Words are wasted on trying to describe the relationship between bird dog and owner. From the euphoria of lifting a mallard out of your retriever’s trained mouth for the first time, to the grief that comes with their inevitable passing years later, the journey must be experienced to be known. The first few years of a hunting dog’s life are without a doubt the most critical. It’s in this time where expectations are set and groundwork is laid for transforming a puppy into a functional member of both the household and the duck blind. Training a puppy into a working bird dog is an undertaking that many don’t have the time, knowledge, or patience for. Instead, sending your dog to a capable trainer is the logical choice — an investment that shows perpetual returns, or rather, retrieves, for years to come.

Over three decades ago, Toxey Haas set out to revolutionize the outdoor world. He accomplished exactly that. Founder and CEO of Mossy Oak, Toxey literally built his company from the ground by using his surroundings in Mississippi’s wild lands to modernize the camouflage industry. While Mossy Oak is now considered the king of camouflage, they’re beginning to make some noise in another industry as well — dog breeding and training. Priding themselves on being “dedicated to breeding and training a hunter’s best friend for life,” the Mossy Oak GameKeeper Kennel is just a short drive across West Point, Mississippi from its parent company headquarters. The kennel and subsequent training ground was founded in 2015, and specializes in molding British Labradors for hunting and outdoor companionship. While the kennel is relatively new, its’ master trainer, Bill Gibson, is well versed in the art of training and cultivating first-rate bloodlines.

There aren’t many folks that have been training four-legged hunting companions longer than Bill Gibson. Bill trained his first Labrador Retriever in 1965, and has been refining his approach ever since. A lifelong romantic when it comes to bird dogs, and having trained several dogs for his friend Toxey Haas, Bill was the obvious choice for master trainer when the outdoor empire announced its plan to open a kennel. Bill has always been a staunch supporter of traditional English training methods. He’s never used an electric collar on a dog, which is a rarity in today’s modernized hunting world. Bill frequently travels to the U.K. and Ireland to purchase dogs to maintain strong genetics at the kennel and to compete in hunting tests.

The kennels other full-time employee is Riley Pierce. Bill’s 23-year-old protégé and assistant director of gundog operations, Riley is just as ardent about each training session as the dogs he’s working with. Bill and Riley are advocates of their own work, personally owning eleven bird dogs between them.

“I’d rather be here, doing this right now, than anything else I can think of,” Bill says as he wipes sweat from his forehead during an early morning training session. Summer is technically fading in Mississippi, but its swelter doesn’t appear to be retiring anytime soon. It’s only half past seven and the humidity is already heavy in the air. Bill and Riley have been arriving earlier than normal in an attempt to work dogs before the day’s heat reaches its climax.

With up to 30 dogs being boarded at the kennel at one time, the training duo stays plenty busy. Both men agree the only downside of their profession is the bittersweet moment when a dog finishes their program and returns home. “Whenever someone comes to pick up their dog, we always let them know we would happily pay for the shipping on any returns.” Riley said jokingly. “We get thank you letters and emails about every day from past clients. We must be doing something right.”

Toxey and his son Daniel — whose dog Fitz was born and trained at the kennel — occasionally stop by to check in on things and catch up with the trainers. Toxey gave a big grin when asked about the kennel’s early success, “We have the right personnel running the kennel. Bill and Riley control the only thing you can when training a dog; your attitude.” Bill and Riley know the importance of the work they’re doing. With each training session that passes, their clients are one day closer to acquiring a new member of their family. When a dog’s journey ends at the GameKeeper Kennel, it’s really setting out to begin the life it was meant for — chasing wild game as a family’s bird dog.

Photography and story by Sam Raetz

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What is Svalinn and how did it get it’s start?
My husband Jeff and I founded Svalinn to breed, raise and train world-class personal and family protection dogs.  We often say that these amazing animals were bred out of necessity. We met in Afghanistan in 2003 and shortly thereafter we moved our young family to Nairobi, Kenya in 2005. The presence of a highly stable, social and loving family member that also has the ability to act as a deterrent against opportunists was critical. Our Dutch Shepherds, German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois helped to keep our family safe in a non-permissive environment. Over the years, many other families worldwide have made a similar investment in their personal safety and peace of mind by bringing one of our dogs into their home.

Why do you work with the breeds that you do?
At Svalinn we work with German Shepherds, Dutch Shepherds and Belgian Malinois. These breeds are known throughout history to be of a strong working nature. They are very smart, easily trained, eager to please and have excellent protective instincts. We breed in-house from our own genetics in order to control every aspect of a young dog’s experience, exposure and training. We offer a lifetime genetic guarantee as well as a perfect fit guarantee. Our confidence comes from proven genetic stability and intimate familiarity with each dog from birth.

What makes a good dog trainer?
We only hire individuals without prior K9 or working dog experience. Our methodology and approach here at Svalinn is precise and deliberate. Many of our K9 trainers come from an equine background; they are individuals who are proven in caring for and communicating effectively with large animals. It is important that they be able to gain the trust and respect of each dog. A good trainer must be focused in their mind and heart in order to work with these very intelligent animals. The bulk of our K9 trainers are women. At the end of the day, the majority of Svalinn dogs, when they are hand delivered to their forever family, will be primarily managed by women. We like to mimic this energy in our training environment.

What does your training process look like?
Puppies begin their training at 6-7 weeks of age. At first, the “training sessions” are very short iterations. By the time a dog is 2-3 months of age, individual training sessions have lengthened considerably, and pups will have been exposed to socialization, obstacle work, obedience, protection work, tracking and home searches. A dog is generally not ready for delivery until at least two years of age. Males often are delivered slightly older than females. They need time to mature and know their place and purpose, primarily as a companion and then a protector.

What do you find most fulfilling about the work that you do with these dogs and the families that they go to?
People often ask us, “Isn’t it so hard to let a dog go when it is moving on to its family?” It’s actually quite the opposite for us. Frankly speaking, nothing makes our work and relationships with the dogs more meaningful than when a dog is delivered to it’s forever family. Thousands of hours of training time, patience, love, connection and commitment have gone into molding that amazing creature. To watch a family bond with their new four-legged family member… nothing is more rewarding. That dog knows that it is “the chosen one” and to watch the animal connect with each family member is truly special for everyone involved. That family has made an investment in their peace of mind in the form of a loving, loyal companion. That is the richest part of what we do. That is the essence of Svalinn.

Learn more about Svalinn on their website and follow them on Instagram.
Photography by Ted Wells

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