Testimonials
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I Love my Ace !!!!
Chad runs an amazing breeding program ! He bred Cash X Jazz and my deposit was accepted I ended up with the best puppy ever !! He is super intelligent tons of style and flash ,fantastic nose and everyone wants to know who he is and where he came from.He was swimming like a otter at 2 1/2 months old. He has completed his JH and NA and we are onto his MH and UT training This puppy at 9 months is loads of fun on a daily basis
I would love to have another puppy from Willow Creek Kennels.
Thank you for bringing Ace into our life. Kim
Choose Your Dog Trainer Wisely: Willow Creek Kennels
As an avid bird hunter, who unfortunately finds themselves (like many of us) with limited time and training resources to devote to our faithful hunting companions.
Blake Wolf is truly one of the “Best in his industry”.
Let’s talk expectations:
It was important to us to not only have an exceptional hunting dog, but even more so a good family dog. Willow Creek Kennels understands each client is different and each dog is different. Blake chose to put “Bella” on birds early. Wow, that early exposure combined with their training to point, flush, and retrieve has been impressive. Lastly, the attention to socialization and obedience has made “Bella” a very loving and enjoyable part of our family.Thank you Blake and Willow Creek Kennels for Everything!!
Drummer is perfect for our family!
My family would like to thank you for Drummer. He is a great hunter and an even better family dog. He fits in perfect with our family. Tracy you picked a good home for him. He is loving life. We just wanted to thank you again for the very well trained lovable dog Drummer
Willow Creek dogs are top notch
I purchased a dog from Willow Creek at the beginning of 2010, prior to purchasing my puppy I had several discussions with Chad regarding what type of dog I was looking for. After hearing my needs he had me wait for a puppy from Breezy & Bomber’s litter which was a bit further down the road than I preferred. I took him at his word and boy am I glad I did, I couldn’t be happier with the finished product. He absolutely nailed exactly what I was looking for; he really knows the traits of his litters which is a testament to the level of detail that goes into his breeding program.
I’ve since had multiple professional dog trainers I’ve hunted with tell me that my dog is one of the best Shorthairs they’ve ever seen. Not only is he a fantastic hunter but he is such a great family dog. Willow Creek is really doing a fantastic job with their breeding program and I give them my highest recommendation.
Thanks for what you did for Tucker!
Hello, just wanted to give a update and a thank you for what you did for Tucker. I took him out today to our local gun to try and get him on some birds and they told me to go to field 28 as a group with dogs just left and couldn’t find 11 of their 14 birds! Long story short he found 10 out of the 11 and was holding a steady point for 6 bumped the other 4 but was my fault for not working into the wind. Once again Thank you and will definitely recommend you to everyone that asks where I had him trained and will be back for some refreshers in the future.
Chris Hill
Thanks for the Training Videos!
Lisa (our dog) and I live in Florida, a bit too far to enroll Lisa in your training programs in MN. I am writing to tell you how important your training videos have been to Lisa and I in our “at home” training. We have used all of your videos as our foundation for our work thus far. Lisa has responded very well to each of your programs, especially your series on the “Whoa” command.
You have not received any compensation for this work on your part that I know of, so the very least that Lisa and I can do is give you the credit and praise you so deserve for your generosity in making your videos available.
THANK YOU!!
Robert Grooms and Lisa
Thanks for a great job!
Willow Creek,
I meant to call and say thanks for a great job! This past duck hunting season was the best I have had, and not due to the quantity of ducks and certainly not due to my shooting skills! It was due to a dog that did what he was told, stayed in his kennel/blind (all but two times) and not a bit of whining/whimpering. What a new and great experience for me.
Thanks again,
Jason Wenning and Sunny
Willow Creek produces great dogs!
I was invited to go pheasant hunting for the first time a while back and enjoyed watching and interacting with a fellow hunter’s GSP enough that I had to have one. My requirements were to have a calm dog that would “hang out” with us in the house without going bonkers all the time in a small size around 50 LBS. Oh, and of course a dog that would hunt but that’s a given since Willow Creek is in the business of breeding hunting dogs. I received exactly what I asked for in my now 9 month old GSP, Iver. What I enjoy the most is, his huge personality and ability to adapt to a wide variety of situations, fit right in, and steal everyone’s heart. Iver makes such an impact on others that everyone remembers, knows, and loves him everywhere he goes. He interacts with adults, my kids, all their friends, and his doggie daycare once a week. I take him to a Senior Living apartment complex where he is amazing and amazingly loved by the elderly. Iver is also quite beautiful with a big boxy head and fur mostly liver with white patches/ticking. I like that his tail isn’t cropped as short as other GSP’s I see and that he actually has an eight inch tail to point with and show off. I didn’t think of that when getting Iver but it’s important to me now and something I would ask for in my next GSP.
A typical day for Iver is a 4 mile hunting/walk from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM where he frequently finds pheasant. He then hangs out with me sleeping most of the day while I work until 5:00. We then goof off playing ball or Frisbee in the early evening followed by relaxing to whatever we may be doing. He will also happily run alongside me while I ride my bike and loves to participate in any goofy game you can think of. He often initiates goofy games himself. He likes to horse around. Recently, I left Iver with Chad for a month of training. I couldn’t’ take it anymore and picked him up a few days early. I wanted to make sure Iver was exposed to lots of birds and formal obedience from a kind trainer before hunting season, and since I was committed to that, I also saved collar condition and introduction to gun fire for Chad as well. Iver came home with as much of an improved HERE, WHOA, and does great with his electronic collar and gun fire. I also feel confident that I can take him out with our hunting group and control him. This October 2011, will be Iver’s first South Dakota hunting trip so we’ll see how he does.
I guess my whole point in getting a dog from Willow Creek Kennels was that I could see from the website training videos what kind of dogs they produced and their kind natural way of training them. I would do it again and I think I will sometime in the near future.
Howard Hilde and Iver
Couldn’t be more pleased with Willow Creek
Dex gets comments from folks everywhere we go! At the dog park, or in the field – everyone asks about him. Other breeders approach me and compliment his body, shape of his head, and even the perfect length of his tail. He’s a great looking dog and he hunts non-stop. Couldn’t be more pleased with Willow Creek. Thanks again.
Mathew Belt
Willow Creek breeds intelligent dogs!
Just an update on Rooster and Snap. Ater a full hunting season I just wanted you to know how pleased I am with the dogs. Not only are they excellent hunting dogs, they are just fantastic companions for me and the wife. Rooster has a close to medium hunting range and took to the grouse woods like he was an old experienced dog. Rooster has no quit in him at all. Hunting just as hard at the end of the day as he did in the morning. Had him at the hunting preserve Saturday and we performed a little clean up work. The preserve planted 7 phesants in some pretty rough habitat for another hunter. The hunter managed to get 3 of the 7. I took Rooster through and he managed to nail the other 4 on perfect points. The guys at the preserve were pretty impressed. Also if you remember, Rooster was not house broken when i got him. It took 1 episode of him squatting to pee about 5 minutes on his first visit to the house and there has never been another episode. This is a testament to Willow Creek Kennels for breeding intelligent dogs.
Snap is a very loving dog and a pleasure to have around. Never makes a mess in the house and is a pointing machine. Just like Rooster, Snap will hunt all day and has that long range nose that does not flush the birds on point. Snap loves the water and does not shy away on some water retrieves we had this year. I live by a river and Snap is always in it during warm weather.
I have hunted with many different dogs of all ages this year and I have seen none better than Rooster and Snap. Everyone that has watched them hunt this year wants to know who trained them. I want to take the credit, but i tell them the truth. You guys and gals at Willow Creek do a remarkable job. THANKS MUCH!!!!!!!!!!
Ron Wright
Onondaga, MI
After training, nails commands!
“I’m sorry it has taken me a while to reply. Beatrix(the puppy’s name) continues to grow like a weed and has been a great addition to the house. Although I wasn’t able to hunt with her this season, I am planning on doing so this next year. With all of the nasty diseases coyotes have around where I hunt, I didn’t want to take the risk of her contracting something terrible before her immunizations fully set in. (It has also been a while since I’ve been able to escape for the weekend). She is a smart dog that is very eager to please. I can tell when I give her a command that she doesn’t immediately understand, she gets frustrated with herself. After a few sessions of training, she nails the commands. Around the house she continues to be one of the sweetest dogs I’ve been around. I get a lot of compliments on how sweet and well behaved she is. I have attached a picture of her that is about 4 weeks old.”
Sincerely,
Gillis Schwartz
“What a great animal!”
“Hope this finds you well!!! Rhode is doing great. His foot doesn’t show any sign of tenderness after a large work out or after hunting. I took him to my magic spot a few weeks ago and we raised 4 birds. They were paired up and spread out across the range. All 4 were pointed, held steady to shot and all 4 shots were missed. I have it all on video to prove it…. I need to get my partner shooting lessons for his new .410. At any rate I won’t be on wild birds until end of August or beginning September depending on how soon we see cooler weather. I cannot believe this dog. What a great animal!”
Thank you,
Scott
Purchased Puppy – Extremely Happy!
\”Hi guys!
I don\’t know if you remember me but my name is Aubrie Sellner. We purchased a puppy from you this last spring from Superstar Sam and Five Shot Benelli. We named him Trigger. He will be a year here in February. He is doing wonderful! He looks beautiful and he hunted very well at only 9 months! We love him very much and are very pleased with him. He has a great personality! He loves all people, kids, dogs, and even cats:-) He is very smart and we had him potty trained at 12 weeks as well as mastering sit, lay down, shake and high five. He knows many many more words and he amazes me all the time and what he understands. \”Aubrie Sellner
Harvey
“Erin and I want to thank you both for all the time you spent with us over the past weekend, it was more than I had expected and much appreciated. Once again you are keeping the bar raised high along with my expectations of what Harvey will be like come June.
I am very happy with Harvey’s demeanor and calmness. He will be a good match for our family and will be much loved as Erin has shown you.”
Chris Hogan
“Jan31 last day of pheasant season. Four roosters off of three points four retrieves to hand.
Pointed probably ten to twelve other birds (hens and running birds that got up wild).
Great dog work from a great dog. As a testomonial to the trainer the dog works and handles as advertised. Retreives great, points great, honors, handles easily!”
Thanks for all of your work with Taz!
Chad,
Just wanted to give you a quick update on Taz. Saturday afternoon I got a phone call from a friend who has a 16 yr old Golden Retriever and was planning on taking him to Caribou Gun Club to let him chase a couple of pheasants in a controlled area on Suday. He wanted to know if I wanted to take Taz down and let him do some hunting since there is a 3 bird minimum per hunter. I thought it was a great opportunity and agreed. We actually chose to put out a total of 4 chuckers and 4 pheasants. We had the chuckers and two pheasants put out in the field for Taz to find and saved two for the Golden. Taz worked just like you said he would. He found 3 of the chuckers and both pheasants. What surprised me a little was that he retrieved all 5 birds to me – not to hand but to within 2 ft. It was fun to watch him mark where the bird went down before going out after it. One of the chuckers was lightly hit and went down in some thicker stuff about 40 yds away. He marked it and then went flying after it. A couple of minutes later, he came back with it, holding his head high like he was saying, “Look what I found!” I used a softer voice with him and shared the bird like you taught me. He seemed to use a soft mouth as that chucker was still alive when he gave it to me. He also caught one out of the air and brought that one to me!
The Golden couldn’t find one of his pheasants so we brought Taz back out to track it down, which he did. The big surprise of the day was when we thought we were done and felt pretty good about finding 7 of the 8 birds, the Golden started rustling around in the tall grass near where we were standing. Since he can’t hear, my friend went in to get him. The Golden then lunged into a clump of grass and came up with the last chucker! A great finish to a great day of hunting!
Thanks for all of your work with Taz and I’ll contact you if I see any issues with him but he worked well yesterday.
Dale
Wonderful job training and thanks for AKC Master Hunters!
We want to thank Chad Hines of Willow Creek Kennels for the great 2011 year on a wonderful job training and putting AKC Master Hunters on Yogi, Dakota and Molly. Willow Creek did a great job and without them we couldn\’t have done it. We would recommend Willow Creek Kennels highly to anyone that wants great trainers.
Thank you again Chad
Dean
We love our dog Avery (Darby/Sam)!
Willow Creek,
Just wanted to let you know how much we love our dog Avery (Darby/Sam litter) she is now over 2 ½ and they training that you did with her is amazing. Last weekend we took her to the game fair and she amazed us.
Off the dock she made it 17 feet (not bad for a shorthair) and her double duck retrieve her time was 40.8 seconds that days winner was 38.2.
Bob Pomerleau
Thanks for all the work you have done with our dogs!
Hi Chad,
Just wanted to thank you again for all the work you have done with our dogs. Last night Eric wanted to show one of our bear hunting clients what a pointing dog can do, so I put out a quail. We then set all 4 dogs loose and Yoda had the first point, I whoa’d just to make sure they didn’t flush it and all 3 (even Luna) backed. I was so impressed with how steady Yoda was and how the other 3 stayed, although Fester did creep 3 times and had to be put back in his spot. I could not believe Luna was whoaing and did not crumple. She has been much better although she did sulk for a few days after I got her home, I’m thinking she wanted to go back to camp. We have been working with Yoda on his whoaing liked you told us and he is doing well. Luna’s training is short and positive and she is coming along nicely. The bear hunter was very impressed, he’d never watched pointing dogs work.
Anyone looking for Brittany pups can call or e-mail. Belle is due in amonth. I can’t wait. One of our puppy buyers will be contacting you for training early spring.
Thanks again,
Jackie Swanson
Hi Chad…
I just want to say one more time that your work with AJ is the single most dramatic piece of dog training I have ever seen. We did do some clicker training with him, but he was a pretty raw character when we dropped him off. In less than two weeks you guys had him so focused and farther along than I would have thought was possible.
Tonight when I got home, I brought AJ in first. He got a little jump in his step coming across the front yard and down into the back yard, and I took him in the office and sat with him for a long time in the chair, the recliner that the dogs all love. He sat, upright, just like he always does, and I told him he’s a good boy, and he seems to be settling in again.
Looking forward to producing some good dog training videos as soon as I can settle in and get to work on them… we got some good stuff again today. Thanks for making time for all that work. It will pay off later, as one of my friends used to say.
Your positive training methods are really impressive… but it takes a certain touch to pull it off. When I was watching AJ work today, I was stunned to see his level of performance. He looks like a dog that’s ready to go hunting tomorrow! Plus, he’s quiet and well mannered around the house. He has more than exceeded my expectations.
– Mark
Well done Willow Creek!
Dear Willow Creek Kennels-
In April of 2010 we added a member to our family through the acquisition of a pup from Willow Creek. We are an avid hunting family with three young sons. It is my desire to pass on the heritage of upland hunting in the Midwest to them. We chose our Reggie dog according to standards we had set. Our goal from the start was to have a dog that possessed the raw drive and determination to hunt birds, tempered by a demeanor that earned him a right to lay by the fireplace after a long day in the field. Reggie is a perfect balance of hunt and home. We have had several compliments on his ease of handling and his keen hunting sense. This is really a HUGE compliment when you take into consideration his age of 10 months. Reggie is very stylish on point and finds a lot of birds due to his methodical ability to cover the field at just the right pace. He can run with the biggest running dogs, and work slowly with the seasoned veterans. He also naturally backs other dogs on point and honors them in their bird finds.
Much of this has been accomplished with little formal training, a key in breeding success. The key to making any dog a great bird dog is the consistent ability to be exposed to birds in the field. I simply say, birds make bird dogs. With this in mind we elected to send Reggie with Willow Creek down to Greystone Castle in Texas to get 3 months of bird work. As the updates from the field came, we learned that this was the best thing we could have done for Reggie’s development from a gangly pup to a hell of a bird dog. In fact the day [I picked] up Reggie on the way back from Texas I was a little surprised to see our pup come out of the dog box looking like a stud. Needless to say, we are quite pleased with the care and attention he received while on the hunt at in Texas at Greystone Castle. When looking at the return on investment, do yourself a favor and realize that this is an investment in your future with your hunting companion that cannot be mimicked or replaced. Well done [Willow Creek] and Chad, thanks for all you did for our family.
Sincerely,
Justin Hillman
Wow, what a dog we have!!!
\”Thanks for all your hard work training & tuning up Yoda, it paid off. I took him to the Central Brittany Futurities this past weekend. I handled him to a 3rd in gun dog & his 12 year old master Thomas handled him to a 3rd money male in the show ring which got us the big DUAL DOG title. We never imagined taking home such a title. Wow what a dog we have !!! Thanks again :)\”
The best, hands down
These guys are the best hands down , we had them down in Texas to help out for our busy bird season.
First class all around great dogs, this comes from alot of time spent with these dogs. We are recomending them to all of our clients for dog needs and training.
Thanks guys
John Fredericks
Greystone Castle Sporting ClubOrvis Endorsed Wingshooting
Excellent job training and caring for our little girl!
Willow Creek Kennels:
Berlin went to Willow Creek at five and a half months old and came back a new dog. Her time there as well as Greystone Castle allowed her to become a great hunting dog in a short time (two months). When we went down to hunt at Greystone Castle Berlin was doing excellent and her training was complete. Chad loves dogs and love to see successful dogs work and bring delight to their owners. Willow Creek Kennels did an excellent job at training and caring for our little girl, and helped her grow into a wonderful little gundog.
Our Darby x Rex puppy is great!
[Willow Creek] helped me pick a puppy out of a 2010 Darby by Rex litter. [Greta] has been a quick learner and a solid performer. She pointed her first birds at 4 months, earned her Junior Hunter by 10 months and continues to work hard to add to this solid base on quail, dove and quail.
She is a great house dog with as gentle a disposition as anyone could want in a family dog/ gun dog combo.
David Black
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