About Our Trainers
 Head Trainer Dan Ihrke
Raised by a veterinarian, in a hunting family with multiple hunting dogs, Dan’s exposure to animal science started early. Dr. George Ihrke D.V.M., Dan’s father, has had a huge impact on his training career. George, a well known horseback field trailer, has been active in the game for 40 plus years and has won multiple National Field Trial Championships. He has also recently been nominated for The Field Trial Hall of Fame. Dan continues to employ the ethics and basic training methods that he has learned from his father today.
 Since 1997, Dan has gained experience training most breeds of gun dogs, and many non-hunting domestic breeds. Dan now focuses his training exclusively with retrievers. Although his main goal will always be to produce the superior hunting dog, over the last four years, he has become heavily involved in U.K.C. hunt tests. He since has produced multiple “Hunter Retriever Champions” and biannually participates in The International Grand Retriever Hunt Test.
 Rita Shure
To continue on with the tradition of training of the pointing breeds, Rita Shure was chosen for the task. For over 40 years, Rita has been involved with training pointing breeds. She has worked with some of the United States’ top field trial professionals and has a long string of personal accomplishments, including multiple first places in Shooting Dog stakes. Rita joined the Green Acres staff in 2005 as an assistant trainer, during which time she became familiar with the training methods that have made the program successful. Rita exemplifies the positive attitude, patience and hard work ethics that it takes to be an excellent dog trainer.
Training Program Structure
The following are outlines and descriptions of our training programs, including the approximate time that it will take to achieve each level. Because ach dog is an individual and may require special attention, training times will vary in accordance.
Evaluations
 Since every dog is an individual, each must first be evaluated. Evaluation involves exposure to many different yard and field elements (leash, collar, choke chain, obedience, yard retrieves, dead and live birds, water, cover, etc.) ,and analysis of the results. This analysis will give indication of your dog’s ceiling of potential and will allow our trainer to set up a schedule and program designed specifically for your dog. Evaluations are best implemented when your puppy is 4 months old. However, we routinely evaluate older dogs up to 6 years old. A typical evaluation takes 30 min. to 1 hour.
Sessions
Once evaluated, you may be asked to come back for sessions. Session work involves bringing your dog for between 30 min and 1 hour of work, where the trainer will expose him to the appropriate yard and field exercises in order to make advancement to the next level. Usually we will ask to have a session every two weeks after your 4 month evaluation, until the time that you drop your dog off for formal training.
Formal Training
- Involves admitting your dog into our facility for an extended stay.
- Dogs must be current on all vaccinations, including Rabies, Distemper, Leptospira, Lymes, Giardia and Bordetella. Vaccination records must be submitted upon the date of admission.
- During its’ stay, your dog will be medicated for heartworm on a monthly basis. If you have the medication, please bring it with. If not, we will use our own and you will be billed.
- Please Bring 8 days ration of the food that you are currently feeding.
Working with your dog during formal training is essential.
For each training level below, after the first month of training is complete, the owner is expected to come and work with the trainer on a weekly basis. By the time of graduation, both the dog and handler should be working as a team.
Retriever Level 1: Basic Versatile Hunter
Approximately 3 to 4 months of training (minimum 3 months).
During this phase of training your dog will learn:
- Basic obedience, including whistle, voice and hand signals for sit/stay, recall and change directions.
- Collar conditioning (teaching the dog that electric collar pressure is substituted as an “extension” of the lead).
- Force fetch (teaching the dog to pick up and hold an object in a disciplined manner)
- To retrieve both bumpers and birds in a stylish yet disciplined manner with a finished delivery to hand.
- To be “steady” and wait to be sent on a retrieve in the yard and field.
- To quarter, find, flush and retrieve upland birds in the upland field.
- To stay within gun range and respond to obedience commands in the upland field.
- To complete retrieves in many venues,(long distances, through decoys, through cover changes and in many simulated hunting environments)
- Intro to Basic multiple retrieves.
- Basic hand signals.
Retriever Level 2: Transition
Approximately 3 months of training past level 2.
Not all dogs are capable of attaining this level. During this phase of training, your now experienced retriever will be making the most noticeable advancement in his abilities in the field. A great deal of new exercises and concepts will be taught and therefore must be learned by the owner. Dogs finishing this level will be capable of competing at the U.K.C’s seasoned level and can be considered the average hunter’s finished dog. They will have learned:
- Blind retrieves in land and on water.
- Multiple marks in land and on water.
Retriever Level 3: Advanced
Approximately 1 to 3 months past level
Only the most talented of retrievers are capable of this levels. This phase of training is for those who want to have more than just a great hunting dog. Dogs completing this level of training can participate at finished U.K.C. tests. Many more training exercises will be added to the repertoire. Your dog will learn:
- Complex, long blinds retrieves with cover changes and diversions on land and in water.
- Complex multiple marks.
Pointing Dog Level 1
During this phase your dog will learn the following concepts:
- Basic obedience, including whistle, voice and hand signals for sit/stay, recall and change directions.
- Force fetch ( teaching the dog to pick up and hold an object in a disciplined manner)
- Collar conditioning (teaching the dog to understand that the electric collar is simply an extension of the lead).
- Quarter within a controllable range.
- Locate and point game birds in the upland field.
- Retrieve birds in a stylish and disciplined manner with a finished delivery to hand.
Pointing Dog Level 2
This level of training is directed to owners that want more than just a great hunting dog. Dogs finishing this level can participate in A.K.C. hunt tests at the Senior and Master levels. During this phase your already seasoned pointer will learn the following:
- Steady to wing and shot.
- Honoring.
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