River Raisin Retrievers

02/06/2024

45 degrees and an hour to spare? River Raisin’s Going Rogue hasn’t seen a winger since hunting season started, so a trip to the farm was in order.
She’s no puppy now. She is gonna be all business just like her momma!

01/30/2024

Not many shoots, but they were good ones!

07/09/2023

Puppy marks from wingers day 2. Both pups got multiple marks getting them accustomed to the dogtra duck call and looking out at the primer shot.
I’m just letting them go as soon as they recognize the birds in the air. At 14 weeks I want drive and enthusiasm. We’re 14 months away from a hunt with any expectations and next April before a hunt test. Drive is #1, #2, and #3 on the priority list for now.
Bulleit is calmer at the line, it is easier to keep him focused and looking out to the winger.
Rogue is my wild child. When she hears that duck call she is bouncing on her lead.

07/08/2023

Early stages of teaching hold (14 weeks). By the time their adult teeth come in adding the compulsion (toe hitch, ear pinch, collar) they should already be accustomed to reaching for the object and holding it correctly. That way you are only teaching them to turn off the “force”.
Rogue is doing real well holding. She isn’t trying to chew or roll the paint roller. Of course momma and Bulleit are watching her intently so she wanted to do good.
Bulleit happily reaches for the roller n fetch, but he does try to chew and roll it in his mouth. I’ll keep the bumper just behind his canines, so he isn’t gagging on the roller.

07/04/2023

Fourth of July puppy training- intro to wingers!

07/01/2023

The evil twins are growing up fast. River Raisins Grizzly Rogue “Rogue” and her brother River Raisins Heavy Pour “Bulleit” getting a good romp through the long grass.
Edit- just got back from the vet (nail trims!) and my "skinny mini" Rogue weighed in at 32.5 and Bulleit tipped the scale at 36!

07/01/2023

Last weekends training session- reviewing some concepts and adding long water entries to the skill set

06/20/2023

Sunday training. Got started a little late after puppy work, so we had to hustle to beat the heat. Seemingly simple singles, but the birds were placed so Ava had to trace the mark to the end of the arc as they landed behind bushes and trees in moderate to heavy cover.
The video shows the cover, and the blinds were ran through tight keyholes ( hit the slot and line the blind) and for just the third day of marks and cold blinds she is tuning up nicely post litter and starting to get back in shape to start really working.

06/11/2023

Lots of intros the last couple weeks- intro to water, intro to live pigeons- the three pups that are still with us -our girl Rogue,Brodrick Miller’s Maggie, and our lone uncommitted boy “Bulleit” are doing awesome.

06/11/2023

It felt good to get Ava back and doing some serious training today! Spent the morning with my training buddy Brennen Barber working the finished/master dogs.
Got in some good swims today and worked on plenty of concepts - triple water entry, delayed triple, hip pocket marks, backside of gun station blinds, down the shore, blinds.
We had to correct some shore running, but by the end of the day they were pretty honest.

04/09/2023

All the babies are doing good. 8 days in, everyone is healthy and gaining weight.
Our Navy boy seems to lightening up. I don’t think he’ll be a deadgrass but he’s lighter than his brothers and sisters.
Momma Ava got a good break today hanging out and “helping” me sort out gear. I don’t think she realizes bulling bumpers and dokkens out of the buckets to get some tosses doesn’t qualify as work. A few more weeks and we’ll be able to get back to running marks and blinds.

04/02/2023

Updated 4/5

Ava had 3 males and two females on 4/1- at this point Both females and 1 male puppy committed and we will be accepting deposits for the remaining 2 males.
All puppies are brown, and all have white blazes of various size.

Pregnancy confirmed! Litter is expected last week of March.
This litter has been in the works for almost two years, and was finally conceived after the second breeding attempt. I am very excited to combine these two proven hunting/hunt test dogs!
Odie is owned by a good friend Jay Tomor, and was bred by Larry Wood of Ontario. Larry has been in the Chessie game forever and I am proud to help carry on his line. Odie is a ultra athletic 75 lbs, with tremendous drive. Odie is very much a house dog, and has a good on/off switch and gentle demeanor.
Ava is my personal gundog. She has traveled and hunted with me to Saskatchewan, Oklahoma, Kansas and hunts with me at every opportunity here in Michigan. She has her HRCH and UH titles and I do anticipate finishing her MH title this summer as we prep for the fall Grand.
When not chasing waterfowl Ava also picks up tower shoots throughout the season. She has also spent a good amount of time as a guide dog cleaning up loose birds after tower shoots, and does an exceptional job at that as well. She is, to me, the epitome of what a Chessie gundog should be. She is equally at home picking up woodies in secluded timber holes, giant Canada’s in corn, and divers on the big water.
But first and foremost she is a family member, and has an awesome personality and disposition. She is extremely biddable, and does not have an aggressive bone in her body ( to people or other dogs).
If you are interested in a top notch hunting companion, hunt test, and family dog this could be the litter for you. I was only interested in doing this breeding to keep and train my next gundog. I know what both of these dogs bring to the table, and they complement each other extremely well.

02/02/2023

01/30/2023

01/29/2023

Super excited for this litter! This litter has been in the works for 18 months and we had two successful ties on our second attempted breeding.
I fully expect these puppies to be exceptional hunting and hunt test dogs (I am keeping a puppy as my next partner). I would not count them out off being competitive field trial dogs either. Both dogs have great personalities and are everyday companion dogs that live in the house.
Ava is my personal gundog and hunt test partner- she has an exceptional personality and loves the chase. She needs two MH to complete her title post litter, and has all the tools to do it. She is a do it all hunter- she is comfortable in any and all hunting situations and has picked up hundreds of ducks and geese from Michigan to Saskatchewan. She excels as an upland hunter as well, and though we are largely limited to pheasant farms, her steadiness and marking ability make her an exceptional tower dog, but she is also an awesome flushing dog as well.
Odie is a super athletic, high drive dog and these two will absolutely complement each other in this pairing. I consider Odie to be a hidden gem- I am fortunate to train with him and to be around him to know the type of dog he is, and am very glad to extend the bloodline. Odie’s lineage is exceptional and speaks for itself.

01/29/2023

Just got a handful of photos bank from one of our guides at Duck Wild Waterfowl, Adam Kunkel. So glad someone on our trips can take a good photo!

01/08/2023

It was a hell of a season so far- and we’re packed and ready for 4 days in Kansas!

01/08/2023

Ava went 3/3 to finish her upland title and is now HRCH UH Next Generations Avian Express - looking forward to the summer and finishing up her Master Hunter.

08/18/2022

The bull Canvasback decoy is here to represent the 2022 American Chesapeake Club National Show Specialty! This decoy was carved specifically for the Chesapeake Bay Retriever enthusiast with a custom engraved keel. Each decoy will be signed and numbered by Cedar Run Decoy Company carver Corey Lucas.....

07/31/2022

Some days are just perfect for training. I walked out the door at 6 AM and it was 57 degrees. Arrived to the training grounds at 7:45 and it was 61. Just awesome for a heavy coated show pony Chessie! Today we were putting a big focus on points and down the shore concepts.
The first set was run as three singles and three blinds- surprisingly what I expected to be the easiest mark, #2, was the biggest challenge. It actually landed much shorter than the test throw, and was through the land.
I reran that Mark, but adjusted slightly to see if she made a good decision and swam by the point on the second throw. She did.
The third photo was an inline double- #2 was the go bird. It was a total memory eraser for the long bird. Of all the concepts we have run, this one has kicked our ass. We had to handle to the second bird. If anyone has any suggestions- fire away.
Next we ran some concept blinds - first blind we ran from the left side of the matt was off a single point, the second was from the right side and ran past two points. After a slight shift, we ran a lengthy down the shore.
As cool as it was, and as fast as we ran (two hours from start to finish) Ava had plenty of juice left. So onto some bigger marks. I don’t know if they were Qualified marks or not, but they were as big as anything we have ever done with water. All three were run as singles.

07/02/2022

Friday morning stretch- similar set up, moved mark 2 in the second set to be on the line to the old fall, backed up, and changed the angle so Ava had to fight the factor of the hill (you can’t see it, but the marks are across a side hill.

07/02/2022

Training a solid gun dog takes time, consistency, patience, and love. The teamwork developed is what makes the hunt test game so fun.

Unfortunately, being in the game, I see a lot! From what I've seen, it seems as if some people try and "cram" with training, just like before a big exam or work meeting. When people cram it usually doesn't go as well as if they had spent weeks in preparation.

By "cramming" training with a dog, it usually means putting pressure on the dog. A lot of pressure before a test can create attitude problems. Pressure in't just from a stick or e-collar. Mental pressure can be just as tough for them.

A bad attitude is one of the last things you want as a handler! No one wants a dog that walks to the line and looks down or has a poor attitude.

This is a team sport, and by adding pressure, you're being an unfair team captain. Steady and consistent training is always advised, but the week leading up to the test is extremely important.

The week, and especially the day before a test, I try not to put too much pressure on the dog. For instance, I wouldn't try and make a dog hit a 10-foot keyhole on 150 yard blind the Friday before a test or throw cheating singles with a junior to a senior-level dog.

Try and stay in that dog's comfort zone for several days prior to the test. Build Confidence, maintain control, and you will be all set!