The year was 1986 and I purchased my first Labrador Retriever named Clarence. I chose a puppy that was medium in size and sweet disposition. I avoided the pup who was pushing his way to me because I feared he might be too much dog for me. I had purchased a book written by Richard Wolters and followed it page by page and week by week. By spending time each day playing and training, Clarence became an amazing family member and hunter. Fast forward to now and I have trained 200+ dogs of my own as well as dogs belonging to other people. The ability to develop a relationship with a dog and treating them like a member of our family is the key to my success.
My wife Jane also trains dogs. She has taught Canine Good Citizen, puppy, and obedience classes. Jane’s speciality is training small breed dogs. Sharing this passion with her creates a stronger bond between us.
We introduce your pup to wings, birds, and gun fire (training pistol). This program brings out the drive and natural desire of each puppy with no obedience being taught. By slowly introducing the puppy to loud sounds and pairing that stimulus to flapping feathers and flight really brings out the pup’s natural instincts. The end goal of this program is flushing and retrieving pigeons in the field. There will be a demonstration on the day you pick up your dog.
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This program uses a variety of training tools. The majority of the training uses a combination of flat and pinch collars, leash, checkcords and clickers. Basic skills include sit, stay, come, down, leave it, wait, Ok, and loose leash walking. All skills will be reinforced with a clicker and taught in a manner that is consistent and fair to the dog. We make a point of having your dog spend time in our house to deepen our relationship and work on inside manners. If you have other issues with your dog, we are happy to customize your training program to meet your needs. We proof all skills by adding distractions – other dogs, people, loud sounds, children, cats, and moving traffic. Once the dog is performing at a high success rate, we take them uptown to work on busy sidewalks to solidify all skills. On the day you pick up your furry family member, there will be a demonstration of skills.
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This program will teach skills without the use of a leash. Sit will now mean stay. Come (recall) will be taught at short distances of 20 feet, medium 40 ft, and long distances 100 ft. Heeling will be taught on the left side of the handler unless advised differently. Down and down stays will also be performed at short, medium, and long distances. Since each dog has its own level of trainability, they will be worked at their own pace. Some dogs may need additional days to complete these objectives successfully. Increased stay will increase the cost of the program. On the day you pick up your dog there will be a demonstration of skills. The owner will be taught what to do and say to continue the training while at home.
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Classes are offered to owners who want to share their dog in a very special way. This course will teach owners and their dogs the necessary skills needed to pass the Canine Good Citizen Test. All dogs who pass this exam will be able to visit some hospitals, senior centers, college campuses, assisted living etc.
Owners who successfully pass the CGC test have the opportunity of adding a AKC title next to their dog’s name on their pedigree. If your dog isn’t registered with the American Kennel Club they can still earn their Canine Good Citizen status.
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We make house calls within 20 miles of Faribault, Minnesota. Many dog owners need a little help with their pooch and don’t feel the need for a weekly program. All types of issues – pulling on walks, barking, jumping, etc. can be improved in the comfort of your home. Please email us at info@gundersondogtrainingandkennels.com for more information or scheduling a training session.
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"Michael the dog whisperer! He did a great job with my pup Arlo. I learned more in one hour than I have in 9 months."
"Me and my puppy Tinka loved taking classes with Michael! It was great for socialization and we learned many things. Michael is very knowledgeable plus made learning fun. Definitely will go back!"
"After training she came back a completely different dog! She stays at my side during a walk and for the first time we both know who is supposed to be in charge! (It's me, who knew?) Would recommend Gunderson Dog Training & Kennels 100 times over!"
"I purchased a pup from Michael and couldn't be happier. It was an incredible experience. I even bring my dog over on occasion to say hello and they always give me training tips. They really enjoy dogs and are very patient with my boy, Rusty."
"We couldn't ask for a better behaved, eager to learn 11 month old German Shorthair pup! After she completed the gun training along with the beginner obedience program she is a totally new puppy! Confirmed by my in-laws who are not dog people; we now have the best trained animal in the family. Rainy WILL be going back for more hunting training. Completely worth every penny and every minute we missed her."
"We have two 3 year old labs from a litter from Michael's Annie! He is more than easy to work with whether it was playing with his puppies or helping me with training advice. He has a really good way with the dogs, playful but firm. I can't recommend him enough. The dogs we have are healthy with great personalities, and if I do say so myself, beautiful dogs!"
"I've known Michael a long time and his care and knowledge of dogs is truly impressive! His training definitely makes having a dog more enjoyable."
"I got a "started" yellow lab with his Junior Hunting title from them and would do so again without hesitation. They spent a lot of time on his obedience training and it shows. They were very pleasant to deal with and we still stay in touch. Highly recommended!"
"Gunderson Dog Training helped create a wonderful family member. I'm thankful they have given me the tools to keep up his training as well. Gunderson Dog Training will always be my go to when I need the training help."
"We left our Josie in the care of Gunderson Dog Training & Kennels for 2 weeks. Although it was hard to leave her, we were confident she was in good hands. When we picked her up we knew we had made the right decision. We are absolutely amazed at the skills Josie learned and excited to continue to grow those at home. Highly recommended!"
"We chose Gunderson Dog Training to do our puppy training and the 2 week obedience class. We are very satisfied with the results. Our black lab is so much better at listening and obeying commands. You can tell the dogs they train become part of the family while they are staying with them."
"We had just adopted our dog, Peaches, from the Humane Society. It was clear that he would be a great dog, but had a lot of work to do. Michael was a great help to us in providing real, applicable training for our Peachy Boy. Within two lessons, we were able to go from a struggling walk to a breezy walk in which I knew we could trust each other."
"Cam is just a little over a year old. He's a wonderful, well tempered dog, but not good on a leash. Michael had Cam for three days and now Cam is walking (not pulling) but walking with me!!! Thank you for the tips and helping us with Cam. We are so pleased."
"We brought our dog to Gunderson Dog Training for 2 weeks. She's a different dog. With the training from Michael and then Michael giving us the tools to work with her. We have been more than pleased. We definitely recommend them!"
"Gunderson Dog Training did a great job working with our dog. We are very satisfied with the progress he made in a short amount of time."
"I heard about Michael from a friend who had taken their puppy to him for leash training, so I called him up. The day we picked up Sassy we could tell she was so much more confident and secure. Michael walked us through her training and showed us what we should and shouldn't do with our pup. Our dream has come true. We truly are blessed to have Sassy in our lives, and I am not sure we would have been this content without Gunderson Dog Training's help."
"Gunderson Dog Training & Kennels helped us so much with our 15 month old Golden Retriever. He improved so much we now feel much more comfortable taking him places."
We partner with some of the best products in the industry. We all want dependability and these companies
deliver to make Gunderson Dog Training a great place to train a dog.
