Retriever Retreat dates for Spring/Summer 2009

[Kristie Wilder]

I finally got everything together for our spring and summer Retriever Retreats.

Traditional, 4-day, all inclusive retreats are now co-ed. They are located in Douglasville, GA about 20 miles west of Atlanta, just a few minutes north of I-20. The dates are:

May 14-17, 2009
July 9-12, 2009

Prices for the full retreat are $599 per handler/dog team and $299 for "peanut gallery" (observer). Additional dogs with the same handler will be taken as we have room for $250 per dog. Our venue is a beautiful, rustic camp, which will hopefully help make the retreats more affordable for everyone.

We also have three Mini Retreat weekends (and will probably add more beyond these). These are 2-3 day events where we do the same type of training and activities as the retreat, but it is not all-inclusive. You are responsible for your own food and lodging. We do try to arrange one dinner and one breakfast as a group.

February 28-March 1, 2009 (this coming weekend!)
March 28-29, 2009
April 11-12, 2009

Mini Retreats are $50 per dog per day and you can come whichever days you want. Flyers, if available, are typically $15 each.

You can get more information at http://www.retrieverretreat.com. Retriever Retreat was established to help hunt test trainers and participants improve as trainers and handlers. We have a variety of unique and fun drills and activities that we do to improve your skills as a team. Of course, we also do the traditional hunt test setups and concept work. You will also be tested under judgment at least twice during full retreats and your scores will be reviewed and discussed with the group so that everyone can get more familiar with rules and scoring for AKC hunt tests.

ANY level of dog and handler is welcome. And you do not HAVE to participate in AKC hunt tests to attend. We have had dogs of almost every breed and from every retriever venue attend our retreats.

You can also contact me, Kristie Wilder, at info@retrieverretreat.com or 770-562-2741.

HAPPY TRAINING!!

[Kristie Wilder]

Just bumping this up for anyone that might want to join us the last weekend in March.

To give you a better idea of what we do, here's what we did last weekend:

Saturday:

Tight hunt test triple with long go-bird flyer tight to two shorter falls with crosswind coming off them. Shortest fall in cover at base of stand of trees. Middle fall off backside of that gun at bottom of shallow valley. Because this was our opening setup, we made the flyer long to simplify a little.
Set of four mixed factor (mainly terrain, wind and treelines) land blinds with diversion birds thrown EN ROUTE for more advanced dogs, thrown as poison birds for mid-advanced dogs and without marks for dogs in early blind training.
Steadying drills and pile work for younger dogs.
Another tight hunt test triple with short memory bird fall directly in line with longer go bird involving terrain and wind. Plus a blind up the middle of it all with some terrain and wind.
Sunday:

ABCD/Organized Confusion with hollering/quacking gallery (noise for more advanced dogs)
Double poison bird off back of pheasant flyer, mom pop double with simultaneous throws
Group walkups -- four teams per group, varying speeds and commotion, two retrieves per dog
Two marks, one down a hill through a thick brush/tree line back up a hill with a crosswind, another angle down a hill where bird is thrown across opening in treeline to heavy cover in bushes. Two tight blinds angling hill and treeline. Extra breaking bird thrown for younger dogs.