Archive for the Uncategorized Category


Pups: Thinking Finished from the Very Beginning, Part 5

by Rich Carpenter Making Blinds Fun for the Dog and the Trainer.  Having a dog that can run good blind retrieves is very important for a good hunting retriever.  Admittedly I’m not the best duck shot in the world, but I’m much more apt to drop a bird that my dog will not see to […]

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Upland Training Day

PVHRC will be hosting an upland training day on Saturday, February 27.  If you’re a club member and are interested in getting some pheasants for your dog and attending the upland training, please contact me at: joeolson@yahoo.com to reserve some birds.  If you’re not a member but this sounds like something you and your dog […]

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Pups: Thinking Finished from the Very Beginning, Part 4

by Rich Carpenter Force Fetch. The first thing that popped into my head when I thought about writing on this subject was wondering, over the years, how many brand new club members have been discouraged from getting active by someone telling them at their first PV training day, “Well, first you need to get an […]

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Pups: Thinking Finished from the Very Beginning, Part 3

by Rich Carpenter Exposing a pup to the idea of casting through play teaching is seen as a good idea by some and as pretty much a waste of time by others.  I guess you pay your money and take your pick.  I’m a believer in it, but then it fits into my general philosophy […]

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Pups: Thinking Finished from the Very Beginning, Part 2

by Rich Carpenter Puppy teaching is sort of like watching the hour hand on a watch.  While you are watching it, there seems to be no movement at all.  Yet, if you come back in a while it has moved considerably.  When you’ve been away from pups and working with a finished dog for 10 […]

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Pups: Thinking Finished from the Very Beginning, Part 1

by Rich Carpenter Since I’m starting another pup and have trained several dogs to the Finished level, Tom Vanderpool asked me if I’d put a few thoughts together for the Platte Valley Newsletter for a few issues, since early training can be so important to realizing the maximum potential of a retriever.  This is not […]

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Welcome and 2021 Kick Off

Welcome to the Platte Valley Retriever Club official website.  As dark goose season starts to wind down, we’re heading into another dog training season.  What are your goals for this year?  Are you starting a new pup?  Looking to make the big leap from Started to Seasoned?  Getting ready to run Finished and earn that […]

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Transitioning from hunting season to hunt test season

Hopefully you enjoyed hunting with your dog and the gratification that comes from watching a trained dog do his or her job in the field. Over the course of a season, training can be infrequent and it is typical for dogs to get a little loose. Hopefully you have been able to at least do […]

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