Quinebaug Kennels: Hunting Dog

Quinebaug Kennels: Hunting Dog Passionately Living Life Afield 🐾 Quinebaug Kennels is located in Canterbury, CT among the hills of Northeastern Connecticut.

With spacious kennels and vast exercise fields, this 100-acre farm provides an ideal setting for raising, training and boarding canines. Throughout the day, dogs are exercised and trained in QK's open fields, woodlands, and hedgerows. We realize the importance of canine socialization and pack structure; therefore we encourage group exercise and playtime in our large fenced in play yards.

08/08/2026

A great retriever doesn't grab everything it wants.

Addie was doing everything she could to convince me that this antler belonged in her mouth.
The funny part? She was absolutely capable of taking it... but she didn't.

Why? Because part of our fetch conditioning program isn't just teaching dogs to fetch. It's teaching self-control. Dogs learn to retrieve when asked, hold gently, carry calmly, and release on command. No wrestling matches. No chomping. No possessiveness.

Good retrieving is just as much about what a dog doesn't do as what it does.

I'd say Addie passed this little test with flying colors... even if she thought I was taking way too long to hand over the antler!
Want a dog with reliable manners and a polished retrieve? Contact QK Hunting Dogs to learn more about our training programs.

08/01/2026

Sometimes the best training happens when you don't help.

On a recent pack hike, young Odin, a German Shorthaired Pointer, found himself "trapped" behind a simple wire gate in an old woodland cemetery.

The funny part? There wasn't even a fence. All he had to do was take two steps to the left or the right and walk through the open space.
Instead of rushing over to rescue him, we gave him a moment to figure it out. Sure enough, the light bulb came on, and off he went.

Dogs, just like people, benefit from solving simple problems on their own. We don't need to remove every challenge. Sometimes we just need to give them the opportunity to think.

Training isn't just about commands. It's about developing a confident dog. Follow QK Gun Dogs for more practical training tips.

The instinct in a gun dog is not a problem to manage. It is the engine. The goal is not to suppress drive — it is to sha...
07/25/2026

The instinct in a gun dog is not a problem to manage. It is the engine.

The goal is not to suppress drive — it is to shape it.

When a dog understands where to put that energy, they become exceptional in the field. We work with the dog's nature, not against it.

Learn more at https://hubs.ly/Q04n-rLh0

The biggest mistakes in gun dog training usually aren't made during hunting season. They're made during puppyhood. The f...
07/16/2026

The biggest mistakes in gun dog training usually aren't made during hunting season.

They're made during puppyhood.

The first few months of a young sporting dog's life lay the foundation for everything that follows—confidence, cooperation, retrieving, bird work, and the ability to handle pressure later in training.

At QK Gun Dogs, our Puppy Head Start program isn't about rushing a puppy. It's about introducing the right experiences at the right time and building habits that will last a lifetime.

A solid foundation creates a dog that's easier to train, more confident in the field, and a pleasure to live with at home.

Whether your goal is hunting, field competition, or simply raising the best sporting dog possible, it all begins with the foundation.

Our Gun Dog Puppy Head Start sessions fill well in advance, so if you're planning to add a puppy this year—or already have one—now is the time to start thinking ahead.

Learn more about our Gun Dog Puppy Head Start program at https://hubs.ly/Q04n-fR80.

You can't cram for hunting season.Every polished retrieve, every steady point, every successful hunt is built on a solid...
07/11/2026

You can't cram for hunting season.

Every polished retrieve, every steady point, every successful hunt is built on a solid foundation long before opening day.

The weeks leading up to the season aren't the time to hope your dog is ready—they're the time to prepare.

Our Gun Dog Foundation program is designed to develop the field skills every sporting dog needs before the season begins. Over six weeks, we focus on the fundamentals that create confident, reliable dogs in the field.

Returning QK Gun Dogs are encouraged to continue their development through our Intermediate and Advanced programs, where the focus shifts to pre-season conditioning, building the fitness every hunting dog needs, advancing steadiness and handling skills, and putting dogs back on birds to sharpen their instincts and prepare them for a successful season in the field.

Session 5 begins July 27 and runs through September 5.

If your goal is a better hunting partner this fall, now is the time to put in the work.

Apply today at https://hubs.ly/Q04n-Y9q0

Have you ever watched a dog on point and wondered what was happening in the silent moment? Most people see a beautiful ...
07/04/2026

Have you ever watched a dog on point and wondered what was happening in the silent moment? Most people see a beautiful German Shorthaired Pointer.
I see a dog making a choice.

The chukar is right there. Every instinct says, Go.

Instead, the dog stands—steady, focused, honoring generations of instinct shaped by thoughtful training.

That's what has always captivated me about a good bird dog.

Not just its drive, but its ability to master it.

There's a quiet beauty in that kind of discipline. It's the moment where instinct, training, and partnership become one.

That's the kind of dog work that never gets old. That is what we teach at QK Dogs.
Sessions are open for summer. Apply at qkdogs.com/hunting-dog-training

Steady. Locked in. Bird in the air. This is what years of proper foundation training produces. A dog that holds when eve...
06/30/2026

Steady. Locked in. Bird in the air.

This is what years of proper foundation training produces. A dog that holds when everything in its nature is telling it to move. That kind of steadiness does not happen by accident. It is built through structure, repetition, and the right guidance from the start.

Learn more about our Gun Dog programs at qkdogs.com/hunting-dog-training

Most people look at this photo and see a dog making a water retrieve.I see steadiness, marking, a trained retrieve, and ...
06/23/2026

Most people look at this photo and see a dog making a water retrieve.
I see steadiness, marking, a trained retrieve, and a dog that understands her job.
None of those skills were taught in the water.
They were built through countless repetitions in yard work and drills long before Dutch was asked to retrieve birds at duck shoots.
One of the biggest misconceptions in gun dog training is that dogs learn these skills while hunting.

They don't.

Hunting and shoot days are where we test the training.

Training is where we build it.

Dutch is a French Spaniel that thoroughly enjoys her work, and it's always rewarding to watch a dog apply their foundation exactly as intended.

What's the first thing you notice when you look at this photo?

Apply to enroll at qkdogs.com/hunting-dog-training

Address

265 North Society Road
Canterbury, CT
06331

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 12pm
Sunday 8am - 12pm

Telephone

+18605462116

Website

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