About The Little River Kennel

Gun dog training in Gallatin Gateway

The Little River Kennel in Gallatin Gateway offers training and boarding for retrievers and pointing breeds. Trainer Joe Nowakowski has more than 25 years of experience with retrievers and pointers, has campaigned dogs in field trials and AKC hunt tests, has trained and titled Junior, Senior and Master level retrievers, and has competed multiple years at the Master National. He also manages shooting preserve operations with access to training grounds and birds year round, holds a BS in Agricultural Business from Montana State University, and has attended seminars with Mike Lardy and Dave Rorem.

Programs

Programs are tailored to each dog, the owner's goals and the type of hunting. Retrievers start with basic obedience (SIT, HERE, HEEL, KENNEL and place training), then force fetch on the table, then e-collar conditioning. Pointers start with WHOA, HERE, HEEL and KENNEL, then whoa post work, force fetch and e-collar conditioning. The kennel uses the e-collar only to reinforce commands a dog already understands, with low-level stimulation the dog learns to turn off by completing the command.

Rates

Training is $25.00 per day and boarding is $30.00 per day, with dogs aired at least three times a day.