Positive Gun Dogs Minnesota (PGDM) offers resources for those looking for alternatives to traditional training methods for gun dog work, field sports for the family dog, sporting breed dogs and antler shed hunting dogs.
Positive Gun Dogs of Minnesota offers seminars, classes and private consultations. We are not just in Minnesota; host us for a weekend seminar, and PGDM will come to you!
PDGM was the first of its kind! PDGM pioneered positive reward based training methods into the gun dog world starting in 2008.
Positive training in this field is being offered but is still uncommon in the United States, and resources can be difficult to find. PGDM is a professional resource for learning, growing and training your field sport dog using positive reward based training methods.
How it all started: Back in 2006, Inga From, CDBC, CPDT-KSA, the founder of PGDM, attended a Positive Gun Dog seminar on the east coast offered by Jim Barry. Jim Barry was one of the first in United States to offer positive reward based training seminars to gun dogs. He is also the co-author of "Positive Gun Dogs: Clicker Training for Sporting Breeds", the first book published in the US on using clicker training for gun dogs.
After attending this seminar, Inga decided to offer this resource in her home state of Minnesota, land of the north woods and home to hundreds of gun dogs. In 2008, PGDM was born! PGDM Started with hosting seminars by professional dog trainers that understood and applied positive training methods to gun dogs. This was no easy task as Inga soon learned that besides having Jim Barry come to Minnesota, there were only a small handful of professional trainers that were knowledgeable on this topic. After hosting the only 3 trainers she could find in the US, she found a trainer in the UK by the name of Helen Phillips. Phillips is the author of "Clicker Training for Sporting Breeds", which is the only other book on the subject at that time.
Jim Barry retired a few years after PGDM was founded, and he asked Inga if PGDM would continue his work of pioneering this training.
Inga now offers seminars of her own throughout the US in hopes of spreading the word on how to apply positive reward based training for gun dogs, field sports for the family dog, sporting breed dogs and antler shed hunting dogs.
Inga's Bio: Inga From, CDBC, CPDT-KSA, specializes in sporting breed dogs.
Inga offers a variety of dog behavior and training services. Inga has a background in law enforcement and had worked as a game warden in the state of Texas. She hunts waterfowl and upland birds with her Lab and Springer Spaniel. Both dogs have been working for years in the field without the use of an electronic collar.
Dog behavior is more than just a hobby to Inga; it is a full-time job. Inga is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants), a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers), and a professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.
Inga was a national recipient of the Association of Professional Dog Trainer’s Shelter Staff Award. She had worked in shelter settings for over 10 years. Five of those years were spent at a local humane society where she served as the expert for the shelter in behavior and training.
Inga traveled to India to study under John Rogerson - a world renowned dog trainer and behaviorist from the UK. Inga uses positive/motivational training techniques based on the LIMA (Least Invasive Minimally Aversive) principles.