About Rock Valley Kennels & Shooting Sports

Gun dog training in the Minnesota River Valley

Rock Valley Kennels & Shooting Sports sits on 80 acres of prairie, creek and woodland in the heart of the Minnesota River Valley, on State Highway 67 in southwest Minnesota, about two hours from the Twin Cities. Owner Jeff Berthelsen offers professional gun dog training for all sporting breeds at any age, boarding in a modern kennel with heat and air conditioning, and taxidermy.

The trainer

Jeff got his first hunting dog at seventeen and worked for a professional trainer for seven years to learn the craft. He has trained dogs full time since 2002, and the business credits him with somewhere around 800 dogs trained using his 'no-pain' approach.

Method

Jeff believes dogs should be trained the 'old' way first, by being shown and taught, with an electronic collar only possibly used later as a reinforcement tool. He operates on a principle of positive reinforcement only, summed up as "Collars don't train dogs; people train dogs."

Training details

Training uses live birds and covers upland and water work, with flexible scheduling and training described as affordable.

What to ask

Ask about current training rates and program length.