Kennel
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firm, but also not squashing the dog’s natural curiosity and instinct.
“Don’t let the dog run the show. Don’t let him jump up on ya. Don’t let him jump in your car. Teach him some manners,” he said. “But at the same time, when they’re a real young puppy, we don’t go too heavy on the ‘sit,’ ‘heel,’ et cetera because I want them to be comfortable going out and exploring and looking for birds.”
Training to achieve the desired response is also a matter of timing, he said.
“With dog training, you have to react right away, so I try to teach people how to do that and make sure the dog connects the response to the action it just performed,” he added.
On Thursday nights in the summertime, he hosts trainings where people can bring their dogs and he works with them one on one.
He makes an effort to get youth involved with his operation too, having had a few young lads help him train dogs in the summers, including his grandson.
He is also a judge and travels all over the U.S. judging dogs. Typically he does three shows in the fall and three shows in the spring.
He continues to earn more accolades for himself, showing dedication to the sport. He won back-to-back Armbruster championships: in 2018 with a dog named “Ody Vom Wendigjager” and in 2019 with a dog named “Gracie Vomseymour.” He has also placed in the top 10 numerous times, including taking second, third, fourth and seventh place. The Armbruster championship is an international competition with 50 to 60 dogs competing. They are scored in various categories, including pointing a bird, blind retrieving in the water at 30 yards, a duck search, gunfire sensitivity, searching a field and a rabbit drag.
Last year, he had two dogs pass the Verbands- Gebrauchs-Prüfung (VGP), which is German for “utility test.” This is the third and highest level of the German hunting dog association testing. Dogs tested at this level are expected to handle any game in any hunting situation. Most of the dogs who run a VGP are between 18 and 36 months of age. Dogs are evaluated in 26 subjects across four major categories: field, water, forest and obedience. He recently traveled to Germany for a test over there, which the dog passed.
Aumann enjoys the connection between man and dog, and seeing them working in sync to accomplish a successful harvest. For him, all the hours invested are worth it in the pursuit of excellence and helping “unleash the potential of your four-legged companion.”
The next phase of his business he’s working on involves an online membership system with varying levels. He will provide training videos, tips and checklists to track each dog’s progress, as well as coaching calls to mentor dog owners and troubleshoot any issues they may be having with training. Visit vomseymourkennel.com for more details.
One of the puppies Joe Aumann has in training retrieves a pretend duck from a crate. Aumann has a small obstacle course set up that he trains dogs on.
VALORIE BRECHT/TRIBUNE RECORD GLEANER
The wall at Vom Seymour Kennel is lined with the many awards and certifications Joe Aumann has acheived.
VALORIE BRECHT/TRIBUNE RECORD GLEANER
Callie with a successful retrieve.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
