Retriever trainer found his calling

Jerry Simmons has been training dogs for more than 45-years. (Photo by Mike Marsh)

Jerry Simmons paid $35 for his first retriever, a Labrador retriever. Now he trains retrievers that cost $3000 to $4000 at eight weeks old.

When he realized he needed to train that first retriever, he borrowed a book on dog training.

“I’d read a chapter and go train a chapter,” he said.

That was more than 45 years ago, and during that span, he has trained more than 2000 dogs, including retrievers and some other bird dogs, too.

At first, training retrievers was a part-time avocation, but when the company he worked for moved to Mississippi, Simmons decided to stay in North Carolina and just train dogs. His avocaton became his vocation, and it was a fortuitous change of careers. Simmons has become a “go-to” person for turning out top-notch hunting retrievers and field trial dogs.

In the process, he said, the rewards have been exceptional, noting, “I was able to put two kids through college.” And, besides having his personal retrievers perform to near perfection in the duck marsh and on the dove field, he took one, a black Lab named Long Shot Lou to the retriever nationals three times.

Simmons treasures the memories of campaigning Lou to the pinnacle of retriever competition, but he admits he is just as proud of a young yellow Lab that he trained this year for a customer.

“At his level, that yellow dog is a hell of a dog. He really worked with me and he is a really nice dog. He was very successful in a dove hunt the last two weeks,” Simmons said in mid-September.

The best time to begin training, he said, is when a dog is about six to seven months old, “after they get their permanent teeth.” The premise of his training methods is simply to enhance the dog’s natural ability, he said. “The more natural ability a dog has, the better he will be. I tailor my training to those characteristics.”

That natural ability is increasingly evident in the dogs coming to his JoRoMo Kennels these days because owners are beginning to realize that the better bred dogs have much higher potential, which means they are cheaper in the long run and provide more longevity, he said.

“Right now, I get the best-bred dogs from all over the country, dogs from the best stud dog, the winner of the nationals, bred to qualified all-age females. That’s where my pups mostly come from now.”

The key to training a retriever is control, Simmons said. The first step is obedience training, followed by a couple of steps where the dog is worked on tables. The first table is fairly small, about waist high, and the dog stays on that table on a leash. Then, the dog moves to a table about 9 feet long and learns to go up and down that table picking up bumpers.

Once he learns that, he moves on to the ground where he is taught hand signals and is sent to different marks to pick up bumpers. If he doesn’t pick up the bumper, Simmons forces him to pick it up, repeating the process until he does it automatically.

The next step is to learn to retrieve on water. If the dog is reluctant, Simmons uses a rope to force him into the water. Once he accomplishes that, it’s time to hone his skills on a pattern called the “double tee,” which is similar to a baseball field layout.

“I stand at home plate and run the dog to second base about 70 yards away. In that line are two stopping points of equal distance, with the pitcher’s mound.”

He explained that he can stop the dog at any time and send him to first base or third base, then bring him back and send him to second base.

“He will pick up about 12 bumpers doing this. This teaches the dog how to handle, and that is the control I am looking for in a working gun dog.”

Since the dog will be half of a hunting or field trial team, Simmons also involves the owner and has him train the dog through those same steps.

“That’s when I pass the power on to him,” he said.

One of the most memorable training experiences he has had involves a Chesapeake Bay Retriever he worked with this year. Chesapeakes are notorious for being hard headed, but Simmons believes their trust has to be gained and then their latent instinct just has to be piqued, then developed and refined.

“All the Chessies I have trained have this attitude. When you get their trust you start making headway with them and then you find out how smart they are.”

Simmons had a hard time making a connection with the Chesapeake he trained this year. He did not know why he was being asked to do the things Simmons wanted him to.

“I kept right on training him even though he had this attitude. But this guy has bloomed out. He never showed a desire for retrieving, but now he is handling well and doing things he never thought he could do, and he is starting to like it,” Simmons said.

Whether a hunting dog or a field trial competitor, it takes a plan and perseverance to produce a well-trained retriever. Jerry Simmons has done that 2000-plus times, and counting.

JoRoMo Kennels is located in Rocky Point, NC, just north of Wilmington. You can reach him at joromokennels@gmail.com or call (910) 620-6898.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply