About Us
Our Experience:
Between us, we have over thirty years of gun dog training experience. We have:
* worked with field dogs and show lines from North America,
Ireland and Great Britain;
* trained labrador retrievers for field trials and hunt tests, and as
gun dogs and family companions;
* had a great deal of success in rehabilitating troubled retrievers
and setting them on the right path.
In addition to, being a AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator , a member of the AKC Bred With Heart program , a certified pet evaluator for Therapy Pets Unlimited ; a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers ( APDT) , a certified trainer with the Canine Council for Professional Dog Trainers ( CPDT- KA) and certified in Pet Psychology ( HCRUIO5).
Having worked with so many dogs, we have a clear understanding of the possibilities for building great gun dogs.
Between us, we have over thirty years of gun dog training experience. We have:
* worked with field dogs and show lines from North America,
Ireland and Great Britain;
* trained labrador retrievers for field trials and hunt tests, and as
gun dogs and family companions;
* had a great deal of success in rehabilitating troubled retrievers
and setting them on the right path.
In addition to, being a AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator , a member of the AKC Bred With Heart program , a certified pet evaluator for Therapy Pets Unlimited ; a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers ( APDT) , a certified trainer with the Canine Council for Professional Dog Trainers ( CPDT- KA) and certified in Pet Psychology ( HCRUIO5).
Having worked with so many dogs, we have a clear understanding of the possibilities for building great gun dogs.
Our Breeding Program:
At Sundance Retrievers the human family is important. After we carefully select a female for breeding , she is raised with us and trained as a gun dog or companion dog. Once her training is complete, she leaves our home to go to her host family.
Upon confirmation of pregnancy, our breeding females return to our home to whelp the puppies. Once the puppies are weaned their mothers go home to their families . This practice provides our deserving females with wonderful lives .
We have selected top Irish, British and American field lines - as well as a champion hunting show line - to create three lines of gun dogs to better match your individual lifestyle:
* To create the Sporting Gun Dog line we combine the drive and energy of the American field dog with the style of
the Irish and British gun dog. The results tend to produce a dog that can be a dynamic hunting partner and hunt
test competitor.
* We use the time tested breeding of Irish and British field dogs to produce the Classic Gun Dog line.
* We combine Irish/British field lines with hunting show lines that tend to yield remarkably calm dogs that can hunt.
We call this our Occasional Gun Dog line.
At Sundance Retrievers, we are focused on providing our clients with the highest quality Labrador Retrievers and promise that all of the dogs in our breeding program are:
* AKC DNA certified
* AKC registered
* OFA Eye Certified
* Have a OFA Score rated either good or excellent; and/or a PennHip of 50% and higher
* Tested for : Centronuclear Myopathy ( CNM), Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), Exercise-Induced Collapse (EIC),
Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis (HNPK), Progressive Retinal Atrophy ( PRA-PRCD), Progressive Rod- Cone
Degeneration (PRCD), Retinal Dysplasia (DRD1), Oculoskeletal Dysplasia 1 ( OSD1) and Skeletal Dysplasia
(SD2).
In addition, they will have a strong working pedigree and temperaments that are graded against the AKC Canine Good Citizen standard.
At Sundance Retrievers the human family is important. After we carefully select a female for breeding , she is raised with us and trained as a gun dog or companion dog. Once her training is complete, she leaves our home to go to her host family.
Upon confirmation of pregnancy, our breeding females return to our home to whelp the puppies. Once the puppies are weaned their mothers go home to their families . This practice provides our deserving females with wonderful lives .
We have selected top Irish, British and American field lines - as well as a champion hunting show line - to create three lines of gun dogs to better match your individual lifestyle:
* To create the Sporting Gun Dog line we combine the drive and energy of the American field dog with the style of
the Irish and British gun dog. The results tend to produce a dog that can be a dynamic hunting partner and hunt
test competitor.
* We use the time tested breeding of Irish and British field dogs to produce the Classic Gun Dog line.
* We combine Irish/British field lines with hunting show lines that tend to yield remarkably calm dogs that can hunt.
We call this our Occasional Gun Dog line.
At Sundance Retrievers, we are focused on providing our clients with the highest quality Labrador Retrievers and promise that all of the dogs in our breeding program are:
* AKC DNA certified
* AKC registered
* OFA Eye Certified
* Have a OFA Score rated either good or excellent; and/or a PennHip of 50% and higher
* Tested for : Centronuclear Myopathy ( CNM), Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), Exercise-Induced Collapse (EIC),
Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis (HNPK), Progressive Retinal Atrophy ( PRA-PRCD), Progressive Rod- Cone
Degeneration (PRCD), Retinal Dysplasia (DRD1), Oculoskeletal Dysplasia 1 ( OSD1) and Skeletal Dysplasia
(SD2).
In addition, they will have a strong working pedigree and temperaments that are graded against the AKC Canine Good Citizen standard.
Our Approach To Training
Our training program is based on the belief that building sound quality animals requires fairness and consistency . Only by teaching with patience and understanding can one develop a companion that will be your best friend and trusted hunting partner.
Our training program is based on the belief that building sound quality animals requires fairness and consistency . Only by teaching with patience and understanding can one develop a companion that will be your best friend and trusted hunting partner.
At the core of Sundance Retrievers we have combined time-tested methods with current thinking and new technologies to implement a four step training process:
1. Teach - Give actions a name and mark that behavior with praise.
At this stage, the cue is a request.
2. Enforce - Cues become commands by applying corrections
and praise, i.e. "empowerment through choice";
3. Groove - Repeat the desired response until it is automatic.
4. Apply - Take the learned behavior and transition it into the field.
Through this process we build a dog that not only uses its own mind to think and make appropriate decisions, we create an animal that is happy and wants to work with you.
We do accept a limited number of dogs outside of Sundance for training.
1. Teach - Give actions a name and mark that behavior with praise.
At this stage, the cue is a request.
2. Enforce - Cues become commands by applying corrections
and praise, i.e. "empowerment through choice";
3. Groove - Repeat the desired response until it is automatic.
4. Apply - Take the learned behavior and transition it into the field.
Through this process we build a dog that not only uses its own mind to think and make appropriate decisions, we create an animal that is happy and wants to work with you.
We do accept a limited number of dogs outside of Sundance for training.