Premier Gun Dog Training

There is really no “secret ingredient” when it comes to training hunting dogs. First, you begin with the breed of your choice from proven progeny. Next, you select a trainer with the knowledge and experience to complete the task at hand. The rest all boils down to patience, repetition, and a soft hand, mingled with lots of contact with birds! Without this final and essential ingredient, the recipe is simply not complete.

Tracey Lieske is our resident Gun Dog Trainer and Upland Manager at Deer Creek Lodge. Tracey has been guiding and training dogs for over 20 years. He’s worked at some of the finest wingshooting lodges in the country including Greystoke Castle and The Flying B Ranch. He can evaluate a potential purchase as well as design a training program that works best with your chosen breed.

When you place your dog with Deer Creek Lodge, rest assured that all the ingredients are intact. We provide the training tools, the grounds, and most important, the birds necessary for us to elevate any trainable dog to the peak of its ability. There are no shortcuts or “magic potions” utilized to reach this level. Rather, hours and hours of soft-handed repetition are implemented, and enable your dog to joyfully perform at its very best.

All disciplines are taught—basic handling, backing, stop to “whoa!,” steady to wing & shot, and the trained retrieve—and all dogs are accepted on a 2-week trial basis. At the end of this period, we will discuss with you our opinion of the dogs’ trainability and potential. If both parties agree to move forward without exceptions, then all subsequent training is performed on a “Satisfaction Guaranteed” basis. A maximum of 12 dogs are accepted monthly, and all are diligently and professionally worked on pigeons as well as on native and Smith-O'Neal released quail.

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