Hunting dogs truly enrich all of our hunting experiences and most will tell you the only reason they hunt is to watch the dogs work.

Unfortunately, all too often, most dogs are not provided the oppurtunity to develop hunting skills. They lack an understanding of the relationship between birds, gun, and owner. They are never given the chance, or have been exposed to negative experiences, to reach their potential and realize their purpose in the field.

What was to be a memorable day in the field often ends with a frustrated owner and dog that will not hunt, flees at the sound of gunfire, or runs wildly out of control in the field or marsh.

Rock Creek Kennel has the experience to address all of your training needs and can help develop a program tailored to meet your specific needs and goals for you and your hunting companion.

Our guarantee is that the same passion, effort, hard work, training techniques, experience, and care will be afforded to your dog as if it was one of our own. We will be honest and truthful with all of our evaluations and expectations of your dog.

Puppy Training and Training to the NAVHDA

                Natural Ability Standard:

Our site makes it obvious that we are  fans of NAVHDA. What is appealing about the NAVHDA system is that if you are training to prepare a dog for a Natural Ability test or a Utility test, you are doing everything you need to prepare the dog for hunting.

This is why we train to those standards and use NAVHDA goals as a benchmark for our training program.

Puppy training, up until roughly 16 months of age, can include introduction to birds, gunfire, basic obedience, pointing, water, and field work. Our inclusive course covering all these important areas is roughly 4 to 6 weeks long in which the pup will stay with us and train every day. Pups that go through this course will be well prepared for a Natural Ability test and their first hunting season. We do finish beyond the Natural Ability standard as many of the pups leave steady to flush on training birds. Keep in mind that this is not a strict obedience based program. The focus is to awaken and develop your pups desire and inherent abilities through proper exposure and training techniques.

Proper timing and the right approach to introducing your pup to birds and gunfire start before  pointing and field work, which soon follows.

Keeping your pup joyful in the field and water and building desire is always stressed.

We only train four dogs at any given time. Please call for more information about training and training prices for your young pup.

Advanced and training to the NAVHDA Utility Standard:

Very few people have had the pleasure of owning, and experienced the joy of hunting behind a truly finished gundog. When you train towards the NAVHDA Utility test, that is your end goal. This training is reserved for dogs that have finished their Natural Ability work and are generally on their way to adulthood.

These are the dogs that are completely under control in the field and marsh. They are steady in the blind, over birds, and show a great deal of cooperation in hunting for the gun.

Well mannered dogs that retrieve to hand and are obedient under all circumstances is their signature.

The training can be lengthy but is well worth the investment if you want more than just a meat dog.

Advanced training can include advanced obedience, whistle work, steady to shot and fall, stop to flush and shot, backing, the trained retrieve, and duck searches.

We can tailor your advanced training to fit your specific needs, or, we can train your dog through the entire process. Our full program is generally approached in stages, given your pup has been properly exposed through the first stage of the natural ability training. The dog would then advance to a time frame for whoa training and the trained retrieve. Once the dog has reached those goals, it is then all tied together to complete the utility aspects of a NAVHDA test.  

Quality water locations and healthy fowl are essential for duck search training and water retrieves. We have access to numerous areas that qualify as  excellent duck search water.

We use an abundance of healthy flight conditioned birds for all of our field work. We have numerous training sites so dogs do not become place or site compliant.

A dog can still pass tests and perform what is required even if it becomes druggery and no longer enjoys the hunt. But a dog that  retains it's joyfullness is a pleasure and spectacle to watch. We always strive to maintain that joyful spirit.

Please email for more infomation on all of our training plans and prices.  

Training

Erin Kalpin, our eldest daughter, has been training and handling dogs since she could walk. Since she was 12 years old she has trained and tested numerous NA and UT dogs. Erin has qualified 4 dogs for the Inivtational and handled two dogs in the IT. She is currently a NAVHDA apprentice Judge and works for us full time as a trainer under LLC Upland Endeavors.

   We have belonged to NAVHDA since 1994 and have tested over 110 dogs in NAVHDA Natural Ability, Utility Tests, and the Invitational. We have also assisted over a 100 owners in the training of their dogs and preparing them to successfully handle their dogs in a variety of tests, trials, and in the field or marsh.

Photo by Tyle Sladen

Photo by Nancy Anisfield