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Best Retrievers

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🐶 Premier Training in Central TX
🏡 Family-Owned
🐾 Imprinting | Obedience | Gundogs | Competition
🏆 30 Years of experience

Services include:Puppy Imprinting Program, Basic Obedience (any breed) Gundog training (Includes Obedience), Advanced Gundog, Hunt Test and Competitions. We also offer Stud Services. Be sure to check out the Puppies we have available, too!

10/30/2026

🏆 SRS CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP 101 | PART 6 OF 6

WHAT DID THE ANNOUNCER JUST SAY? 😂🎤🐾

We’ve spent the day breaking down the terminology used at the SRS Crown Championship. Now let’s put it all together!

Here are some examples of things you might hear during a run and what they actually mean.

🎤 “That dog lined the blind!”

Translation: The dog ran directly to a retrieve it never saw fall, without needing additional whistles or hand signals. That’s impressive!

🎤 “He needed a couple of casts.”

Translation: The handler had to stop the dog and give directional signals to help it reach the bird.

🎤 “She had a big hunt on that memory bird.”

Translation: The dog remembered there was a bird to retrieve but spent considerable time searching before finding it.

🎤 “That retired gun really got him!”

Translation: The person who threw the bird disappeared from view, and the dog had difficulty remembering where the bird landed.

🎤 “He got sucked into the old fall.”

Translation: The dog was drawn toward the location of a previous retrieve instead of continuing toward the bird it was supposed to find.

🎤 “She cheated the water.”

Translation: Rather than taking the intended route through the water, the dog took an easier path along the land.

🎤 “He popped on the blind.”

Translation: The dog stopped and looked back toward its handler for help without being told to stop.

🎤 “That’s a beautiful initial line!”

Translation: The dog left the handler traveling in an excellent direction toward the retrieve.

🎤 “That could shake up the leaderboard!”

Translation: A team’s performance could change where it stands in the competition because every point counts.

🎤 “The final scores are in!”

Translation: The judges have scored the final performances, but everyone has to wait for the official announcement to find out who takes home the Crown!

🎤 “That dog was really steady!”

Translation: Despite all the excitement, birds falling, and activity around it, the dog remained under control until its handler released it.

AND HERE’S SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER…

These dogs aren’t robots. They’re athletes with instincts, personalities, tremendous drive, and years of training behind them.

Sometimes they make an incredibly difficult retrieve look easy. Other times, something unexpected happens, and the team has to work through it.

That’s part of what makes this sport so exciting!

We hope our SRS Crown Championship 101 series has helped you understand a little more about what you’re watching.

Whether you’re a longtime retriever enthusiast or someone cheering for a friend’s dog for the very first time, we’re glad you’re here!

Now you’re speaking retriever! 😂🐾

❤️ Share this series with your friends and family, and let’s keep cheering on these incredible dogs and handlers!

10/30/2026

🏆 SRS CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP 101 | PART 5 OF 6

WHY DON’T THEY JUST RUN STRAIGHT TO THE BIRD? 😂🦆

If you’ve ever watched a dog take what looks like the long way around, disappear into tall grass, or suddenly change direction, there’s probably more happening than you realize!

The judges don’t simply place birds in a field and ask the dogs to retrieve them. They design setups that challenge the dog’s memory, instincts, training, and teamwork with its handler.

Here’s some terminology that will help you understand those challenges.

🐾 FACTOR: Anything that influences a dog’s path or makes a retrieve more difficult. Wind, water, hills, cover, and distractions can all be factors.

🐾 WIND: Dogs have incredible noses, but wind can carry scent away from the actual location of a bird. A dog may smell a bird from a distance and follow that scent rather than taking a direct route.

🐾 COVER: Tall grass, brush, or vegetation that hides the bird or makes it harder for the dog to see where it’s going.

🐾 TERRAIN: The natural features of the land, including hills, valleys, slopes, and changes in elevation.

🐾 WATER ENTRY: The location where the dog enters the water. Sometimes choosing the correct entry is part of the challenge.

🐾 POINT: A piece of land extending into the water. Dogs may be tempted to get onto a point rather than continue swimming.

🐾 CHANNEL: A narrower stretch of water that may require the dog to enter, exit, or cross water more than once.

🐾 KEYHOLE: A narrow opening or pathway the dog must navigate, often between obstacles or areas of cover.

🐾 SUCTION: Something in the setup that draws a dog away from the intended route. A previously retrieved bird, a gun station, or another tempting location can create suction.

🐾 OLD FALL: The location where a previous bird landed. Dogs may be tempted to return there instead of continuing toward the current retrieve.

🐾 BIRD PLACEMENT: Where judges position the retrieves to create challenges involving memory, terrain, wind, and control.

HERE’S WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Before the dog runs, look at the landscape. Notice the water, hills, tall grass, and locations where the birds fall.

Then watch how the dog navigates those obstacles.

Sometimes what looks like a simple retrieve on your screen is anything but simple from the dog’s perspective!

❤️ Share this with someone watching the Crown from home!

Coming up in Part 6: We’re translating what the announcers are actually saying!

10/30/2026

🏆 SRS CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP 101 | PART 4 OF 6

WHEN THINGS DON’T GO AS PLANNED! 😂🐾

Even the best retrievers in the country can make mistakes. And at this level of competition, the smallest details can make a big difference!

Here are some terms you might hear when a run gets a little interesting.

🐾 BREAK: When a dog leaves the line to retrieve before the handler releases it. The excitement gets the best of them!

🐾 CREEPING: When a dog inches forward before being sent. It hasn’t completely broken, but it’s not remaining steady either.

🐾 SWITCH: When a dog abandons the bird it’s working on and starts pursuing a different one.

🐾 POPPING: When a dog stops and looks back at the handler for help without being told to stop.

🐾 CAST REFUSAL: When the handler gives a directional signal and the dog doesn’t follow it correctly.

🐾 CHEATING WATER: When a dog avoids the intended water route by running around the bank or taking an easier path on land.

🐾 NO-GO: When the handler sends the dog, but the dog doesn’t leave the line.

🐾 BIG HUNT: When a dog spends considerable time searching for a bird, often covering a much larger area than necessary.

🐾 PICK UP: When the handler ends the attempt before completing all the retrieves.

🐾 HANDLE ON A MARK: When the dog needs directional help finding a bird it originally watched fall.

HERE’S WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Sometimes two dogs retrieve exactly the same birds, but one takes a direct route while the other needs extra help or searches a much larger area.

Those differences can affect the team’s score. That’s why watching the entire run matters, not just whether the dog comes back with the bird!

And remember, these are incredibly talented dogs working through challenges designed to test even the best teams.

❤️ Share this with someone who’s learning to watch the Crown!

Coming up in Part 5: Why do the judges make the retrieves so difficult?

10/30/2026

🏆 SRS CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP 101 | PART 3 OF 6

WHAT’S WITH ALL THE WHISTLING? 😂🐾

Have you noticed the handlers standing at the line, blowing whistles, raising their arms, and sometimes barely saying a word?

There’s a reason for every one of those signals!

Here’s how the handler communicates with a dog that may be hundreds of yards away.

🐾 THE LINE: The starting position where the dog and handler begin their work.

🐾 SEND: The command that releases the dog to retrieve. You may hear different words because handlers use the commands they’ve taught their dogs.

🐾 INITIAL LINE: The direction the dog takes when it first leaves the handler. A good initial line puts the dog on the correct path toward the retrieve.

🐾 HANDLE: When the handler helps direct the dog using whistles and hand signals rather than allowing it to find the bird entirely on its own.

🐾 WHISTLE SIT: The handler blows the whistle, and the dog stops, turns, and looks back for direction. Think about the trust involved when a dog is that far away!

🐾 CAST: A hand signal that tells the dog which direction to travel. And here’s where it gets interesting!

THE SIX DIRECTIONAL CASTS:

🐾 LEFT BACK: Sends the dog farther away from the handler, turning toward the dog’s left.

🐾 RIGHT BACK: Sends the dog farther away from the handler, turning toward the dog’s right.

🐾 LEFT OVER: Sends the dog directly to its left, traveling sideways rather than farther back.

🐾 RIGHT OVER: Sends the dog directly to its right.

🐾 LEFT ANGLE BACK: Sends the dog diagonally away from the handler toward its left. Think halfway between a left over and a left back.

🐾 RIGHT ANGLE BACK: Sends the dog diagonally away from the handler toward its right. Think halfway between a right over and a right back.

A FEW MORE TERMS YOU’LL HEAR:

🐾 LINING A BLIND: When a dog runs directly to a blind retrieve without needing additional directional help. That’s an impressive combination of training, focus, and trust.

🐾 CAST REFUSAL: When a dog does not follow the direction the handler gives.

🐾 POPPING: When a dog stops and looks back toward its handler for help without being told to stop.

HERE’S WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The next time a handler blows the whistle, watch the dog. Does it stop quickly? Does it look back? Does it take the direction given? And can you recognize whether the handler is asking for a back, over, or angle back?

That conversation between a handler and a dog, sometimes hundreds of yards apart, is one of the most incredible parts of this sport.

❤️ Share this with someone who has been wondering what all those whistles mean!

Coming up in Part 4: What happens when things don’t go quite as planned?

10/30/2026

🏆 SRS CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP 101 | PART 2 OF 6

MARKS, BLINDS & MEMORY BIRDS! 🦆🐾

Ever watch a dog run hundreds of yards, disappear into cover, and somehow come back with exactly the right bird?

There’s a whole lot more happening than just playing fetch! 😂

Let’s learn the different types of retrieves you might hear mentioned during the Crown.

🐾 MARK: A bird the dog sees fall. The dog must remember where it landed, travel to that area, find it, and bring it back. This tests marking ability, memory, and natural retrieving instincts.

🐾 BLIND: A retrieve where the dog did NOT see the bird fall. The handler knows the location and uses training, whistles, and hand signals to guide the dog to it. This is where teamwork really becomes obvious!

🐾 SINGLE, DOUBLE & TRIPLE: These describe how many marks are thrown. A triple means the dog must remember three different falls, even while retrieving them one at a time.

🐾 GO BIRD: Usually the last mark thrown and the first one the dog retrieves.

🐾 MEMORY BIRD: A mark the dog has to remember while retrieving another bird first. Imagine watching three things fall in different places and remembering exactly where each one landed!

🐾 RETIRED GUN: The person who throws the bird disappears or moves out of sight after the throw. Without that person standing there as a visual reminder, the dog has to rely on its memory.

🐾 POISON BIRD: A tempting mark that the dog must ignore temporarily while completing another retrieve. That takes tremendous control!

🐾 DIVERSION BIRD: A bird thrown to distract the dog from the task it’s supposed to complete.

🐾 AREA OF THE FALL: The location where the bird landed. When you hear someone say the dog got into the area of the fall, it means the dog reached the general location where it should begin searching.

🐾 HUNT: The dog searching for the bird. A dog may reach the correct area but still need to use its nose and determination to find it.

HERE’S WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Notice where the birds land and whether the dog remembers those locations without needing help. Sometimes the dog that makes it look effortless is doing something incredibly difficult!

❤️ Share this with your friends who are cheering on the Crown dogs!

Coming up in Part 3: What’s with all the whistles and hand signals?

10/30/2026

🏆 SRS CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP 101 | PART 1 OF 6

NEW TO THE CROWN? START HERE! 🐾

We’ve got so many friends and families cheering on the dogs at the Super Retriever Series (SRS) Crown Championship, and we realize not everyone watching speaks retriever! 😂

So we’re putting together a little guide to help you understand what you’re seeing and hearing throughout the competition. Let’s start with the basics!

🐾 WHAT IS SRS?
Super Retriever Series is a competition that challenges retrievers and their handlers with demanding retrieves, difficult terrain, water, distractions, and situations that test their teamwork.

🐾 WHAT IS THE CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP?
It’s the championship event where qualified teams come together to compete against some of the best in the sport.

🐾 WHAT IS A SERIES?
Think of a series as a round of competition. The judges set up retrieving challenges, and each dog and handler team attempts to complete them. The setups can change dramatically from one series to the next.

🐾 WHAT IS A TEST DOG?
Before the competing dogs begin, a test dog runs the setup. This gives everyone a chance to see how the test works and what challenges it presents.

🐾 HOW DOES SCORING WORK?
The Crown uses a penalty-point system. Mistakes add points, and the goal is to finish with the lowest score possible. A dog can retrieve every bird and still receive penalties for how it completed the retrieves.

🐾 CAN WE SEE WHO’S WINNING?
Throughout the earlier rounds, scores are available so competitors and spectators can follow the leaderboard and see where each team stands.

🐾 WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FINALS?
Now this is where things get exciting! The final-round scores are kept under wraps. Nobody gets to see those results until the winners are officially announced!

🐾 WHY DOES EVERY POINT MATTER?
When you’re competing against some of the best retrievers in the country, even a small scoring difference can change the standings.

HERE’S WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Don’t just watch whether a dog finds the bird. Watch HOW it gets there, how well it remembers, how it responds to its handler, and how the two work together.

You don’t have to know everything about retriever competitions to enjoy the Crown. We’re just happy you’re watching with us!

❤️ Share this with someone watching SRS for the first time!

Coming up in Part 2: Marks, blinds, memory birds, and why some retrieves are so difficult!

10/29/2026

👑 A SEASON TO REMEMBER. A TEAM TO CELEBRATE. 👑

We’re wrapping up our nine-dog Crown countdown with POPE HUDDLESTON and celebrating Pope and Rody Best as the 2026 SRS Open Team of the Year!

🐾 SRSC Seaside’s Saint Benedict MH QAA
Owned by Carol Huddleston
Handled by Rody Best
2026 SRS Crown Championship Qualifier

This recognition means so much after the year Pope has had. Following a strong start to his season, an ACL injury led to surgery in April. Then came four months of recovery and the patient work of rebuilding his strength and conditioning before returning to competition.

For a dog who loves his job, slowing down wasn’t easy. Seeing him back at the line with Rody made this season special long before the final points were counted. ❤️

And Pope’s message before stepping to the line? Carol’s questionnaire captured his confidence perfectly: “Just walk me up there and I’ll show you how it’s done!”

Behind that confidence is a softhearted lover boy. Off the field, Pope is all about affection, and when it’s time for a reward, food is always a welcome choice!

🎶 His Crown walk-up song? “Centerfield.” A fitting pick for a boy who’s ready to get back in the game!

Carol, thank you for trusting us with your boy through every part of this journey. We’re so proud of Pope and Rody, and we can’t wait to cheer them on at the Crown!

BR family, help us celebrate your 2026 SRS Open Team of the Year! 👑🐾

📷 Paige

10/27/2026

👑 MAKING MEMORIES WITH MACY! 👑

Day eight of our Crown countdown belongs to MACY JUNEK, a 2026 SRS Crown Championship Qualifier!

🐾 SRSC Best Lil Memory Maker MH MNH4
Owned by Sid & Deb Junek
Handled by Rody Best

An SRS Champion and four-time Master National passer, Macy brings experience and plenty of heart to the line. If she could give Rody a little encouragement before a run, her message would be simple: “Let’s do this thing!” 🐾

Off the field, this sweet girl has a smile all her own. Her owners say she shows her bottom front teeth when she’s being loved on! And her favorite reward? More of that love and attention. ❤️

🎶 Her Crown walk-up song is “Let It Ride” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. A fitting choice as Macy and Rody get ready for their next run together!

Sid and Deb, thank you for sharing your girl with our BR family. Help us cheer on Macy and Rody as they head to the SRS Crown Championship! 👑

📷 Paige

10/26/2026

Shake it off, Boo-Boo! 😂🐾

Don’t let the name fool you. This boy means business!

Boo-Boo is making great progress in our Advanced Gundog Program, and we’re especially excited about his swim-by work.

The sky’s the limit for this boy, and we can’t wait for y’all to follow along and see what he’s capable of! ❤️

Address

194 Stockade Ranch Road
Paige, TX
78659

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