Hello, my name is Alex Huff. I own and operate Off Leash Tyler and One Shot Retrievers with my wonderful husband, Grant Huff. Grant and I have been in the dog world all of our lives. We are passionate about helping others and their pets reach their full training potential. We have both been involved in training gun dogs for a combined 30 years, which includes training them for duck hunting and high level retriever games, like hunt tests and field trials. One thing people may not know about "gun dog" training, is that it all begins with advanced obedience. Before we can move on to the "fun stuff" we have to teach basic commands and make sure the dog understands them fully before moving on. Advanced obedience is the foundation for any good retriever.
We recently realized that there is a major need for obedience in every day pets, just as there is for gun dogs. There are obviously tons of programs that are available to the public for basic and advanced obedience, but not all of them are created equal. Plenty of programs available to the public today are geared towards on lead only and do not guarantee a well trained pet when distractions are involved. A big part of training retrievers, is teaching a dog to be calm amidst the many distractions they may encounter while hunting. The method for this is no different in an everyday pet than it is for a gun dog. All it requires is setting a standard and consistently sticking to that standard, whatever it may be. Many programs you encounter today will teach your pet the absolute bare minimum standard for performing obedience commands. The training tends not to stick long term and there are rarely any consequences for not performing the commands, which leaves your dog no better than he or she was before the training. Clients of these particular programs are often left feeling like they have wasted a lot of time and money for little to no results. Many dogs leave these programs confused and unsure of what the standard for obedience really is.
Our goal at Off Leash Tyler is to provide our clients with a pet that they can go anywhere with, on or off leash, and have an extremely enjoyable experience. We bring obedience training to the next level and make it clear to the dog what is expected of them, while being fair and consistent. I have created this blog so I can hopefully help clear up some common questions asked by our clients about dogs and dog training. My hope is to help people grow and understand their pets, so they can enjoy them to the fullest. Check back for more blog posts from me regarding different topics, and if you like what we are sharing here, please subscribe!
