Sometimes, they even help with the gardening!  Or the DIY!!  

(No, these last three photos are not normal gundog training, this is just my young lad 'showing off' and when he's around, you need eyes in the back of you head because you just never know what he'll retrieve next for you!  Every time you turn around, he's found something else to bring you)

A huge percentage of todays working gundogs live in the house, not the kennel.  The way of the modern world means todays gundog can fit in much better with busy family life if he is much more part of the family and living with the family. So what happens when he needs to go away for his residential training? He has spent his whole life living in the house with you and now you need to send him away for his training and he is going to live in a kennel for 2 weeks or several months. That isn't what you want for your best friend. Now you don't know what to do, every training facility you call says the same thing, the dog will live in a kennel during his training. Not this time. Now you've found a trainer who offers either option. We offer both the training and the option for your dog to live-in, as part of our family during his training.

So, as far as your dog is concerned, it's like a holiday camp for him.  He gets to go for a holiday, learn new things, meet new friends, sleep in a warm bed in the house and then go back home to show off his new skills.  Dogs who come for 'live in training', adjust to their 'training family' very quickly. 

Dogs are very intelligent and can adapt quickly to new situations, especially when given the right environment in which to do so. The happier the dog, the quicker they learn.

It is very important to us that your dog feels completely at home during his stay with Craigelachie Gundogs.  Training sessions are much more productive and successful if your dog is not under any undue stress.  The training sessions are tailored to each individual dog to ensure he gets the most from his stay with us.

At home, if you don't insist on 'basic manners', e.g waiting to get out of the car until told, not barging out the back door at home as soon as you open it, letting them charge off as soon as the lead is removed, etc., you will never have a trained gundog, (or trained pet) no matter how much residential training you send him for or how many lessons you have.  Always aim for the best your dog is capable of (no matter how small the task) and you will have so many more rewards, as will he.

Staying with us involves your dog never being shut in kennels and run for the bulk of your dogs stay. The norm is for your dog to be out and about with us in the vehicle, or playing in the garden, maybe coming to feed the chickens or rabbits, sleeping in front of the fire or training. This means mental stimulation, being relaxed and able to play with other dogs.

Being able to play and run freely and not being cooped up in a kennel for hours and days on end is a luxury not many dogs get to enjoy when their family go away or they send their dogs away for training. Dogs need and flourish on mental stimulation as well as physical exercise. There is a permanent large agility tunnel in the garden and many dogs who have never encountered such an object, are curious about it and can't help but enter into it to explore. Often when they have gone in once of their own accord, you can't keep them out of it!

On top of all that, for the live-in dogs, they have the extra added benefit of being with the family all of the time with all the normal home comforts like a warm open fire on a chilly evening, carpets, sound (t.v./radio/people chatting) and normal family life.

Your dogs health is checked and attended to if need be from simple things like ear cleaning, toe nail clipping to vet visits (where needed). When in our care, we care for every dog as if it were our own. Your dogs happiness and well being is paramount to us.

Your dogs stay with us really is about being treated as well as our own dogs are and their training, at whatever level, is taken very seriously. Remember though, that dogs are creatures of habit. What they learn well here may well go out the window when they go home again if you don't follow through with the training. Habits, for dogs as well as humans, are difficult to break, and some more difficult than others. Your dog needs you to keep steering him in the right direction once he goes back home.

The 'live-in' training option is only available to well socialised and fully vaccinated dogs.  Please give us a ring if you would like to discuss this in more detail.