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Percentage best Pro Trainer?

6K views 32 replies 17 participants last post by  iTrain 
#1 ·
Let me preface this post by saying I may be a little biased as I am a client of Mark Smith and Southlake Kennel. But is there a better professional trainer who consistently places his dogs in the Open more than Mark? He typically has 5-7 dogs entered and routinely places 2-4 of them. It's one thing to have 20-25 entries and place 2. But it sure is impressive to have only six bullets in your gun and hit the target so consistently.
 
#5 · (Edited)
He's not in it for the money but, for the women!

P S
Chief is going to Brazosport in pursuit of the 2011 High Point Derby designation. If he were to get that designation, that would give Mark two High Point Derby dogs, Ronfleaux being the first.
 
#7 ·
I have never met the man, but as I have kept up with the various trials that he has participated in, I have been extremely impressed.

It's really a headscratcher as to why he doesn't have more dogs. If I was local to that area, he would be at the top of my list.
 
#11 · (Edited)
There are a lot of great trainers around.

Most A-List Pros don't do Basics, they either get the dog after or have someone else do it. I don't recall many A-List Pros that consistently win and place in all the stakes they are eligible for.

Plus, he doesn't have the clientel with deep pockets buying hot two years olds to place on his truck. Not that it has never happened but, it is not a regular occurence like many big named Pros have thier clients do.

Couple of years ago I was shopping for a Toyota car. In the salesman's office was a picture of a black Lab female. I made the comment, "Nice looking dog". The guy didn't know me from Adam. He says to me, "she was a FT dog and won 5 Qualifyings". I said, "That's impossible, they can't run Q's after they have won two". His eyes got really big and said, "you don't believe me and you know what a Qualifing FT stake is"? I said, yes I know what a Q is. He said, Mark Smith trained her and Ill get him on the phone. I said, "no need I talk with him on a fairly regular basis, which I did back then.

The story is; Mark won all 3 Q's at the Triple D/Q with her and had her entered in two more, which she won.
 
G
#19 ·
You don't know better so I am going to be kind. :) A pro will run every all age dog he/she has every weekend unless he/she can't due to a health issue or something like that. So no, Mark is not bringing different dogs to each event.
 
#15 ·
Mark Smith is simply one of the best trainers in the country and he should be on anyone's short list who is looking for a professional retriever trainer, it wouldn't matter if he had 6 dogs or 60 dogs he would give it his best with every one of them, hard work and dog savvy is what makes him successful regardless of the number of pupils he has..........and does anyone remember a few years back he had a detached retina and his future as a pro was in question?

He recovered nicely, I consider him a friend and I applaud him for his success because when I first knew him when he was just a kid training dogs, not very many of them and not many of them very good.....:cool:

Good goin' Mark....your success is not accidental
 
#16 ·
Mark ran a Ht I was judging about 20 years ago. I only saw him that one weekend and have never seen him run again. His dog did exceptional work and so did he. When I first saw him run,,,,I said to myself 'this guys got something special going on" He left a lasting impression for just the one time he ran that I saw. I didn't know him from Adam. And I can picture his dog work that he did this very day as I type this.. if I can still remember that today,,,then I would say what a great first impression he made.
And he seemed like a really good guy too.

Pete
 
#17 ·
Mark ran a Ht I was judging about 20 years ago.
Pete
That was the wrong Mark Smith or wrong time interval, Mark was running field trials before there were hunt tests, he was handling dogs in the National Championship stake more than 20 years ago
 
#20 ·
That was the wrong Mark Smith or wrong time interval, Mark was running field trials before there were hunt tests, he was handling dogs in the National Championship stake more than 20 years ago Today 04:31 PM
OOPs your right,,,, I had mark Edwards on my brain. Never met Mark Smith,, wasn't there an old gun dog trainer from OK named Mark Smith.

Pete
 
#24 · (Edited)
Few know that Mark walked away from duck calling after winning the state championship 3 times to become a pro Kareokee singer. If ever there was a pro Lab trainer that coulda been a wedding singer, it's him!

BobbyB, I remember that Summer you helped Mark in the hot brutal sun in 07. He had one client pull a dog that Mark had won 3 Opens with in the previous calendar year. He took a lot of heat for staying south! When Fall arrived, the physical condition of his dogs were tops! He ate the Fall southern circuit up that season!!!

And, who will ever forget FC AFC Feather Of Sweetbriar! Her training was crafted by Mark.
She with Bob handling won 4 or 5 Double Headers!

Hey Melanie, that's ya boy.
 
#26 · (Edited)
BobbyB, I remember that Summer you helped Mark in the hot brutal sun in 07. He had one client pull a dog that Mark had won 3 Opens with in the previous calendar year. He took a lot of heat for staying south! When Fall arrived, the physical condition of his dogs were tops! He ate the Fall southern circuit up that season!!!

And, who will ever forget FC AFC Feather Of Sweetbriar! Her training was crafted by Mark.

Hey Melanie, that's ya boy.
You right Franco !!!It was the best weight lost program i ever went through...3 to 4 lbs a week. !!!!!
BobbyB
cajun
 
#25 ·
Brad Smith, trained for Browning in Utah then emigrated to Oklahoma
:p:p Thats it ED,,, man you got a good memory. I should have known that,,,I did business with him. My next question is
Is there really a Mark Edwards ,, if so was he from around the Minasoooota area back then and just passin through the NW in that time frame. or am I loosing my noodle:D I'm countin on ya here Ed

I'm not that old,really i'm not

Pete
 
#32 ·
Yep, Pete, I believe Mark Edwards was originally from Minnesota, migrated to Texas years ago..I believe he and Roger Reopelle trained/ran dogs together back in the day
Thanks Wayne
Its all coming back now. Rodger was out here with WIld goose chase and Mark accompanied him. Its all coming together for me now:)

Pete
 
#33 ·
Wow.. guess I should learn to elaborate. I do know Mark & think he is a GREAT TRAINER and am a big fan of him and the dogs on his truck. Was only responding to the % part of the thread of how he has 5-7 dogs entered in the open each week. Now that I see how you guys took my comment can only say
sorry that is not how I meant it to sound!
 
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