BLACKTAIL
LABRADORS
ABOUT KRIS HUNT
Hello and Thank You for visiting my Website.
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People ask me how I got involved in dogs, and I have to say I was born in to it.  My mother was training and
running retrievers while she was pregnant with me and I swear I came out screaming ‘no – here’.  I ran my
first picnic trial when I was 3 years old, the dog was taller than me.    We were in and out of the game for
many years.  When I was 11, I got my first ‘real’ field trial dog, a fast crazy little dog I named Izzymae.  
We earned some derby jams and Qualified All Age with a Qual 2nd, I think I was 15 yrs old.  A few years
later I got another field trial dog that I named Abby.  I was lucky enough to have two very successful field
trialers take me under their wing, Dick and Estelle Bartlett.  The Bartlett’s learned their way and also
spent a lot of time with the great Rex Carr.  I spent my summers living and learning from the Bartlett’s.
Abby earned her Qualifed All Age with a Qualifying Win.  While in high school and the first couple years of
college, I trained several labradors that I sold as hunting dogs.

College came and went and after graduation all I could think about was getting back into the ‘dog game’.  I
bought a field trial pup from Idaho. Unfortunately, the dog developed epilepsy and was retired. The next  
pup came from Sureshot Kennels in CO and I named him Gabe.  What a beautiful dog he was.  I spent
countless days training with Don Remien, Karl Gunzer and Bill Totten, absorbing everything I possibly could.  
The training techniques had changed some over the years, but the basics were still there to build upon.  
Gabe was qualified all age with a Qual win, but unfortunately we lost him at an early age.  Then came along
my dream dog.  I was throwing bumpers for Don Remien when a young, precocious derby dog named Twist
came out in the field.  I was so impressed I knew I had to have one.  Tim Coulson set me up to get pick of
the litter on the repeat of Twist.  I named the pup Barkley and he was all that and more.  Unfortunately my
mother got ill and I wasn’t able to run Barkley in the derby.  I sent him to Don Remien and Karl Gunzer for
a few months while I took care of my mom.  The first and only time I sent a dog to a pro, Karl ran Barkley
in one qualifying and WON.  How exciting.  The following year Barkley was finishing All Age trials with jams
and RJ’s and eventually started placing earning an Amateur First and 2 Open fourths.  (Twist by the way
went on to earn his FC AFC).  While that was happening, I bought another dog, this one from Ron Keihn in
Wyoming and I named him Luke.  Luke got 4th place in his second derby at 14 months old, he WON his next
derby at 15 months old.  Luke is now Qualifed All Age with a qualifying 1st and 2nd.  Luke was making it to
the fourth series in the Open last fall.  

Besides running Field Trials, I also run some AKC Hunting Tests.  I've earned numerous JH and SH titles
on various dogs.  Luke and Barkley earned their Master Hunter titles without failing a single test.  

In January of 2007 I was presented with an opportunity to train a dog professionally.  I mulled it over and
decided to go for it.  I am happy I did.  I still work my full time job, which provides a lot of flexibility to
continue doing my first love, training dogs.  This first year has been a learning experience and lots of fun.   
I only take 3 or 4 dogs at a time because I want to make it fair to everyone and most importantly I want
to keep if fun for me and successful for the dogs.  The dogs spend time in outdoor kennels as well as
getting personal house time.  The dogs get training not only in the field, but also on the road.  The dogs
learn to be an all around 'good citizen'.  I am looking forward to much success and happy owners in the
coming years!  And it would not be complete if I didn’t say I owe so much to my Mother who has been there
through thick and thin and has thrown countless bumpers for me and the dogs.

Kris Hunt
BLACKTAIL LABRADORS
BUTTE, MONTANA
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Email Kris
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