Training

Santo Barillà is an avid hunter and full-time professional bird dog trainer with over 35 years of experience training all kinds of Pointer dogs.  He has trained three two time  champions and over ten first time NSTRA Champions.  Barillà Kennels Canada is the only kennel in Canada to have two female Pointer dogs to become two times NSTRA Champion and first time NSTRA Champion from the same breeder.

There are several breeds of Pointer dogs such as the English Pointer, Setter Pointer, German Wire Haired, long and short haired Poodel Pointer, Vizsla, and Griffon.  Our goal is to produce tough, classy bird dogs with outstanding noses and a desire to please.

 Early puppy development happens within the first 270 days of a pup’s life.  It is extremely important that your puppy not be subjected to loud noises or other frightening – to a puppy – situations.  He needs to feel that he is at the centre of the universe, and in an exciting, wonderful, safe place.  This early socialization is vitally important in shaping your puppies personality.  How it is handled will have long lasting implications for you and your gun dog.  How a dog is brought along during the first months of life will largely determine his future as a useful gun dog.

All pups are individuals, and develop at different rates.  While we all like early bloomers, a pup which matures more slowly is just as likely to make an outstanding gun dog.  The desire in an exceptional pup is like a rare young wine, kegged from a proven vineyard.  “Nurture it slowly to perfection and it will pleasure the years.  Tap it prematurely and you will squander its bouquet infancy.”

Exposing a very young pup to planted pigeons or game birds to “imprint him on birds,” or to “awaken his prey drive,” is an unnecessary, and potentially harmful, practice that can create style, flagging or blinking problems.  A well bred pup’s “prey drive” is embedded in his DNA.  It, most certainly, will materialize when the pup contacts free roaming game birds at an appropriate age.  Introducing a pup less than six months old to planted birds, or giving him a bird to maul and carry, will not accelerate his rate of maturity or development.  It, however, does have the real risk of being a frightful, negative experience that will be difficult to overcome and, thus, retard his development.  To develop a pup’s full potential, it is always best to err on the side of caution and proceed too slowly, than to overwhelm the pup with stimuli inappropriate for his age or level of maturity.

This is why we don’t commence training until the pup is matured enough to start developing at the appropriate age.  We study each pup’s personality to see what approach is required to commence their training.

Clients who have purchased a Barillà Pointer and have run their dogs in competitions have won championship titles.  This achievement is a result of the impeccable training Santo Barillà does with his dogs.

Santo Barillà also takes clients under his own wing to teach them how to train a pup or work on some of the training techniques of their matured bird dog.

If you have a pup or bird dog that requires either Professional full-time or customized training, Barillà Kennels Canada is available to answer any questions and / or discuss training options and pricing.

Trainability is very important to us, since many of the dogs we sell either as a puppy stay to be trained or an owner will bring their dog to our training program to develop them further.

A dog that learns quickly is much easier and faster to train.  This all goes back to intelligence, a very inheritable trait.

The ultimate Pointer dog should first and foremost be a superior bird finder with unmatched intensity on its game.  We believe a dog should be judged on his desire to find, ability to locate, and manners on game.  The true superior bird finder must not only have a super nose, a natural willingness to hunt the thickest cover, but most of all a burning desire inside them to find birds.

Once trained, bird dogs can be used for competing in field trials, hunting small game birds in the woods and water, or simply be trained to be the ultimate family pet.

With professional training, Santo Barillà observes the pups or dogs personality to determine how they will learn and their ability to develop according to their learning needs.  There are various levels to training a Pointer dog, but given the appropriate training and patience, your dog will become an excellent bird hunting and / or field trial dog.  The amount of time required to train a Pointer dog depends on the outcome of his ability to learn.

After your dog has been observed to determine what training it needs, training requirements and pricing are determined.

The most unique quality about Santo Barillà’s training is that he observes the dog and its personality and gears his training to the way the dog learns. Each dog varies in personality and is at different levels, so customization depends on what you, the owner, would like done with your dog in order to achieve the desirable results.

If the dog is blinking or has a wagging tail, for example, he will watch the dog perform and with his experience will be able to rectify the problem.  Sometimes, the issue could be a simple fix, require short term training or, depending on the issue, could require long term training.

After your dog has been studied to determine what training it needs, training requirements and pricing are determined.