Northwind Kennels Grouse Dog Training

A unique dog training experience only found in the heart of northern Wisconsin’s Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock habitat

Our Northwind Wilderness Base Camp, where we do our dog training, is located in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, off the grid, well off the beaten path. We are fortunate to have access to abundant grouse and woodcock to train our own dogs, and client dogs, for grouse and woodcock hunting.  If you are looking at getting your dog on more grouse and woodcock than they will see most anywhere else in the US this is the place to send your dog to be trained. We accept all breeds and all ages. 

Pictured above are two of our premier guide dogs Mr. Bean and Northern Rain

Some of our guide like Bean and Rain averaged over 1200 points last season (2009) on wild birds.  Few trainers or guides have the opportunity to put their dogs on this many wild birds. To develop a good grouse dog it takes wild birds. No other bird that you will hunt will be as difficult to work, as hard to find or shoot as a Ruffed Grouse.  As professional guides we know the area and how to work grouse and woodcock.  The preseason research we do to not only ensures our guided hunts are successful, but ensures our dogs are ready for the season with the pre-season scouting we put them through.  We have an unique opportunity to put our client’s dog on wild birds during pre-season training the same as we do for our own dogs. Each spring we do our own drumming counts of areas we intend to hunt in the fall.  This helps us determine the concentrations of male drummers and possible locations of coveys in the fall. Currently we have over 45 male grouse located based the scouting we’ve done to date. Knowing where the male grouse are located gives us the opportunity in late summer to also work client’s dogs on known bird locations.  Then in August, we start looking for coveys.  Our dogs, as well as our clients’ dogs work in the mornings and evenings when it is cool.  By the time the season opens, our goal is to have located at a minimum 25 coveys for use in the fall guiding season.  We work with our clients’ dogs to develop their ability to hold point, to honor another’s dog’s point, and to be steady to flush while we conduct our covey surveys.

Appropriate yard work, as needed, is also includedi in our training program and dogs.  For the dogs with little or no previous encounter with birds, we work them on liberated quail before getting them into wild birds.

Pictured to the right is one of our started pups learning the baisc "whoa" position

Conditioning and training a grouse dog to be ready for the first day of hunting season should start at least eight weeks before the first day you plan to hunt.  Dogs are no different than people; they need to be prepared for what they are asked to do and rewarded accordingly. Deep down, a good grouse dog should want nothing more than to please its owner by picking up the grouse you shot and dropping it into your hand.

Pictured to the left are Jack (client's dog) and Timber (one of our guide dogs) sharing our water tank. Treding water for one minutes is equal to fast running for four mintues

Those of you that have hunted here in the Northwoods know that to find the birds you must get off the trail and into the clear cuts, tag alder edges, near bogs, under conifers,  etc. and your dog must work close in these conditions.  The experience a young dog gains in working wild birds in the environment we can provide is key. Working on liberated or pen raised birds is good, but being trained on the real thing is even better.

The young dog on the right has found a woodcock during one of his training sessions

Started Pups Trainng:

Even though we accept all breeds of all ages, we specialize in training young pups (from 3 months to 12 months of age) helping them develop their social skills with other dogs and with people.  We work on the basics of leash manners, going in and out of a portable kennel (crate breaking), learning to sit or lay down while riding in the back seat of a vehicle, learning to "whoa" (pre-cursor to being staunch), learning to work close and to pattern (work left to right and right to left) as directed with whistle or hand signal.  We will even "house break" your pup if you so desire.  All of our own pups spend periods of time in our house learning proper "house" manners.  We work on their "bird skills" with liberated birds and dependent on the time of the year, we spend as much time as feasible looking for woodcock and grouse in the woods towards the end of summer, into the fall.

Periodically we have our Elhew bred English Pointer pups for sale (see the Elhew Bred Pointers section of our webiste for more information including bloodlines.