I read yesterday’s newsletter from QK kennel and there was an interesting article from the head trainer and owner Jennifer Broome. She expressed her concerns over owners not taking on their responsibilities in continuing the work QK trainers put into working with our dogs. I agree with her completely.
We send Bodhi back often to have free time at QK; he is a city dog and requires outdoor space and lots of activity. Living here in NYC comes with lots of distractions.
We are committed to helping train Bodhi despite the environmental noise of this city. Some of that commitment means we have him return to QK as often as he can as a reminder of good behavior. We definitely lack the skills the trainers have but will continue to invest in getting Bodhi the best resources available. For us, that is the QK kennel organization.
We thank you guys and appreciate the help you’ve given us. We will continue to work with Bodhi and look forward to him being the best [ tired ] dog ever! I’m looking forward to taking him on outdoor expeditions, I know he has the potential.
Please feel free to pass this on the Jennifer Broome, You guys are doing great in training owners, thank you so very much.
Bruni Nazario
For Marie,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Yesterday, we picked up our five-month-old rambunctious, sassy, funny, LOUD GSP, Cleo. WOW, what a difference two weeks made! We got home cautiously optimistic…. and boy were we pleasantly surprised! Our puppy who has never once slept in her crate, spent a quiet night there last night. We are amazed to say the least! The work that Marie did with her is truly amazing. We brought home our same sweet girl, but with a completely different attitude about who is boss.
QK is fantastic! The facility impressed us beyond expectation with cleanliness and organization. The staff was all sweet to our annoying barking Cleo! Cleo is home and happy, and an even greater joy to have around as she has manners now!
Again, thank you for the kindness and work you did, including the two hour brief when we picked her up. All the tips have been put into practice and we are grateful.
Grateful puppy parents,
Zeenat and Michael St Denis
I write this as nothing more than a long-winded thank you for everything Team Tippet has done and will continue to do for Tippet, my family, and me. Even at a young age, he goes everywhere with us (because good dogs can go everywhere their owners go). I look forward to many years of having him fish with us, hunt with me, or just sit by my feet as I have a beer. I owe all of this to my friends at QK Kennels. READ FULL STORY
Thank you, friends,
Justin Hester
When we heard from a family member that Jennifer was training some labrador puppies earlier in the year, we knew we had to go see them! During our visit, we fell in love with a beautiful yellow lab, Sandy (formerly Pelancy). After getting to know us better, Jennifer assured us that Sandy would be a perfect match for our family and she was right. We were looking for a loving family dog, as well a skilled hunting partner – and she is definitely both! While Sandy was at QK, we visited a couple of times so that we could get to know her better and learn some of Jennifer’s tips and techniques. Jennifer also took the time throughout the summer to text us and send us video updates on Sandy’s progress, which we really appreciated.
Thanks to amazing training and dedicated work from everyone at QK, Sandy is so well behaved, friendly with everyone (our family and friends adore her too), and so driven in the field. We’ve gone upland hunting with her three times already. She flushes over ten birds every time and does blind retrieves directly to hand. She also loves water retrieves so we’re looking forward to doing some duck hunting with her in the near future. At home, she is just so sweet, playful, and loves to be around us. We have had so much fun with her and can’t wait for many more adventures together!
Thanks to Jennifer and the rest of the QK staff – we couldn’t be happier with Sandy! And we hope we’re lucky enough to get her a new puppy brother or sister from QK in the future 🙂
DJ & Maggie
Marie,
Can’t tell you how much fun we’re having together! Here’s a picture from yesterday’s hunt. This weekend was our first time out hunting in several weeks – my shooting club closes the bird preserve during deer season, but the time off gave Scout plenty of time to recover from the Lyme disease and for us to work on some obedience. During that time we took LOTS of hikes together and worked on his heeling, remote whistle sits, place (hence the earlier pictures of him sitting on rocks and stumps), and whistle recalls. Sometimes I let him think that he’s hunting and just let him “work” the areas on the sides of the hiking trail with his nose.
All of that paid off this weekend in the field. He was SUCH a good dog – so much happy energy looking for birds the whole time. He’s almost like a different dog than even a few weeks ago – naturally quartering a lot, responding (mostly) to whistle recalls and sits, and even taking some hand directions. Scout did so well on Saturday afternoon (when we had the place to ourselves) that I brought him again on Sunday morning when most of the members hunt and you have to be much more attentive to other hunters and their dogs. He was a perfect gentleman and a very good boy.
He’s still a super-chill sweetheart at home and still just meh on bumpers. Though I did discover that he’s much more likely to fetch if I walk out and hide a bumper for him before sending him out than if I just stand there and throw it. Go figure – maybe he thinks I need my exercise too.
Needless to say, Scout is the best thing that’s happened to our family in 2020 – thank you again for your huge role in that! Depending on the virus & vaccines, we may be traveling to see my family in CO this summer, in which case I’m thinking about bringing Scout back to QK for some more advanced work. I’ll be in touch as that gets closer and we can talk about options. In the meantime, happy new year!
Best,
Rob
Our 18 week old GSP female just came home after a 2-week leash training with Chris. We were so very impressed with Chris’s professionalism, dedication, and instruction methods. He spent 2 hours with us before he even brought Blintz out, explaining everything and answering all our questions. After he brought Blintz down he spent another hour walking her through all her trading and then having us each go through the steps with her.
By the way, the QK facility is spotless and the indoor and outdoor facilities are first class. It’s a beautiful part of Connecticut well suited for the training tasks.
We got Blintz home and she is a changed puppy. So disciplined and calm at “Place & Down” yet full of her Puppy spirit when outdoors. “Leave it” is now a command that works. She returned to us healthy and looking great.
We cannot thank Chris and QK enough for transforming our pup. We look forward to the future for off-leash training with Chris.
Richard & Taffy
Quinebaug Kennels has been a game-changer for our family. Never in all of our years of having dogs, have we had a “well behaved” one. They were all sweet, but none were dogs that we could thoroughly enjoy because they were never properly trained. We always wanted a dog that would just obey the basic commands – sit, stay, come, leave it. We didn’t feel that our goals were lofty or that our expectations were too high. We took our previous dogs to puppy Kindergarten and worked with private trainers but in the end, we failed at the follow-through because our dogs did not have a solid foundation of obedience. Then we discovered QK and now are the proud owners of a well-behaved yet playful dog! Mazy attended QK puppy boot camp with Kiira and when she was a bit older she returned for further training. Mazy is so much fun to be with. We take her with us everywhere knowing that she will come when called and do everything that is asked of her. She is a dream on a leash and she even walks at “heel” on AND off leash!! Thank you, Jennifer, Kiira, and everyone at QK for teaching Mazy and us how to live a happy life together!
Please give our best to Kiira.
Warm regards,
Katie de Chabert
Jen, Maria and staff,
I just wanted to update all on how everything is going now that Emmie has been with us for a few months. While originally hesitant to add another animal into otherwise tight quarters, she has proved to be a wonderful addition to our family. Emmie took to our home like she had always belonged. I joke with Michele that “my” dog is college-educated and she’d better ensure that the other two don’t try to lead her astray. She gets along with the other animals in the house and her playful nature makes her a pleasure to watch. She continues to be picky with her food but remains healthy and eats what she needs to maintain her weight. So again, we can’t thank you enough for providing us with this wonderful gift. How lucky for us to have such a world-classKennel right here in Canterbury! We knew from the first time we met Jen and the staff that QK was a special place. We had brought our rescue Henrie here, who we thought we would have to give up as he was so destructive around the house. I’ll never forget that first time Jen took our raging beast and in a matter of minutes had him sitting at her heel. Henrie turned out to be the most wonderful dog, and we have since trusted QK with the care of our canines whenever we’ve had need of training, kenneling or even just advice. That QK has grown into the establishment it’s become is no surprise, but to see that everyone you meet that works here shares the same passion and love of dogs is beautiful! We will ensure that Emmie gets back for some recreation time and to see her friends at the Kennel.
Until then…Best regards! David and Michele Fournier Canterbury Ct.
I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve taught me…
Things are going so well!! I got a little “behind” on training with the 3 straight weeks of intense heat- neither one of us wanted to do anything!! But we are back on track now and she’s doing fantastic. I’m still so amazed at the changes in her overall demeanor and how quickly she picks up on things. We took her canoeing a few weekends ago, she sat perfectly in the canoe (she always used to try to jump out to chase ducks/geese) and stayed with us, off-leash, when we made it to shore despite other off-leash dogs and tons of distractions. I work Monday evenings but I am trying to reorganize my schedule so I can make it to one of your drop-in obedience classes so we can check-in and get a tune-up. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve taught me, it’s improved my relationship with her so much and opened so many doors for adventures I can take her on now.
Jess
A note from Electra, upon the return of her dog Quince after an extended stay at the kennel:
Hi Jennifer,
Just writing to say we made it to Mount Desert Island!
Quince is in the best shape of her life- all thanks to you and your QK team
She is wonderfully fit and healthy and affectionate, and we also notice she is more biddable than ever- quick to respond, affable, alert, obedient and just generally a well trained pleasure to be with.
This dog has been handled and trained by excellent people and responds as such, your wonderful work and care shows in every way.
We could never have imagined Quince staying with you for seven weeks!!! during the Covid pandemic when we were stuck away from home but boy did she benefit
Very many thanks and best wishes,
Electra
