Anyone have any experience with them for upland training? I understand that Pat is a former baseball player for the Ags. Any info or experiences yall would like to share would be greatly appreciated.

His name is Bill. Bill Johnson. Wonderful man. Does great job

Ah, I see I got the name wrong. I was looking at Pete Thuman in Brookshire. I think Bill runs Pecan Tree in Bellville (which I'm also looking into and will email shortly). I was also looking at Ronnie Smith in OK, but I've very hesitant to have her that far away and not being able to work with her during the training, I need training too since this is my first pup.

I'm mainly looking for the initial training for getting her to find birds, whoa broke, and coming when distracted, etc. About how long does this usually take with Bill or any others yall may recommend?

Thanks for the response!

My Griff has been with Harlen Winter out in Bertram for almost 4 months now. This is my first bird dog too, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I have been very happy with him. He's an older guy, and pretty much a one man shop. He doesn't require that your dog be there any certain amount of time, basically it's up to you how trained you want it, although he guarantees certain things after 4 months, like retrieving to hand. If your dog doesn't retrieve to hand after that, or if in the future it stops (even if you mess it up), he will continue to train it at his cost. I wasn't real excited about having my dog be gone for that long, but I am really glad that I did it, and will soon have a dog that I can not only upland hunt with, but that I can also take dove hunting. He had my dog hunting, pointing & stopping to flush in no time. Force fetch took a bit longer, but he's just about done with that. I go out weekly to work with the dog and to get trained myself. My boys love going out there, riding around with him, getting birds from the johnny house, planting birds, working the dog etc. I get a lot of one on one time with Harlen and the dog, so I have learned a ton. I think his specialty is GSP's and setters, but he pretty much works with anything. Every time I go out, the dog is eager, excited, and happy. I have read that when choosing a trainer, go watch them work a few other dogs, if the dogs look anxious, timid, tail between legs etc, walk away. Like I said, I'm new to all of this so I have nothing to compare it to, but I'm really happy with my decision.

I have had 2 labs trained at Pecan Hill - I would recommend them Absolutly. First was a female that had a very gental nature - the type of dog a trainer can easily ruin with harsh training. The head guy ( name escapes me, Pete?) seems like a real hardass but is spectacular. She turned out to be a spectacular hunter, but could have easily been ruined and turned into a worthless lap dog. She was not a typical hardcore hunting lab, but he understood my goals for her and turned her into exactly what I wanted.
Second was a hardheaded chocolate male - again they did exactly what I asked.
I have refered several buddies and they have all been happy. One had a dog that would not turn into the dog he wanted - they told him straight up, in a professional manner, and he realy respected that. They didn't just take his money and give him a dog back that didn't meet his expectations.
They aren't cheap - but in this case I think you get what you pay for. Just my 2 cents.

VO that sounds almost exactly like what I'm looking for in regards to personal touch and dove/quail dog. And I agree, it's a real struggle in my head to let my girl go for that long!

If you don't mind me asking, how much does Harlen charge (email is in my profile if you'd rather not discuss that on here)? His website isn't much but I was wondering if it's worth looking into before I bothered him on the phone. Burnet is a little farther than I'd like but I think Pecan Hill may be out of my price range.

Harlen charges $600 per month. I didn't shop around a whole lot because he was recommended to me by someone else who said that he has trained several griffs. I had been told that griffs are sometimes soft, and like the above poster mentioned can easily be ruined. Once I talked to him on the phone and went to see him I was sold on him. I'm a little under an hour away, so it's easy for me to get out to see him. I would definitely factor in how long of a drive it is for you. As a first time owner I think it's super important to get out there as much as I can so I can learn too.

Thanks. I'll have to look into him, being in Houston that may be a bit of a drive, but I could fly into Burnet pretty easy. Would be worth it for that price and personal attention. I appreciate the information!

Bill Johnson at Pecan Tree Kennels is a good choice for starting a young dog. I've let him start a couple of dogs for me in the past. He has a Mexican gentleman named Si who does most of the training. He has a 50 acre training ground that is fenced with net wire to keep young dogs from escaping. He'll have your dogs holding points and honoring, but he's not big on steady to wing or steady to wing and shot. You would have to finish the dog. I've not had him force break a dog to retrieve, so not sure if they do that. He's more than happy to let you come out any time and work with your dog while it's there. You'll have a started dog ready to hunt in 3 to 4 months, depending on the dog. I've not used him in several years, but a number of people here in College Station have used him recently, and I think he's around $600/month for boarding and training.

I spoke with Bill yesterday and was pleased with the conversation. I'll let her get a few more months of age and fixed, then drive out and check his place out. I'll give Harlen a call too just in case.

How well does the dog transition from being kenneled inside and outside mostly to play to being in the 5'x10' run 24hours? I haven't built mine yet in the yard to keep her in while I'm at work but planned on it after it warmed up some.

I wouldn't anticipate any problems with them transitioning to the outside. Bill will have 50-75 dogs in his kennel area. She'll be well socialized to other dogs when you pick her up. It's like summer camp for dogs!

Make sure you get him/her vaccinated for bordetella before you take them.