What will you eXPerience at an XP clinic? One-on-one instruction from National Champion trainer, Kent Herbel. Kent has been working livestock on the ranch with dogs since the mid-70’s, and has been competing successfully in stockdog trials since 1989 in nearly every venue that offers trials. His training philosophies are based on the livestock and what they need from trainer and dog to accomplish the task in a practical manner. Kent has qualified and competed in the National Cattledog Association National Finals (he and Sweep were the 2018 Open Champions), the MSSA National Finals (he and Bay were the Reserve Champion Nursery dog in 2018), and the USBCHA National Cattle Finals (multiple placings in the top 20 over the years). He has won Grand and Reserve Champion at the National Western Stock Show on both sheep and cattle multiple times. He loves to help handlers on their training journey, whether it be for ranch work, competition, or just a desire to have a better companion for every day living.
We limit our stockdog clinics to 12 working spots with each having two training sessions each day. We have a professional audio system that enables both student and auditors to hear communication during the working sessions, whether they take place in the arena or out in the open field. Our Turtlebox speakers are high quality (and waterproof!) We also connect an FM transmitter to our system that allows you to tune in on your own device, whether it be your car radio or personal FM radio (private lessons events excluded) We encourage questions and discussion throughout the day, and love to explain how our methods work and why they work for all breeds, all ages of dogs and experience.
We delve into a lot animal psychology from both the point of view of the dog and livestock, which is vitally important in understanding the dynamics of training. We are big on having a proper foundation and good relationship with your dog, emphasizing clear and fair communication. The dogs and handlers both end the day more content with a better understanding of how to train and work efficiently.
We have two awesome sponsors that provide samples for us to share with our students. Purina Pro Plan, and Rogue Pet Science. Our personal dogs are powered by both Pro Plan 30/20 Sport, and Rogue’s 5 in 1 supplement. These dogs are athletes and need proper nutrition and care in order to be successful at what they do. We have samples of both products at our clinics and are happy to answer any questions you may have about these products. Many of our students now use these products as well!
In some locations, clinic hosts offer a day or more of private lessons, which give our students each 45 minutes of working time.
In addition, students who have worked with us in person are eligible to take Video Lessons with Kent , providing an opportunity for personal consultation via phone over working video sessions. This is a great opportunity for those who can’t get to clinics on a regular basis, or to diagnose an issue in training.