In a recent article in our DeCoverly Kennels On-Point Newsletter, Ken Alexander, discusses training versus breaking an English setter.  As Ken says “Training takes patience, consistency, and TIME.”

In fact it takes about three years to train a fine bird dog and give him/her the experience needed for real maturity.  But if the owner takes the shortcut and breaks the dog, the end result is a dog that may never fully develop into the gun dog it has the potential to be.

For example, even if the dog has perfect manners in the field, they may never develop the independence needed to become a great performer as a result of the breaking.  So proper step by step training is absolutely crucial, and this training often times even involves giving a dog room to learn in an unimpeded environment.

To read how more about how Ken achieves this, click here.