About Mossy Creek Retrievers

Who they are

Mossy Creek Retrievers describes itself as "a veteran owned family kennel operating in the Ohio River Valley Basin area of Walton, Kentucky." The site says the business has been "a training facility and a breeder of Labrador Retriever gun dogs since 2012."

What they train

The published summary is explicit about the split: "We offer training services in dog obedience (all breeds), GUN DOG training (retriever breeds), and AKC/HRC hunt tests (retriever breeds)."

Four programs are listed:

– **Obedience Training (Most Breeds)** – "a five week course where your dog will be taught the commands: here, sit, heel, kennel, down. After three weeks of on-leash training, the commands will be reinforced with off leash training and collar conditioning."

– **Started Gun Dog Program (Retriever Breeds)** – introduces "live birds, gunfire, decoys and much more," plus obedience, collar conditioning and force fetch, finishing with a dog "ready to run in an AKC/HRC Started/Junior hunt test."

– **Finished Gun Dog Program (Retriever Breeds)** – "multiple marking (doubles & triples), honoring, diversion birds, walk-ups, whistle-sit, casting, blind running and more," aimed at the "AKC/HRC Master/Finished hunt test."

– **Upland Hunting Program** – taken after the Started program: "your dog will learn how to quarter a field while working with a handler, sit on the whistle, flush game and retrieve to hand."

Where the training happens

The contact block gives 11297 Banklick Rd, Walton, KY 41094, and the site adds: "We have multiple training sites in the Northern Kentucky area," with "fresh cut corn fields, technical ponds, hay fields, and a couple of working ponds to train on."

The trainer

"Trainer Mike has been training labs, running AKC/HRC hunt tests, and a waterfowl guide since 2012." The site says he "has trained many dogs that have gone on to succeed at Master/Finished levels in AKC/HRC Hunt tests, the duck blind, or the Pheasant field" and that "he has guided and ran dogs in Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma." The contact email published is mike@mossycreekretriever.com.

Beyond training

The site also offers hunting opportunities once training is finished – the Mossy Creek Duck Club in Itta Bena, Mississippi, guided waterfowl hunts in Watonga, Oklahoma and Itta Bena, and guided upland hunts in Owen County, Kentucky.