Why "Last Chance"?
The Last Chance kennel is located in Montana's capital city, Helena. Helena was a gold-mining town settled in the mid-1800s. In 1864 a group of four men stumbled upon gold in what is now the main street of Helena. The claim was staked and named Last Chance Gulch. That gulch produced over 30 million dollars in gold. However, the average price of gold at that time was $3 an ounce. The same gold at today's prices would be worth 4 billion dollars. The city of Helena was named Last Chance for a number of years. While the town ultimately decided to find a more "sophisticated" name, we opted for the original.
Kennel
I have trained most dogs through traditional methods of classical praise/repetition "positive reinforcement" type training. The training style of Richard A. Wolters, author of numerous dog training books including "Game Dog," "Gun Dog," "Water Dog," and "Family Dog," was very successful for me. I have used his techniques on various breeds of dogs, including Labs, Airedales, and hounds. My first Wachtelhund, Benelli, was trained using a lot of his theories. Benelli was a natural hunter and ready retriever. I found her very easy to train.
I do believe it is important to socialize the dog in its early stages of life. You also get out of the dog what you put into it. Wachtelhunds require attention and training for obedience, and to be a happy member of the family. They want to work and to please you. Their hunting and retrieving desire is very instinctual and only needs to be molded to keep their focus and to fit your style of hunting. I have not seen a stronger hunting desire in any other breed of dog. The Wachtelhund seems to have the nose of a bloodhound, the retrieving desire of a Labrador, be part fish for its love of water, intelligence of a collie, and a loving member of the family dog of a golden retriever.
The Wachtelhunds I have trained so far seem to be sensitive to training. I don't mean that they can't handle pressure, but they don't seem to respond well to "heavy handedness," say that a Chesapeake Bay Retriever might. They do seem to learn quickly to do what pleases you.
I have always believed in a more reward-based training and with Duke and Lexy, I have begun a relatively new method of training that is solely reward based. It is called operant conditioning or "clicker training." It is a method of training begun in the 1960's for dolphins. It has only come to the dog world since the 90's. It is completely opposite of traditional gun dog training. I have begun using clicker training and while I have used it a relatively brief time, I am highly pleased with it so far. I would recommend anyone interested in a new method of training, go to the links page for more information. For more information or if you have questions contact me, Kraig Glazier, at kglazier@lastchancewachtels.com
What Method of Training do I Recommend?
I first want to disclaim I am only speaking of my personal experiences, with dogs I have trained, or opinions expressed by my respected colleagues. Every dog is an individual and some are exceptional, and others are a fair representation of their breeds generalized characteristics.
Dog training is a very personal decision and the trainer must be comfortable with the method. More importantly, the training should fit the personality of the dog. I would never say there should be one method of training recommended for all Wachtelhunds, or any breed of dog. I will only suggest what has worked for me.
Dog training is a very personal decision and the trainer must be comfortable with the method. More importantly, the training should fit the personality of the dog. I would never say there should be one method of training recommended for all Wachtelhunds, or any breed of dog. I will only suggest what has worked for me.