About Northfield Kennels

Training center near Northfield

Northfield Kennels, three miles outside Northfield, now operates under Believet, Canine Service Partners, and provides weekday training programs (Monday to Friday), day training and private lessons. Founder Sam Daly started retriever training in the 1980s and brings over 30 years of experience; he trained explosive detection dogs during deployments to Afghanistan in 2012 and 2013 and founded a nonprofit providing trained service dogs free of charge to disabled military veterans.

Obedience

Basic obedience covers sit, come to call, ignoring distractions, place, off leash work and control in urban settings, using balanced methods of reinforcement. Dogs usually stay 4 to 8 weeks, with at least two sessions a day, and can go home on weekends. Owners are required to take one-on-one lessons with the trainer, and follow-up help stays available.

Hunting programs

Bird and Gun Introduction builds retrieving confidence and a positive link to gunfire, ideal for puppies of 5 to 7 months. Intermediate training runs 10 weeks for retrievers and 12 weeks for pointers aged eight months and older, including remote collar conditioning. Advanced training focuses on blind retrieves for hunt test dogs.

What to ask

Ask about current weekday program pricing and availability.