Retrieving for All Occasions

09/06/2024

Just wrapped up the second foundations weekend here in Nova Scotia and we’ve had a great time! So
Much fun to follow the dogs and handlers as they master new skills 😍👍

06/06/2024

Last nights class, Bumper - not burger, was so much fun! It was the first time I've held a class focusing just on that, even though our original pictures/videos of that were shot back in 2011. Lots of laughter, clever placement of the distractions, great rewards and setting the dogs up for success (without any intimidation) made for a great night with great results! Meander River German Shorthaired Pointers

05/06/2024

Preparations for tonight’s class: bumper not burger! This will be so much fun! 😀

02/06/2024

Delivery to hand with distractions! 💪💪👍👍

02/06/2024

First weekend of gun dog foundations at Meander River German Shorthaired Pointers in Canada has come to an end. 10 great dogs and handlers have been working on delivery to hand, steadiness, stop whistle, heelwork, casting and of course adding lots of distractions to proof the behaviors!

31/05/2024

June 5, 2024 from 18:00-20:30 We are offering a fun evening class with Elsa Blomster of Retrieving for All Occasions that builds upon the skills taught in her Gun Dog Foundations class. You can think of it as next-level Its Yer Choice, or just a really cool party trick. We will learn how to teach .....

30/04/2024

Come to Canada/Nova Scotia and join us in June!

Meander River German Shorthaired Pointers is proud to announce that we will be hosting a course by Elsa Blomster. Ms. Blomster is known for her book and website, Retrieving for All Occasions, where she teaches positive, play-based methods of training gun dogs. We are proponents of her methods and us...

28/12/2023

Summarizing a great year. New puppy in the pack (Rowan), puppy course and other courses online, first prize in open class cold game test with Keen, teaching in Canada and interesting discussions. Looking forward to an exciting 2024 and visiting Canada again - teaching two weekend courses this time.

24/12/2023

From all of us to all of you: a very, merry Christmas!

06/10/2023

Holding an area may be the aspect that's easiest to overlook when training, but it's what can truly make or break a retrieve. In a cold game test, it might work to simply send the dog in the direction of the wind - the area is usually well-trampled if many dogs have been there, so the dog has a good chance of holding the area and staying within it....

Holding an area may be the aspect that’s easiest to overlook when training, but it’s what can truly make or break a retrieve. In a cold game test, it might work to simply send the dog in the direction of the wind – the area is usually well-trampled if many dogs have been there, so … Holding ...

28/09/2023

The sharp-eyed have noticed that we've had many posts about retrievals. It's to meet the demand, you could say. 😉 As we've mentioned before, many people struggle with their delivery to hand, and it's so UNNECESSARY. There are also many different challenges. One of the toughest might be dealing with a dog that has a strong resource guarding instinct. These are the dogs that, for example, growl when you approach them with something valuable or employ a wilder approach to keeping the item, playing a crazy game while carefully avoiding getting close to you as the handler......

The sharp-eyed have noticed that we’ve had many posts about retrievals. It’s to meet the demand, you could say. 😉 As we’ve mentioned before, many people struggle with their delivery to hand, and it’s so UNNECESSARY. There are also many different challenges. One of the toughest might be de...

23/09/2023

Do you need more structure in your training or a nudge in the right direction so you train what you really need?

We have created a template which we call "Boost What You Want," where we offer you our best tips and structure for a great training plan.

Enter your email address via the below and we will email you the plan completely free of charge!

Do you want to learn how to use reward based training effectively to train you gun dog puppy? How to get your puppy to deliver its treasures to you and to enjoy following you? Join Elsa Blomster, author of the book Retrieving for All Occasions - Foundations for Excellence in Gun Dog Training, in thi...

16/05/2023

A while ago we wrote about our motto "Train, Prevent, Interrupt" and it's actually closely related to today's topic. We jokingly say "don't stand there like a fish stick" and mean that we must do something. Both in training and in tests, we sometimes need to think and act quickly to interrupt the dog's behavior. In tests, it usually means blowing a stop whistle, in training, it can be a stop whistle but also that we go - or run - and get the dog or recall it....

A while ago we wrote about our motto “Train, Prevent, Interrupt” and it’s actually closely related to today’s topic. We jokingly say “don’t stand there like a fish stick” and mean that we must do something. Both in training and in tests, we sometimes need to think and act quickly to in...

14/05/2023

Last day in Canada, today we worked on the stop whistle and casting and dogs and handlers were progressing really well 😍 Now I’m at the airport on my way back home, but I hope I’ll be able to come back and stay for longer because I’ve had a great time.

13/05/2023

Another great training day in Canada. New set of dogs and handlers today, working on delivery to hand, taking and holding as well as steadiness and heelwork. Looking forward to meeting them again tomorrow and start working with the stop whistle and casting.