Texas Hunting Forum

local trainer

Posted By: Buzzsaw

local trainer - 09/05/19 11:26 PM

Friend looking for a local retriever trainer, DFW. Been out of the game myself too long.
Posted By: rjf1911

Re: local trainer - 09/05/19 11:40 PM

The two guys I know, who are both good, are....

Tony Miller at Endeavor Kennels. Endeavorkennels.com

Eddie Hicks...Jordan Valley Retrievers. Jordanvalleyretrievers.com

Both just south of downtown Dallas.
Posted By: BradyBuck

Re: local trainer - 09/06/19 12:05 AM

Justin Jackson : Texoma Retrievers

JC Strange : Cripple Creek Retrievers
Posted By: Greg

Re: local trainer - 09/06/19 03:29 PM

Marks-a-Lot is who I ended up going with and I will explain why. Back about 10 -12 years ago I got eat up with chasing those ducks and finally got a dog out of good stock. She was great and bumper crazy, but wouldn’t pick up real birds. I had read water dog and gun dog along with some others, but realized I needed someone who knew what they were doing to get the result I was looking for. So the search was on. My wife and I visited 4 trainers here in the area to see what they were all about. The first one was horrible. No way I wanted my dog in that situation. The next two were fair but not the best. One had just lost an owners dog during training and was trying to track it down. Then I called marks-a-lot and Dan said come on out and let’s talk. It was a Sunday evening. Great first impression. We sat out back of his place and I showed him my dog and explained she was having issues with real birds and just wouldn’t pick them up. He instantly went and got a duck and within 10 min of working with her she was bringing it back pretty good. The conversation we had and the feeling my wife and I both got made it crystal clear who was gonna train my dog.

Now, Molly was was an “inside dog” and wasn’t used to being in a kennel. She had been jumping up on the fencing and cut her pads, so they decided to keep her in the house to heal up. They ended up falling in love with her and keeping her in the house the whole time she was there. She slept in his assistants bed at night. So that made me feel real good too.

Another thing I like about Dan... he almost begs his owners to come out and be a part of the action. Every week I would go out on owner day to see how she was doing and watch her progress. It was a blast and I learned a lot in the process. I, along with other owners would help throw birds and marks while he handled the dogs. I asked a lot of questions and he never once got tired of me doing so. He told me how to make corrections, and when and why they were needed. He wasn’t just teaching my dog, he was teaching me how to handle my dog, and I loved every minute of it!

He was always kind to me and my family and I honestly can’t say enough good things about him. He has been doing this for over 25 years and really knows how to get results when it comes to dog training.

I’m sure there are other great trainers in the area as well, but you owe it to yourself to go out and meet with them so you can make that decision for yourself. Watch their dogs run... participate and see what they are all about.

I’ve read your posts for a while now Buzz and I know you like quality and results with just about everything you purchase. You really owe it to yourself to go meet with him. You can check out his website at
http://www.marksalot.com/ and see the success he has earned. Good luck!
Posted By: catslayer

Re: local trainer - 09/06/19 07:56 PM

Tony at Endeavor
Posted By: triggerbowtx

Re: local trainer - 09/07/19 12:18 AM

Cripple Creek
Posted By: Greg

Re: local trainer - 09/07/19 01:57 AM

I would also suggest looking at Castile Creek. I’ve hunted with Kevin several years back and he is a stand up guy with a lot of integrity. I’ve seen some impressive videos from some of his dogs.
Posted By: Maxus

Re: local trainer - 09/12/19 08:49 PM

Cripple Creek Retrievers - JC Strange
Posted By: nak

Re: local trainer - 09/15/19 03:10 AM

Another vote for Tony at Endeavor
Posted By: huck18

Re: local trainer - 09/16/19 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by Maxus
Cripple Creek Retrievers - JC Strange



This or Eddie Noga with Zion Kennels.
Posted By: UTMallard

Re: local trainer - 09/16/19 08:04 PM

I had a terrible experience at Marks-a-Lot and would never send a dog there. I've talked to many people with a similar opinion. Buyer beware!

I had a great experience with Mad River Kennels. Frank and Mike are great trainers.

No personal experience with them, but a friend's dog is at Summit Retrievers and he speaks very highly of them.
Posted By: BradyBuck

Re: local trainer - 09/16/19 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by UTMallard
I had a terrible experience at Marks-a-Lot and would never send a dog there. I've talked to many people with a similar opinion. Buyer beware!

I had a great experience with Mad River Kennels. Frank and Mike are great trainers.

No personal experience with them, but a friend's dog is at Summit Retrievers and he speaks very highly of them.


I was hesitant to say but I've heard the same reviews.

Chris Eldridge with Summit is a good option as well as Texoma and Cripple Creek.

Summit and Texoma both run AKC and UKC. Cripple Creek only runs AKC...just FYI
Posted By: Greg

Re: local trainer - 09/16/19 11:35 PM

Originally Posted by BradyBuck
Originally Posted by UTMallard
I had a terrible experience at Marks-a-Lot and would never send a dog there. I've talked to many people with a similar opinion. Buyer beware!


I was hesitant to say but I've heard the same reviews.


Well that stinks, UTMallard. And I’m sorry to hear that. Can you elaborate on your experience?
Posted By: Gully

Re: local trainer - 09/23/19 04:19 PM

The list is long and the reasons blatant. Stay as far away from there as you can. Too many other good options listed in this post.
Posted By: Greg

Re: local trainer - 09/23/19 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by Gully
The list is long and the reasons blatant. Stay as far away from there as you can. Too many other good options listed in this post.


Well...I give, and I guess I’m wrong. All I know is how he treated me. And when people treat me right, then I tell others about it. My 3rd post on this forum back in 2005 was about how good he was and how much I thought of him. He’s always done me right and that’s why I sang his praises in this post. Something I would hope any of my customers would do if I treated you right.

Some of you seem to really hate him, and I can’t figure out why. Y’all say things just like you did... he sucks and stay away, but then you never say why or what went wrong. You said the “list is long and reasons blatant”... then say what he did? Heck, send me a PM if you don’t want it public, I don’t care. Is it just something you’ve heard, or is it something you actually experienced? I was hoping UTMallard would give some details since he actually had his dog there, but he hasn’t. Why not? Call a spade a spade. I’m just trying to figure it out.
Posted By: Gully

Re: local trainer - 09/23/19 07:40 PM

Just trying to keep someone new to the game from having to endure what i have gone thru without slinging a lot of mud. The easy thing would be to say nothing at all.
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