Lars Rasmussen wrote: A few months ago I found Chris on the web. I loved his website. It has a good mix of information, experiences, links and is well written. My brother and I decided we’d spend some training time with Chris to see what he was all about and see if we could pick anything up that would help us with our dogs. I was impressed. I liked his approach, both our dogs took to him immediately. He had a knack for finding just the minimum amount of pressure to get the dogs to respond correctly and then lavished them with praise. Often silently but praise none the less. He also took the time to explain to us exactly what he was doing and why. I think we learned more than the dogs. I came away thinking I should come back. In fact I did, I left my 10 month old Braque du Bourbonais with him for training. Chris laid out a training plan that we both were comfortable with and did exactly what he said he’d do. I couldn’t be more pleased. He was well cared for. Came home in better physical shape than I left him. I got a dog back that was keyed up on birds, pointing well, and steady. I got some good training myself. What more could I ask for? I’d recommend Chris’ training program to anyone that wants to enjoy a good hunting dog.
Mike Pinner wrote: “I’m Zoey’s [wirehair pointer] owner and am so grateful for the gift that Chris at Cove mountain has given me. Zoey hunts with the steadiness of a much more experienced dog. She is a very loving part of the family. Nothing could change my breed choice, but the best investment was have Chris train her. I believe he will make anybody extremely proud of their dog. Good hunting.”
Gail Workman wrote: “Chris, I could not be happier with the training sessions we had, You guys are awsome and I am greatful to have found you. The way you set the dogs up to succeed has been a wonderful learning experience! Watching you bring out the best in all the dogs is pretty amazing. Your patience with dogs and people is a gift that not many people own. We have a hunt test the end of March and I will go into the test with confidence now thanks to you!
Chris Romrell wrote: “Chris and Julie,
I was sitting here at work and thought I would drop you a quick note. I was thinking about you yesterday as the girls and I were playing fetch with Zeke. I wanted to thank you two again for the wonderful dog. Zeke has been so much fun for our family and he still amazes everyone who passes by our house what a well behaved dog he is. He loves to go camping and fishing with us and I am looking forward to this next weekend as the grouse hunt starts. I have been working with him every day and look forward to this upcoming bird season. Thanks again for the wonderful member of our family. If you ever have anyone who is wondering the type of dogs you turn out please have them contact me. I would love to tell them. I hope all is well with your family and your kennel.”
Jon Lee wrote: “After meeting Chris for the first time and hunting behind his dogs I
knew that he could train a hunting dog much more effectively than I ever
could hope to myself. I had been looking for a brittany puppy and when I
found one a few days before christmas in 2006, Chris is the first one I
called. He actually went with to help me pick out the puppy and we
decided on the spunky female I later named “Annabella’s Dreamboat
Annie”. Chris agreed to keep Annie at his home and to train her for 11
consecutive months even though I lived just a few houses down from him.
I knew that Annie’s best chance for success was in becoming a part of
the Colt family pack. His two young children provided the socialization
and play, and his wife the soft touch. Annie was worked with on a daily
basis in basic training and in hunting drills. Chris carefully planned
and executed the crucial introductions to water, then birds and then to
gunfire. Annie was hard-headed at times but each time I visited I could
see her progress clearly.
Annie came home last week and I have had her hunting twice already. At
11 months of age she is already surpassing what I had hoped for – a dog
you could load up and take hunting anytime and any place. She kennels
well, loads and unloads without a balk and has a great temperament. When
we are in the field her manners and obedience seem to increase a notch
as if she knows how important the hunt is to me. She quarters nicely,
finds birds and is retrieving to hand. What more can you ask for from a
year-old puppy? I would highly recommend Chris and his training program
for any level of hunting dog training from starting young pups to
polishing seasoned dogs.”
A happy customer and friend for life. Jon Lee – November 2007.
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Brian Heinsohn wrote: “I want to thank you for a job well done with Jinx. I was recommended to you by another GSP owner for Force Fetch training. I am glad that I had you train Jinx. You have the ability to read dogs well and your passion and love of dogs really shows. He is in tip top shape with all the daily running that he did. I was uncomfortable with doing the FF training because I don’t have enough knowledge about how to do it.
One of the things that I love about your training is that you teach the owner how to maintain the level of training that the dog has received. This is essential knowledge to have in order to keep the dog polished and doing what you have taught them to do.
He is doing great on his retrieving and now I can start to trial and test him again. He passed his NAHVDA Natural Ability test with a perfect score of 112 prior to you getting him. I pulled him out of NASTA and further NAHVDA testing because of his weak performance on fetching. He would rarely bring a bird back to me or pick one up. You can’t pass, much less win the hunt tests if your dog does this. I can’t wait to start playing the games again with him this next spring. I have high expectations of what we can accomplish now. Thanks for everything!” Brian – November 2007
Reciently, Brian followed up to say. “I just thought I would let you know about how Jinx is doing. He is now retrieving bumpers and other things with speed. I don’t have to enforce the fetch command anymore. Thanks for the great job you did with him!”
Jan 2008
Joel Harris wrote: I just wanted to thank you again for the excellent job you did training Morgan. When I dropped her off at your home this summer, she was hyper, undisciplined and hard to handle. We loved her, but she was a real handful. What we ended up with several months later is a well- mannered, focused, hunting dog that shows real promise as a first class hunting dog. I am amazed at how well she obeys basic commands and how well she handles herself in the field. We’ve still got a way to go, but I can now see what the finished product will look like in another year or so. Everyone that has seen her in the field this fall is amazed at how far she has come. You are a great trainer with a real feel for dogs. I plan on having you help me in the future as I really finish her training. I would recommend you to anyone that needs help turning their hard-to-handle dog into a well-behaved hunting machine. Thanks again for everything.
Joel Harris – October 2007
