Waterfowl Widowmakers is located in Samson, AL. Our covered, open-air kennel allows your dog to be protected from the elements while relaxing in the shade overlooking a portion of our training grounds. The open-air nature of our kennel allows for plenty of fresh air which helps to keep our dogs healthy. Every dog has a clean, safe, individual 5'x8' run. Each run is cleaned at least twice a day while the dogs are allowed to run and play in our secure, fenced-in airing yards. Playtime helps to limit anxiety and improve your dog's social skills.

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Our property is approximately 118 acres. We specifically chose this property with retriever training in mind. It features two ponds that were specifically designed for retriever training, some upland cover, gently rolling hills, agricultural fields, and other elements designed to maximize our training opportunities. Our team trains on this property several days a week, but we generally train on nearby properties a couple days as well.  Having the opportunity to train on a variety of properties allows us to expose your dog to exponentially more training scenarios. We feel strongly that the more variety of terrain and water your dog is exposed to in training, the better he will perform.

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Summers in south Alabama can often be hot. So hot, that not only the air temperature, but water temperature can make retriever training dangerous and virtually impossible. We cope with this by moving our field trial and gun dog operations to Rensselaer Falls, NY for the summer months. We are fortunate to have kennels and a variety of excellent training grounds and technical ponds in the area. By moving north, we are able to continue training in climate and weather conditions that are safe for these hard-driving athletes. The dogs also get access to a greater variety of water and terrain. And, those that are competing in field trials have access to more events.​

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Training grounds are a key ingredient for training retrievers at all levels. For young retrievers, it is important to have proper cover height, large areas for handling drills, terrain that is variable but not overly complex, and clean shorelines. At Waterfowl Widowmakers we strive to maintain grounds that cater to the needs of all. Our water is regularly groomed to provide young dogs with an optimized learning environment and provides a variety of water complexity for all levels of training. With our grounds and access to other properties nearby, your dog will be thoroughly prepared for just about any scenario.