We want to hear from you!

Hi Folks,

I hear from many people that they follow our website and blog. We are so pleased! We would LOVE to hear from you with comments on the blog. Please, feel free to write in or comment. Tell us your dog stories, your experiences with us, or your thoughts on our blogs.
Looking forward to hearing!!

Great Weekend of Competitions!!

Well, Quinebaug Kennels and our clients had a wonderful weekend with the pointing dogs!
Joe Carito our head trainer ran his first NAVDHA test with a young GWP, Gunner, and they achieved a 112 pt prize 1 on Saturday at the Bristol Fish and Game Club.
I ran dogs at the Yankee Weimarnaner Club at Sugar Brook on Saturday. I ran a client Viszla in Master and Juli did SO well on the back course, steadiness, calling off birds, and her points were awesome. She had a lousy retrieve, so we did not pass, BUT I was thrilled with her progress! Next I ran two client dogs in Junior. Italian Spinone Gulia ran her first test. The conditions were tough, and she found a bird and pointed well, very steady, but then went into self hunt mode and tuned me out! The other pup, GWP Teal had 4 amazing points and got her 3rd JH leg.
On Sunday, Quinebaug Kennel dogs rocked the tests! Joe ran Gulia, Teal and Gunner in Junior and got 3 passes. Teal got her Junior Hunt Title. Great job Joe!
John Morris ran his dog Juli and she was awesome this time, with a great retrieve and her FIRST Master pass. A huge congrats to all dogs and handlers!

Hi Folks,

Wow, I had a great day in the field yesterday. I have to say that I feel so lucky for what I found! I am such a fan of Woodcock. I watch them in early March all around the farm doing their sky breeding dances and songs. They are such a lovely bird. I was running a brace of pointing dogs yesterday in the woods near my house, and I flushed a Woodcock. I froze and carefully looked around the ground thinking just maybe she was on a nest..... sure enough... look what I found!

Hi Again,

Just an observation about your dog's trips to the vet. It seems that many clients take their dogs to the vet just prior to boarding and training. My vets recommend that you have your dog vaccinated at least TWO weeks prior to boarding. In addition, think about how stressful to a dog's system it may be when a vet vaccinates with three or more injections in a single visit. Think about spreading these vaccinations out? Talk to your vet about it. Each vet has a different opinion and protocol. We have observed that people realize suddenly their dogs may be due for their yearly check up and shots, and cram a visit in with their vet just prior to boarding. Realize that when your dogs leaves the comfort of your home and his/her regular routine, that alone causes stress. Add that to a freshly vaccinated immune system and you are looking for trouble! For any dogs that are exposed to dog parks, groups of dogs, kennels, etc, it is up to the owner to do the best they can to protect their dogs. Please, talk to your vet and come up with the best program for you and your dog.

Wow, it has been WAY too long since I added any posts. I have been so pleased to hear about all of the people that have read the blog and have followed us. I had an incredible winter down South. I arrived back in CT the first week of April. Of course I jumped back into work and projects at the kennel. It is Spring in New England, so that means lots of farm work, flowers to plant, lawns to mow, and spring dog training. We have been wonderfully busy.
Cabela's flew me out to Nebraska to their corporate headquarters where I met lots of wonderful people and
We have had many successes already over the past month with competitions. Several clients have run their dogs in Springer Tests (titling in Senior Hunter, congratulation Dave & Cooper!), pointing dog AKC tests and trials, HRC tests, NAVDHA tests and lastly Retriever tests and trials. Great work... we are proud of you all!
In addition, I have passed my third Master hunt test leg with Valley 2 weeks ago. I was proud of her performance. She ran three clean series of marks with no handling required. Great job Valley! I also ran Valley in our first ever field trial with the Colonial FTC in MA last weekend. The weather could not have been more stormy, but as always, Valley stepped up to the plate and made me proud! We made it to the second series and we are eager to enter more!
I also ran Sassy's 2 year old son Flagler in his 3rd Senior test and he passed. One more to go for his title!
My German Shorthair Pointer Elsie is home now too, and I have been using her and another wonderful English Setter, Bella, as brace mates for my clients training for pointing dog competitions. We have dogs at the Junior, Senior and Master level.
I have to admit I got a bad cold when I arrived home here in early April. It turned into Bronchitis and now walking pneumonia. I am trying to take it easy and rest the best I know how. The past 5 weeks had been a whirl wind schedule, and the erratic weather conditions have not helped.
Lastly, we just experienced a bad Bordatella (Canine Cough) pass through the kennel. In talking to a vet today, it is rampant in CT right now. Please be sure that your dogs get Bordatella boosters every 6 months. In addition, we recommend Canine Parainfluenza vaccine. These new virus and bacteria strains are scary, and since they are airborne, exposure can happen anytime, anywhere. We are warning all of our clients now that we have seen this strain. The response has been appreciated and we will continue to care for all of the dogs at our facility like that are our own. Thank you all for your support!

Quinebaug Kennels is hiring!

We are looking for another wonderful employee to join our team! Open position is for a Kennel Care Assistant that would help with feeding, exercising, cleaning and general care for our beloved dogs in boarding and training. We are looking for experienced dog people who truly love dogs. We work outside year round in all weather conditions and we work hard! If you would enjoy employment with us please send a detailed resume with experience and professional references to Jennifer at contact@quinebaugkennels.com Thank you!

Trip Home Cancelled

Hello everyone. I have cancelled my trip back to New England unexpectedly due to the severe road conditions and upcoming continued stormy conditions. I have done the Springfield Sport Show for many years now, and was driving home just for the 3 1/2 day show which I truly enjoy and always look forward to. Even in Florida we have had record cold temps and even rain, sleet and high winds. As a last minute back up, Geoff English of Gun Dogs Online has agreed to cover my role at the show and do all the dog demos. I will miss the friends and clients I see every year at the show, as well as the wonderful business I receive from our show attendance. It was a very difficult decision, but in the end it came down to the safety of my travel back and forth. Please go support Geoff and enjoy his dog work and wonderful demos.

New Quinebaug Kennels Dog Supplement

We have been having amazing results with the new supplement formula that has been created specifically for Quinebaug Kennels. I have long been a believer in the best quality care, food, and nutrition for our dogs, and this new supplement is fantastic. I developed the formula with a renowned company that has been making horse and dog supplements for over 10 years. The Quinebaug Kennels custom mix contains all the essential vitamins, minerals, probiotics and the most advanced joint supplement combinations all in a single dose. My dogs have been on it for two months now and they have never looked better! Their coats are so glossy and they are in daily field training sessions 5 to 6 days a week all day with outstanding energy, stamina, and soundness. The dose costs about $1.35 per day for a 60 lb dog. We carry the product at the kennel, or you can email me to get it shipped directly to your home. Shipping is free.

Three weeks already!

It has been three weeks since I have been in Florida and time is flying! We had a wonderful training week and work on great field concepts with the dogs each day. I keep detailed training logs of each dog's progress, faults and the setups we do. It is wonderful to see the dogs learn each day. Having the luxury of being able to train on these fantastic properties is outstanding for the dogs.
Quite a nice social scene here too. Seems like we have more dinner invites than we can handle! Just came home frome dinner out the 4th night in a row. Meeting so many wonderful people.
I love the work I am getting to do with my horses as well. True to my nature, I am just enjoying every waking minute and go like an Energizer Bunny all day. Today, a nice Saturday to take off, I did 4 hours of office work, 1 1/2 hours of working out (go P90X!), 1 1/2 hours of dog training yard drills, and 1 1/2 hours of riding. Tomorow I hope to work Treat with Dennis Voigt and his puppy Ghillie. Plus we have a busy day of riding horses! Trying to get it all in before we start week 4 of training. So sorry for all of my New England friends to hear about the weather. YUCK! I certainly do not miss it! Included is a photo of my two boys, Naji and Vittorio in their lovely pasture here.

Florida news

Hi to all of my friends and clients!
It has been a whirl wind down here in Florida. As always, seems like there is never enough time in the day!
My first week down here turned out to be a tough one. My friend, field dog training mentor, and the person who made it possible for me to join the group in Florida, Bob Larsen, sadly and suddenly passed away 2 weeks ago. I miss him terribly. He led this Florida training group, and it has been so sad and tough without him as our fearless leader and friend.
Our first week of training lasted only 4 days, and then we headed to Gainesville for a Dave Rorem handling seminar. I was a handler and worked my lab Valley. I learned so much from Dave and Valley really stepped up to the plate for me at times doing All-Age field trial test setups that were far over both of our heads! The clinic was 3 days and they video taped each of us so that we could not only watch ourselves handle the dogs, but each video has Dave's comments and teachings during our handling. We get to keep our videos.
Last week was our second week of training. We are on a rotation and train on 6 different properties Monday thru Saturday. These are some of the best field trial retriever grounds in the country and include amazing technical ponds and field terrain. The training is thorough, exciting, demanding, and exhausting. My dogs are all spent at the end of each day!
I am so fortunate to be surrounded by such dog training talent down here. On Saturday I shot live flyers for Mike Lardy and watched him run all of his dogs. Wow! We dropped 24 birds in a row, then missed the last and most important live flyer for Mike's own puppy (oopps!) We all laughed and I asked him "What did you expect for free help?"
We are now starting our third week of training. Today we trained for nearly 8 hours with Jim Van Engan of Right Start Kennels. I have had the opportunity to train with him last year and then this past summer in WI. It is amazing to watch his truck of 1 and 2 year old puppies run such tough field setups.
My pup Treat is learning so much and doing really well! Today she did a water cheating mark, then a double with a long retired gun. She loves the training.
Sassy got to chase down a mallard duck that got loose on us today, and wow did she pummel it. That made her day! She is retired from competitions, but she gets to run some of the setups and be test dog.
Valley is having some tough times right now with the intense training and difficult setups, but we are working through it.
Flagler, a client dog from NY, is doing wonderful with his long marks and learning doubles. We are also just starting pattern blinds. Hope to run him on some Senior Hunt tests down here.
My other client Terry who is here training with me is doing fantastic! Her dog Lena is doing outstanding. They no doubt are ready and then some for Senior Hunt tests! Terry is becoming a lovely and talented handler.
I have been having a wonderful time riding my horses again. My focus down here is dog training, enjoying the weather and 'time off' from my busy kennel which at times is nonstop work, my new P90x exercise addiction and lastly enjoy riding my horses. Last week I actually rode 5 days in a row! I cannot even think about the last time I rode even more than 3 days in a row!
I am so thankful that Jason my dear husband, and the entire team at Quinebaug Kennels has been so supportive of my time in Florida. I would not be here without their dedication and devotion to the Kennels and to all of our wonderful clients, both human and dog!
Well, I need to sign off as I already need to get up in 6 1/2 hours to begin my day tomorrow.
Smiles and hugs to all!

We arrived safely in Florida last night!! Stopped in GA to check on Elsie with her field trial trainer. She is running hard and hunting well.
The weather here is cold, but due to warm up next week back into the 60's. We will start our busy training schedule tomorrow already. Many clients are calling and emailing me about training. For those of you who do lessons with me, I will be resuming my private lessons in April. If you need phone or email consultations while I am gone, I would be happy to set them up and help you problem solve or even give you ideas fo drills or training that you can be doing. Joe will be helping me with private lessons at the kennel, so if you need assistance, call the kennel and set up a lesson with Joe.
I head back to CT for the Springfield Sportsmans Show February 18th through the 21st.
For now, busy unpacking and getting my southern Quinebaug Kennels office set up!