needs! We work with dogs often throughout the day. For example, a puppy might receive 15 short training sessions in one day plus a field trip and play time with other dogs! A rehab dog may do longer sessions to work through behavioral issues but will still be worked with often throughout the day. On average, board & trains do multiple sessions per day for a total of 1.5 to 3 hours of training (sometimes more).
That depends! If your dog is overweight then yes, we will put your dog on a diet. If your dog is underweight then no, we will increase your dog’s food intake to help your dog gain weight. If your dog is a good weight, we will maintain your dog’s weight. Our in-home board & train is different from a stressful kennel atmosphere. Dogs aren’t surrounded by loud, barking dogs and overworked/underpaid kennel workers. They are part of our packs and have a great time visiting us for training!
In the rare case that something happens to your dog, we take care of your dog like one of our own! We contact you so that you can take your dog to the vet, or we get your permission to take your dog to the vet ourselves. We’ve trained hundreds of dogs in board & train, and we’ve had zero accidents ever happen. We would like to keep it that way, which is why we are selective as to what dogs we take on for training. Since we are selective, are able to keep a close eye on dogs. This is how we keep dogs safe and healthy! We always know where they are, what they’re doing, what their stool looks like, if they’re eating and drinking enough, etc.
Absolutely! We send post to social media and, in some cases, we text photos and videos to our clients. We want you to always know how your dog is doing. That said, we do ask that you don’t ask for daily, detailed updates. We are busy training and want to use our time wisely. You can always ask for a quick update, but lengthy updates are usually sent weekly.
Yes! Any programs longer than two weeks offer midway lessons. This is an opportunity for you to visit your dog, spend time with, and learn from the trainer. For programs shorter than two weeks, we do not offer midway lessons, but if you really need to see your dog we can make it happen!
In our program, your dog stays at our licensed facility attached to our vet, where our staff is able to attend to him/her. We’ve found this is the best way for dogs to get around-the-clock care and individual attention.
A FREE phone consultation is available for all dogs.
We do appointments by scheduling only as we are not open to the public. No dog is permitted on our property without undergoing a complete behavior assessment and temperament test.
"We were very excited. After long deliberation, we decided to bring home a puppy. Little did we know that our nice, tranquil home was about to be turned upside down by our new little four-legged terror. As cute as she was, we suspect that she may have been possessed. We tried to train her on our own but that led to frustration and failure. It didn’t take long to realize that we needed professional help. We interviewed several training facilities but the search stopped when Dillon from Full Potential K-9, Inc. walked through our door. The first thing he did was snap a lead on our unholy terror. While telling us about his program, he managed to begin the training process, within three minutes of his arrival. He reviewed our dog and we discussed the best means of turning her into a pleasant pet. Interestingly, after he left, our dog was much better behaved. There had clearly been a quantum shift in her behavior after a very short period of working with Dillon. Later that evening, Dillon returned to pick up our monster. The paperwork was quick and easy and he took care of all of our veterinary issues. During the training, we received astonishing videos of our dog actually behaving herself and following a myriad of commands. Beyond training our dog, we were trained as well. We have determined that our dog is now much better behaved, and likely smarter, than our ten year old boy. Full Potential K-9, Inc. did wonders for our family. Considering what they were able to do with the disaster we foisted upon them, I suspect that they could teach a normal dog to read Tolstoy. We were regularly impressed by their efforts and if you have brought, or are contemplating bringing, a new four-legged ball of joy into your family, we wholeheartedly suggest calling Full Potential K-9, Inc." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you are looking for a Dog Trainer in the Boca Raton area, WE CAN HELP! Contact Us Now! 561 289 1713
