Charlie Neale Hello NFR readers! We are new to the NFR community and want to introduce ourselves. We are Charlie Neale and Justin Hergert. We own and operate Southern Way Retrievers, a full service retriever training kennel. Both Justin and I reside in Louisiana, although only one of us is a native. Justin reigns from Georgia, the state of pine trees and quail plantations. We are both avid duck hunters and have been known to fish a little when we get some spare time. I grew up with rabbit dogs, hunted with and raised coonhounds while in college and then transitioned to retrievers when I discovered duck hunting. Justin started off with pointers and setters, as a guide on a quail plantation in Georgia, while in college and soon recognized the benefits of a retriever to “clean-up” after the pointers. He took that knowledge with him to Alaska and then here to Louisiana, training retrievers while serving in the US Coast Guard.
Ellie May Domangue- German Shorthair Retriever owned by Brady Domangue Most of us love dogs and here in Louisiana many dogs are multi-purpose. They are family pets, guard the house when we aren’t home, chase squirrels out of the yard and when the weather turns cold and the birds are flying, they become gun dogs. Retrievers, notice I didn’t just say Labs! Goldens, Chessies, Boykins, German Shorthairs, Standard Poodles, Labradors and other breeds are all represented in the marshes and swamps of South Louisiana. A retriever will change how you feel about hunting. Whether you hunt upland birds, shoot doves in September or waterfowl in the late fall and winter, a retriever can be a good hunting partner and your best buddy. A “Proper Gun Dog”, on the other hand, will be the best hunting partner you have ever had! To create a “Proper Gun Dog” requires training. Taking that cute puppy from a playful pet to a fine tuned hunting dog can take 12-18 months depending on the dog and the time dedicated to training. The investment will pay off in many ways and the bond with your pup will be one cherished forever.
HRCH Shadow Cortez owned by Mike Cortez So how did we land here? We met Keith at a recent fishing event. After a long chat and just a little story telling about hunting and dogs, it was decided that a column here about retriever training might appeal to the NFR community. Since most fishermen are also hunters. Darren’s “The Hunting Camp” column has been a hit here on the website for some time. We hope that our “Training the Proper Gun Dog” column will find a place here as well and complement the wealth of information the NFR provides about the outdoor sports we all like to pursue here in Louisiana. We will try to provide useful training tips and drills you can use to train you own Proper Gun Dog. Look for our first column coming soon. We will start at the beginning with the puppy – How to select a puppy, crate training and fun games to wake up the desire that is inherent to the retriever breeds.
Thank you for reading and we look forward to spending more time with NFR!
Thank you for reading and we look forward to spending more time with NFR!
