About McKinney Gundogs

Gundog training in McKinney

McKinney Gundogs is a sporting-dog trainer in McKinney run by Cole McKinney, who says he has spent over a decade training dogs professionally. He runs every session himself and takes two to three dogs at a time, and the program also breeds British Labradors from UK field-trial lines. Training is by appointment, serving McKinney and the DFW Metroplex.

The method

The three-phase McKinney Gundogs Method grew out of British Labrador work: quiet in the house, all drive in the field. Phase One covers obedience, including heel from leash pressure to off-leash, place, recall under distraction, crate conditioning and steadiness. Phase Two builds a started gundog with force fetch, delivery to hand, land and water retrieves and gun conditioning on real birds. Phase Three finishes the dog with whistle casting, blinds, multiple marks and real hunts.

Programs and prices

The obedience board and train is $1,500 flat for about three weeks, with no charge for extra weeks and a take-home handling session; dogs live in the trainer's home rather than a kennel run. Gundog phases run from $1,500 a month. Owners can also book one-on-one field sessions at $125, a fall clinic series and a yearly revision session, or join a waitlist for started dogs.

What owners say

One client wrote that Cole "understands there is no one-size-fits-all method."