About Beech River Retrievers and Kennels

Beech River Retrievers and Kennels is "a family-owned and operated dog kennel in Parsons, Tennessee that provides various dog training programs", run by "TJ & Amanda Leitch" and "centrally located in the heart of Decatur County on our family farm." The business sums its own range up as "retriever hunting training programs, dog obedience training , as well as Chesapeake Bay Retriever breeding".

Obedience, open to any breed

The obedience program is the one open to everyone: asked in its own FAQ whether there is a breed restriction, the answer is "No, there are no breed restrictions for obedience training ." The published skill list is concrete – "Understands and obeys the commands Sit, Recall, Place, & Kennel", "Properly walking on a leash/lead", "Improved manners", "Exposure to public spaces and travel" and "Comfort around children and other animals". The business says it will "also teach dogs how to behave in public places like restaurants or grocery stores". Dogs need to be "at least 4-5 months old before beginning obedience training with us". Owners are brought in after the program rather than during it: "A hands-on approach to obedience training can be arranged once dogs have completed our obedience training program ."

Method stated in the FAQ

The training philosophy is answered directly rather than implied: "Our obedience training program is designed around the philosophy that dogs should be trained using positive reinforcement techniques and force-free methods." The program page puts the same thing in owner-facing terms – "we will use treats, praise, and other rewards as incentives for good behavior", so that "your dog learns to respect and obey you instead of fear being the fuel for their behavior."

Retriever programs, and who they are for

The hunting side is a ladder of named programs – Started Gun Dog, Seasoned Gun Dog, Finished Gun Dog, Pre-Season Tune-Up and an AKC/HRC test program. The entry rung teaches "Formal obedience of here, heel, and sit", "Collar conditioned", "Introduced to live birds, boats, gunfire", "Socializing", "Force fetch", "T-pattern", "Understanding marks" and "Delivery to hand". These are not general-purpose classes: "Our hunting training programs are for retriever breeds only." Boarding is included while a dog is in a hunting program, and owners are scheduled in – "We will schedule training days for owners to come out and see their dog's progress and to get hands-on experience working with them."

Two things the site says are not available

Both are worth knowing before calling. Daily boarding is over: asked "Do you offer daily dog boarding?", the business answers "No, we no longer offer boarding at this time." And the puppy class is announced rather than running – the Watch Puppy Grow page is headed "Puppy Training (PROGRAM COMING SOON)", describes a planned "series of 6 classes over 6 weeks" for puppies "1-4 months old", and the FAQ still says "we will offer Watch Puppy Grow classes for puppies soon." For pricing, the site says "Contact us about pricing for your specific situation."