I got Bo, an English Pointer, as an 8 week old pup with the intension of having a great hunting partner. I started Bo’s training on my own just by reading books and watching instructional videos. Our training was going very well, progressing through the initial steps quickly and efficiently; but we hit a huge road block when I was teaching her to hold point. Other than the holding point issue she definately had the passion and excitement for birds and the drive to hunt. But at this point I knew I needed professional help to progress her toward being a great hunting partner.
I heard about “Dusty W” through a friend of mine. When I called Mike and told him I had an English Pointer that I needed assistance training he welcomed us with open arms, we set up our first training session right away. Our first session was indescribable! A switch flipped in Bo from an excitable puppy to a bird dog. Mike was instrumental in this. it was amazing how Mike could observe her and correst her little actions that made a huge difference in the final product. He definately has a way with dogs. He also taught me how to hunt with a dog, ways to move and cues to watch for. With only three sessions under our belt Mike is confident she is prepared for a chukkar hunt. The chukkar hunt was incredable; Mike had Bo tuned in to work just like a hunting dog should.
If it wasn’t for Mike’s passion for the dogs and love of the sport, Bo would still be an excitable puppy in the field. Thanks to Mike for making my puppy into a hunting partner I can enjoy.
Josh Fields
We became aquainted with the Wagner’s on our purchase of our GSP puppy that we bought from the Dusty W GSP’s in July 2008. At six months old I returned with Mason for training. Mike started training Mason to point with a wing on a fishing rod. After two weeks working with birds, Mike said we were ready for a chukar hunt! What a great experience it was, Mason performed excellent!! We both were happy with his performance. I can’t thank Mike enough for his patience, and the great training he gave Mason!! I now have a great hunting dog and a very loving pet.
Thanks Mike and Jen for everything! Gary and Mason
Mike, Hey, thanks for the great afternoon of hunting last Friday! Glad we could book you again this year. Brother Mike and I had a great time with you and the girls. It was good to hunt with Spyder & Monkey again. Having Brandy along was a bonus. She really did well to hang in there with the younger girls and did her share of pointing out the occasional bird as well………certainly did a better job of it than we could! I did want to send along the pictures we took – a couple of good ones of Brandy. One of our brothers was upset that he didn’t get invited to the hunt and that raised a question: If we had 3 or 4 hunters (we have 2 more brothers), how would we handle a hunt together? Is that too many to put together? Suggestions welcome. We really would like to do another hunt this season if we could. If not, we’ll definitely be asking for you again next year. Again, thanks for the great day we had and hope that you & Jen and the entire clan have a great Christmas!
Joe & Mike Humphrey
We got Duke at 2 1/2 months old in October 2007. He is a Llewellin Setter (English setter from the Duke/Rhoebe-Laverack bloodline). He is a great family dog but had no hunting training. I had only worked with him on basic commands and had introduced him to gunfire using a cap gun and occasionally taking him to the local gun range. I had picked him primarily because of his calm friendly disposition and had hoped for a great hunting partner. I, however, knew very little about actually training a hunting dog. After reading a number of books, I decided that I required professional help. I did not want to send Duke “away” for training because I really wanted to be a part of the process. After many phone calls and internet searches, I was given Mike’s name and number. This was the start of great experience.
Gage became a member of our family in Sept. 2007. At the age of 13 weeks, the only exposure to hunting had been his trips to the shooting range. Gage spent the next 7 weeks adjusting to his new home in New York with only one field adventure. So by 5 months, with virtually no training, we brought Gage to “Dusty W” to begin his formal hunting education. Mike certainly had his work cut out for him. He reviewed with us his training techniques and explained that the learning would be a fun and exciting experience for the dog. Through frequent updates we would learn that Gage was developing the necessary skills to be a hunting companion. During Gage’s 5 week stay, he not only attained excellent Through frequent updates we would learn that Gage was developing the necessary skills to be a hunting companion. During Gage’s 5 week stay, he not only attained excellent hunting behaviors and field ability, he also learned valuable lessons related to house manors and socialization with people and other dogs. Gage arrived at “Dusty W” with none of the skills necessary to perform a successful hunt. Halfway through his training we were able to observe his newly acquired skills and we were thrilled when he pointed 9 out of 10 birds released in the field. We have hunted with Gage on two occations during the end of his training. His progress was remarkable. While we had resigned ourselves to the probability of having only an average hunting dog, we were completely overwhelmed by his superior performance and his enjoyment of the sport. Mike and Jen, as a team, provided Gage with a well rounded experience and the hunting companion that we returned home with has far exceeded our expectations.
Dear Mike and Jen,