When we bought Maggie, we knew that we probably had a pretty good pup on our hands, considering her pedigree and we are accustomed to having energetic dogs around the house, but Maggie was even more high-octane than we expected.

I remember describing her to Mark Sr. over the phone and he said it sounded like she was the kind of pup who would run for days in whichever direction her head happened to be pointing—SO TRUE!! She had, and still has all the stamina in the world and a great nose, instincts, etc. , but she had not yet “learned how to learn”.

Well, you all have provided Maggie exactly what she needed and what any other bird dog pup would be lucky to have: a gradual, firm, but gentle training environment; exposure to birds in the setting where bird dogs find them; exposure to other bird dogs; all the while, living in a safe and clean kennel environment between training sessions.

It’s been about two weeks since Maggie has returned home to us. As soon as she got back, we noticed that her manners had improved dramatically. She is much more biddable and well-settled in and around the house AND in the field, WELL- you’d almost have to see it to believe it… She points and holds nervous birds incredibly well- she definitely knows her purpose out there, works hard to fulfill it and does it with what seems like an eternal grin on her face, tail-high style. She’s a really good dog, but your help in identifying and developing her potential was great

There are lots of great bird dogs out there, there are fewer great trainers — Y’All are two of them! Again, many thanks!

— Tideman Penland