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I picked up a black lab pup earlier this year from Deep Run Farms in Goldvein Virginia. At about 3 months of age, we sent him back for 2 weeks of obedience training and at the time, our intention was to send him back for another 6 weeks during july and August with the hope that he would be ready to at least get out a little this fall and winter (he was born in December 2007).

Well, things change and with the economy plummetting, I can no longer afford Deep Run prices. I still want to get him trained and was wondering if folks have good recommendations for trainers within a couple of hours of DC (Virginia, Maryland, PA etc).

Also, met with one guy this weekend who has come highly recommended to me, but my concern is that he keeps outdoor kennels. they have shade and water, but for a black dog, I'm not sure the extent to which I should be concerned with him sufferring from heat exhaustion or worse during a hot spell in August. Just how important is it to have a climate controlled kennel.

Thanks!

postoakshorthairs

I can't help you with trainers in your area, but I'll put my two cents in on the outdoor kennels. I have several german shorthairs of which one is solid liver and one is black. I live in southcentral illinois which gets very hot and humid during the summer. My dogs do just fine as long as shade is provided and sufficient water is available. We havea golden retriever who is a pet and prefers a shade tree to climate control. I also have several friends who raise/train labs in the area with outdoor kennels. Good luck with your search for a trainer, but I'd say if you liked the guy and he has good references a few weeks of the lab being a little less pampered won't hurt him.