He (Dakota)
is a different dog. Very calm when he is in the house and he listens
to our commands. When we tell him "No" or "Drop It"
the first time he obeys. It is fantastic.....I haven't had to get
the wooden spoon out!! ahahah...Again,
Thank You. I am so glad he is much calmer and listens when I speak.
Have a great day.
"I
just returned from our first duck hunt with Daisy. Words can not
describe how happy I was to hunt with such a well trained dog. From
the first bird down until she picked up the 15th bird she was almost
flawless. Your training program works! As she sits at my feet at
home we are planning the next hunting trip."
"...I
spent a lot of time researching the various Retriever Trainers in
Texas and was real nervous about leaving Zeus in an un-familiar
place with people that he and I really didn’t know extensively.
My concerns diminished the moment that I visited Zion Kennels and
met you and your wonderful wife, Heather..." Read
More
Lawrence
Ringley
Owner of Zeus (Z II)
McKinney, Texas lhr@ringley.com
"I have
had a number of dogs trained in the past, Eddie was head and shoulders
over what I had seen before. I really liked how Eddie tailored his
training to each dog. Eddie was very patient with my dog helping her
reach her full potential. My kids and I were welcome and encouraged
to visit training. Eddie worked with the kids and me, he was very
patient with us as well! I highly recommend Zion Kennels to anyone,
beginner to expert."
"Eddie’s
patience, knowledge and professionalism are second to none. Eddie’s
desire is to get the very best from your dog. It was evident at
the recent DFWLRC AKC Sanctioned Hunt test. Zack had not been forced
fetched yet, he knew Zack could pass the Junior and Zack did with
flying colors. Whether you want to compete, hunt or just obedience
for your dog, you can rest assured your dog is receiving the very
best in training. Eddie always keeps me up to date about Zack’s
progress which is important to me. I highly recommend Eddie and
Zion Kennels."
"I
have been active in both the hunt test and field trial circuits
for multiple years. Eddie's unrelenting work ethic and impressive
knowledge of retrievers helped me successfully compete in AKC Master
tests over the last three years. His assistance helped me become
one of the very few amateur handlers to pass the 2005 Master National."
Zion
Kennels is built on a foundation of Trust,
Honesty, and Work Ethic. We have been working on
this foundation for over 12 years. Eddie Noga,
Owner/Trainer, has been tutored
by some of the best
Professional Retriever
Trainers in the United States including Steve Stidham,
Mark Edwards, Scott Carruth, and Bill Schrader.
Zion
Kennels specialize in raising your future Hunt Test
competitor and/or hunting companion or Gundog. Zion
Kennels only takes a maximum of 16 dogs
at any one time. By limiting the dogs we are training we are
able to dedicate and focus on giving our clients and their
dogs quality work.
Please
call today at (903)640-3411.
We focus
on getting the dog ready for you and the next season whatever
it will be. Zion Kennels works in association with Steve
Stidham, Sulphur
River Kennels, we have a full AKC Hunt Test
schedule and we can take your dog through the AKC Master Hunter
level. Hunting companions are always accepted.
New
dogs are accepted on a 1 month minimum term. Most gun dogs
only need 4 months. Hunt Test dogs will require more. Zion
Kennels also offers a Head
Start Program for your
puppy.
Your puppy will be introduction to water, birds, and basic obedience
commands. Our goal is to make each puppy as "birdy"
as possible and to love the retrieving game.
Many dogs
leave Eddie & Zion Kennels to continue a
long successful career as Master Hunters and beloved hunting companions.
We
also have a full service Boarding
Facility and are able to take all medium
to large breed dogs. No small breeds please.
If
you are looking for a retriever as a pet, gundog, or AKC
competition dog we can help you. We offer a free
puppy finder program. We know what to look for
in the dogs so to minimize your risk of getting a lame or
genetically impaired retriever. We would love to help you
find a new companion for you and your family.
We are
very happy to announce that we are taking dogs just for obedience
training. Please go to the OBEDIENCE
Training Page for more information or call
Heather Noga at (903)227-1652.
Contact
us today and come out, watch us train and make your decision on
what you see.
Well,
we have made it to the Big D Hunting Retriever Club test in Fairfield
at the May Sel Ranch. The trip down to this point has been completely
uneventful! Praise the Lord! We left Bonham around 4pm Thursday
and after several stops we made it to our super Super 8 motel
around 9pm. Yeah! Relax time!
We
are currently sitting at the Master B where Watermark’s
Pistolpack’n Sagon (Pete) will be running today. Hopefully
soon. Hunt tests don’t usually start on Friday, but this
is a double Master. Pete is the only dog running in the Master.
He will be running in both Masters on Friday and Saturday. He
needs to pass just one of the tests to get his Master title. If
he passes both he will be only one pass short of qualifying for
the Master National. All the other tests start tomorrow and then
again on Sunday. We have 7 dogs besides Pete running this weekend.
Pete
– Owned by Gary and Linda Noga (aka. Mom & Pops)
-Pete is a 6 ½ year old chocolate male Labrador retriever.
He didn’t start his Hunt Test career until last spring
where he ran 3 Masters and passed all 3, then 3 in the fall
where he passed 2 and failed 1. He will be running in the Master
today and on Saturday.
Bin – Owned by Larry & Kathy Kimble
- Bin is a 2 ½ year old male yellow Labrador retriever.
He will be running in the Senior on Saturday and Sunday. He
already has his Junior Hunter title. This will be his first
Senior Hunt Test.
Biscuit – Owned by Tom Webb
- Biscuit is a 2 ½ year old chocolate female Labrador
retriever. She will be running in the Senior on Saturday and
Sunday. She already has her Junior Hunter Title. This will be
her 1st Senior.
Gunner – Owned by Derek O’Rear
- Gunner is a 1yr old black male Labrador retriever. He will
be running in the Junior on Saturday and Sunday. This will be
his first Junior Hunt Test.
Scout – Owned by Joel and Aileen Durrett
- Scout (aka. Scouty Pants, Scouty Bear & hey guys Scout
needs to see the vet again) is a 1 ½ year old male yellow
Labrador retriever. He will be running in the Junior on Saturday
and Sunday. He ran in one Junior Test last fall and passed!
He needs 3 more to get his title.
Lu – Owned by Jim & Amy Cadena
- Lu is a 1 year old female yellow Labrador retriever. She will
be running in the Junior on Saturday and Sunday. This will be
her first Junior Hunt Test.
Slinger
– Owned by Woody Jackson
- Slinger
is a 1 year old black male Labrador retriever. He will be running
in the Junior on Saturday and Sunday. This will be his first Junior
Hunt Test.
King –
Owned by Eric Smith
- King is a 15 month old black male Labrador retriever. He will
be running in the Junior on Saturday and Sunday. He ran in 2 Juniors
last fall and got 2 passes! He will earn his title this weekend
if he passes both tests.
So,
back to the here and now. Pete is running #12 today. They are
on dog #7. The test is an inverted walkup triple with the flyer
shot first up the middle, followed by the left hand mark thrown
to the outside of the test with the final third mark converging
with the flyer. The long bird is approximately 80 yards. Once
you pick up the triple you have a blind deep into the left of
the middle flyer at about 100 yards.
Pete
went to the line the first time and the honor dog broke so he
had to come off the line and move 2 dogs back to run again. When
he came to the line the second time all went well. The birds fell
into place and he marked them well. He picked up the first mark
without a hunt, then the second he ran around the blind to get
the bird with a minimal hunt, and then he literally stepped on
the flyer bird. He had a 3 whistle blind that was just great!
We
are headed back to the hotel now. Pete was number 12 to run out
of 50 dogs. He just got finished and it is already 10:30. We will
probably head back around 3:00.
OK,
so we left the hotel at 3:00 to come check the progression of
the test. When we pulled up they had moved but were still setting
the test up (!), so we drove down the road and let the dogs air
for about an hour. When we came back they had run 8 dogs. It was
around 5:30 by now and there were still about 30 dogs to run before
it was Pete’s turn so we decided it wasn’t going to
happen today and went back to the motel.
Saturday
March 28, 2009
We
left the motel this morning at around 7:15 and went to air the
dogs. We arrived at the Master around 8:30 and they were getting
ready to start. There were not many people there so Pete got to
run 2nd. The first dog had a “no” bird (they had a
problem with the test) so it went back to the truck and will get
to try again later. Pete lined up to run the blind, he started
out, they threw the “poison” bird (a bird that’s
thrown while the dog is running to trick him up, they pick it
up later) Eddie whistled to stop him, gave him a “back”
cast and whistled to stop him again when the “mark”
station got confused and threw their bird. So, Pete had a botched
up run in the second series as well, but Eddie decided to go ahead
and run him again instead of taking a break.
This
test started off with a blind and an in route poison bird, after
you pick up the blind they shoot a double. You pick up the double
then the poison bird. After that you have one more blind and you’re
done. Pete had a squirrely blind but then picked up all the birds
and the second blind beautifully. Still one leg to go.
After
that we moved on to the Senior to run Bin & Biscuit. Bin was
up first. This test was an out of order double (Short bird is
thrown first followed by the long “Go Bird”) with
a flyer followed by a blind. Fairly straight forward and simple,
so we thought. Bin picked up the marks like a champ, then Eddie
lined him up for the blind and he “no-go-ed” him (he
just sat there when Eddie called him to go get the bird), so Eddie
took him off the line and that was the end of Bin’s first
Senior.
Biscuit
lined up for the marks, the first bird came out just fine , then
they threw the flyer and it went up about 1ft then straight to
the ground. Eddie too her back and let 1 dog run then he went
up again. She picked up the flyer bird great then had to handle
to the second bird. He lined her up for the blind and sent her.
She would not take a cast well and after several attempts to get
her to the bird he pulled her and that was the end of her second
attempted Senior.
Now
on to the Junior. The Junior was set on a large flat piece of
land bordered with trees and some water scattered around. There
were 2 single marks. One to the right first at about 100 yards
then one to the left at about 90 yards landing just over the back
side of a little ridge. Gunner was the first up. He ran out and
flew past the bird on the up wind side. He went way deep of the
bird and hunted there for what seemed like forever. Finally with
a little help he picked up the bird and that was it for him.
Scout
was the second to run. He lined up, sprinted to the bird, did
a small loop and picked it up. He lined up for the second bird;
it came out of the blind and fell just short of the base of the
tree. Now, there is about a 20mph cross wind, so if you don’t
go down wind of the bird your in trouble. He came off the starting
line in true Scout form, fought the wind, kept a perfect line
and ran right past it up wind. Well, it gets ugly after that,
he hunted deep of the bird for a while before finally getting
down wind of the bird and picking it up. That was the end of Scouts
first Junior.
Slinger
running in the AKC Junior Hunt Test at Big D Retiever
Club.
Slinger
was the 3rd dog to run and boy did he show up the dogs that
ran before him and save our name. He smacked both birds
with a “hey, I’ve been doing this all my life”
attitude. Go Slinger!Lu was next to the line. Jim &
Amy where here to watch her run her first Junior. She was
typical Lu all the way to the line. Give me a bird, where’s
the bird? Jumping around like a rabid deer but still under
control. Her marks were beautiful and graceful (gazelle
like) like only Lu (aka. Sweet Lu or Skinny Lu) can do.
King,
the seasoned Hunt Tester (2 Junior passes last fall) was
next up to bat. He was much more composed than the others
and did just great on his marks. No doubt he will be advancing
to Senior soon.
After
the Junior we searched the countryside for our Saturday Master
Test (Master C). The sign was placed right before a gate entrance.
Shortly after you entered the gate the road split and went in
totally opposite directions. Unfortunately we took the wrong road
and drove way out of the way to find that out. Eventually we did
find the test.
We
got out to see what was going on and were told they had not started
the test for lack of bird throwers and dogs to run. My husband
(God love him.) offered the services of the Cadena’s and
I. So, we went out and worked for 7 dogs until more help arrived.
This was a nice test with one minor problem. They had to run a
blind through a ditch filled with thorns and the result was some
minor injuries. It started with the flyer being shot as the long
bird which you had to “No” them off of and run 2 blinds.
The first to the left and deep of the flyer, then another through
a ditch with thorns, over a road and to the right of the whole
test. After you picked up the blinds two marks were thrown. The
first, coming out of a blind at the base of the hill that landed
angled back at the end of a row trees in the ditch directly under
where the flier landed (only separated by a mere 30 yards) and
the second, was shot to the outside of the test over the line
to the blind that you have already picked up. After picking up
the double you then picked up the flyer.
I
was in the field working the second “mark” station
when Pete ran, but this is what I saw. He nearly lined the first
blind. Eddie stopped him right before it to make sure he was on
track. He had a bit more trouble with the second blind but managed
to work through it without too much fuss. He picked up the first
mark no problem but ran behind the gunner on the second mark.
He ran past the flyer and had a bit of a hunt but worked it out
and picked it up.
After we were relieved of bird duty we went to find Master B (from
Friday). They had moved to the third and final series. This was
a straight up triple in some running water with one bird being
only 10 yards from the line. Pete went to the line and in true
Pete form he got a “no” bird. Eddie pulled him off
the line while they fixed the winger then he went right back to
the line. Pete went right to the first mark; it was short and
splashed in the water. Eddie lined him up right to the second
mark. The third mark he went a little right and a quick cast got
him back on track. That was the only handle Pete had in this Master.
He should have passed and that will give him his Master title!
Go Pete!
Next,
we went back to finish the Junior. When we got there they were
waiting for dogs so we got to run them one after another. Lu went
first this time. The test was very simple singles on flat land
with a channel of water to cross. Lu took off for the first bird
and jumped the channel! She picked up the bird then came back
and jumped the channel again! The next bird was just the same.
Everyone was amazed at her jumping abilities. She should have
passed and earned her first leg of her Junior Title.
Lu jumping
over a stand of water with the bird!
Slinger
ran next and did just as well. His second bird went into the woods,
but he went right in and got it. He should have passed and earned
his first leg of his Junior as well. Plus, he has a little gazelle
in him too!
King
was the last dog of the day to run. He was solid as expected and
we are proud of him.
We
are headed to have dinner with the Cadena’s at Gilbertos
Mexican Restaurant. Then we will air the dogs one final time before
we return to the motel for much needed rest. The wind was blowing
90-to-nothing all day and it really wore us all out. Not to mention
all the dirt I have in my eyes, nose and hair. It was fairly cold
most of the day but warmed up nicely when the sun was out. Tomorrow
the weather is supposed to be perfect. And hopefully the dogs
that failed today will do better tomorrow.
Sunday
March 29, 2009
Today
started out with a minor mishap, flat tire on the trailer. After
airing the dogs we drove to Mexia to the Wal-Mart tire center
and they said it couldn’t be fixed, so we had them put on
the spare. Then we headed back to Fairfield for the Hunt Test.
Now,
this may sound very trivial to have to put on a spare, but before
Thursday we didn’t have a spare. The last one mysteriously
disappeared when the bolt that holds it on top of the trailer
snapped. It has been missing for around 6 months. You see God
didn’t prevent us from getting a flat tire, but he provided
us with a spare!
When
we finally arrived we went straight to the Senior. Bin was first
again today, and had just as many problems. The test was a diversion
pop blind followed by a double. The marks were to the right of
the blind, out of order, with the “go” bird landing
across a small channel. Bin never got to experience the marks,
because he refused to leave the line again. So disappointing!
Biscuit
was next and she had a nice blind! She picked up the first mark
then let the out-of-order-ness mess her up on the second mark.
Eddie handled her to it, but it was not pretty. Hopefully she
will get called back, but won’t be too surprised if she
doesn’t. After that we left to go to the Junior.
When
we arrived at the Junior Lu was the first to run. The test was
two singles up a hill with the first bird being the short bird
on the left and the second bird being the long bird on the right.
Lu went out and picked up the first bird, then went out and hunted
a little on the second bird (I think she secretly knew where the
bird was the whole time, she just wanted to stretch her legs).
Scout
was the next to go. He went out and picked up the birds no problemo!
See you next series.
King
ran 3rd and made it look like he had done it 100 times before.
He was a little disappointed it was over so quickly!
Gunner
ran after King and made it look just as easy. Great come back
from yesterday!
Slinger
got the first bird just fine, but he got a little confused on
the second and headed back to the first mark. So sad! Poor Slinger!
Better luck next time buddy.
At
the moment we are waiting at the Master to run Pete. This is a
great test! It’s set at the end of a pond surrounded by
trees and it actually looks like it would have ducks. It’s
a triple with the first two birds converging into the water with
the third bird going on land up a hill across the water through
the trees to the right of the first marks. After the marks are
picked up a blind is planted just to the right of the second bird.
Pete
coming back with the third bird of the triple in the Master!
Pete,
oh Pete. What can I say? If you have something that works, stick
to it. He lined up for the marks, boom, bird, boom………………..no
bird. Yes, again! So Pete took a little break, let another dog
run and then came back. This time he lined up and had no problems
with the birds. He picked up the first one no problem, the second
one no problem (although he could have taken a bit more water)
the third one was a bit ugly. He took off ok then too a sudden
left and ran through the woods instead of taking the water. The
blind wasn’t top notch either. He started off by leaving
the line on his own, way off track, but handled well from there
and got the bird without too much fuss.
So,
back to the Junior for the final test. Wow, what a mess! They
had the line on a peninsula with the first mark coming out and
landing on land at about 8:30 if the line is at noon. The dog
had every opportunity to run around the water and pick up the
bird. Oh, and trust me they did! The second bird came up and landed
at about 2:30, but it at least splashed in the water. The judges
said the dog had to get wet, but if they didn’t they would
“talk about it”!? Not at all a fair Junior test.
Lu
was the first on to attempt this debacle. She did great! She started
off by popping-a-wheelie and flying into the water. She could
care less about running around. Just don’t get between her
and the bird.
Lu Jumping into
the water at the Junior. After this retrieve she earned
her second Junior Pass.
Scout
went next and ran as quickly as he could all the way around the
water. But, he did get the bird, and picked up the next one no
problem.
King
ran 3rd again and showed us again why he deserves to be here.
He should have earned his Junior title!
Gunner
was the last dog on our truck subjected to mass unfairness. He
must have talked to Scout and found out it was easier to run around
than swim, because he did the same thing. He did actually get
in the water and splash around before picking up the bird though.
Hope that counts! The last bird was a breeze for him, of course.
Well,
it’s now 4:40 and we are back at the Master for our final
series and the last dog of the day. We just found out Biscuit
failed this morning and won’t be able to run the second
series. They just moved the final Master test and are setting
it up. Hopefully that won’t take long and we will be able
to run Pete soon and head for the big B.
Yeah!
Pete is # 3 to run. This is water double with a poison bird shot
coming in from behind the line. It lands only yards away from
the line. Pete was amazing! He so deserves to be a Master Hunter!
He picked up all the birds with careful precision.
The
Zion Kennels crew had attended 2 hunt tests in the month
of October. We took 4 Junior Dogs, Zack, Conner, Nexxus
and Cody, 2 Senior Dogs, Ruger & Mick, and one Master
Dog, Pete.
The Crew went
1 for 1 in the Master (only running one test), 4 Senior
passes, and 8 Junior Passes. These passes we completed in
just 2 Hunt Tests.
Victor
Batton with Zack and his JH Title Ribbon!
Pete turned
in excellent work in the Master, with Pete nearly lining all his
blinds including an in route poison bird blind. His marks were
some of the best turned in with him having only one hunt the hole
weekend.
In the
Senior, Ruger passed all 3 tests easily. He pinned all the marks
and 2-whistled several blinds. He needs one more pass for his
SH and will move into the Master this Spring.
The
Junior went will with Zack and Conner passing every test.
They were heads and shoulders above most of the other competitors.
The Juniors were some of the toughest test I have seen, with
cover over the dogs head and goose silhouettes in line to
marks posed an obstacle most other dogs could not handle.
Fannin
County 4-H Club News
By: Jennifer Bryan
The
Bonham 4-H Club offers all different kinds of projects. One
of them, the Dog Project, gave students from 4 years old all
the way through high school an opportunity to not only learn
how to train their dog(s), but also learning how to be patient
with their animals.
This project lasted about two and a half months long, with
six meetings total (about one meeting every other week).
Eddie
and Heather Noga were the talented teachers of this project.
They worked with a wide variety of dogs; from Pomeranians
and Dachshunds all the way to German Shepherds, Labradors,
and Border Collies. Dogs were a variety ages, as were the
kids. No matter what the breed, age, experience, or temperament
of the dog or student, the Noga’s demonstrated the skills
and best training methods for each individual and animal.
Week one we focused
mainly on getting to know each other, and the dogs we would
be working with for the next few months. Although there were
many dogs of different breeds, the dogs were all respectful
to Eddie, due to his advanced knowledge.
The
second meeting, Eddie showed us how teach the “sit”
and “kennel” commands. For the puppies with
short-term attention spans, he taught alternative ways to
teach the commands, without the puppies getting too bored.
At the next meeting,
Eddie taught us how to teach the “heel” command
and the finished position. The “heel”
command requires
that the dog sits to the right, or left in some cases, of
their feet. This is hard for dogs to learn, especially for
puppies, but with lots of practice, the dogs were able to
fulfill this command.
We
learned how to teach the and “here” (or “come”)
command from Heather at the fourth meeting. Because the
dogs want to come to their owner, this command was somewhat
easy, especially for puppies. At this meeting, we reviewed
the “sit” command, and required the dogs to
remain still until called to come.
At the next-to-last
meeting, Heather taught us how to teach our dogs the “down”
command. This command
was very challenging
to several of the students, because the dogs would want the
treat instead of lying down. Also, some dogs would roll over
rather than lying down, and want their tummies to be scratched
(mainly the puppies and older dogs). This command, as most
of them, needed to be practiced regularly, but was learned
by all dogs.
By
the last meeting, dogs would obey voice commands such as “sit”,
“down”, “kennel”, “heel”,
and “come”. Eddie also demonstrated several of
his competition dogs and dogs-in-training to the group of
students. They ended the project they held a mock dog show,
displaying what the dogs had learned throughout the last two
and a half months.
The
Bonham 4-H Club would like to thank Eddie and Heather Noga
with Zion Kennels for their support, time, and effort in teaching
the students how to best train their dogs. The focus of 4-H
is to teach leadership skills to children and students, and
Eddie and Heather taught them the confidence to be leaders
with their
dogs
that will translate to leadership in their community. Thank
you so much, Noga’s!
10 hole
Deerskin Trailer with huge dog holes. Any dog would be comfortable
in this trailer including any retriever breed and pointing
breed. This trailer is made for the serious dog trainer or
upland outfitter needing to get the dogs to the field and
back.
25,000 Firm
E-mail
Eddie
or call (903)640-3411 for more information.
Zion
Kennels - Texas Retriever Training is a licensed group of professional Hunting
Retriever Training organizations that specialize in the breeding and training
of Hunting Retrievers. Some of the services may include Hunting Retrievers,
Sporting Dogs, Started Dogs, Finished Dogs, Working Retrievers, Master Hunters,
Field Champions, Water Dogs, Hunt Test Dogs, Field Trial Dogs, Gun Dogs, Water
Dogs, Tolling Retrievers, Tollers, Golden Retrievers, Cheapeake Bay Retrievers,
Waterfowl Retrievers, Bird Dogs, Labrador Retrievers, Companion Dogs, Duck Hunting
Dogs, Competition Dogs, Trained Retrievers, American Labs, Field Dogs along
with Hunting Ranches, Duck Hunting in Texas, Waterfowl Hunting, Mallard Ducks,
AKC Hunt Tests, AKC Field Trials, AKC Registered Labrador Retriever