By: BRENDA WARD, Staff Writer

Northfield News

Posted: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 10:26 pm

With a simple command and gentle tap to Rookie’s shoulders, Tom Dokken releases his dog from a stay and watches it directly retrieve a life-sized foam duck. The dog’s obedient response, a result of Dokken’s consistent training; the duck a product of his inventive mind.

For nearly 35 years Dokken has been gun dog training, primarily retrievers and pointers, for upland and waterfowl retrieving and obedience. He first began working on his own with a hunting dog, then under the guidance of a professional dog trainer. Since then, he hasn’t stopped.

It seemed like a natural thing to do, said Dokken.

Dokken soon began competing with retrievers in field trial competitions at the national level and engaged in dog shows like the Minneapolis Sportsman Show. Within a short time, a talent agent caught wind of his abilities and set he and his dogs up in stage shows around the country.

I traveled from California to New York and everywhere in between, said Dokken.

It was at the Minneapolis Sports Show in the 1970s that he first met Ron Shara, currently a television personality and co-host of Outdoors Live and Minnesota Outdoors, who was then the announcer for Dokken’s stage show.

One thing I remember about Tom was his ability to make his labs do things that seemed magical but really were basic retriever skills, said Shara. He has helped me train many dogs, including the star of the show (Minnesota Bound), Raven. I’m now on my third Raven, and Tom has had a hand in all of them.

Set amid the hills of the countryside west of Northfield, Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennels include both fields and ponds in which training for sporting dogs, which can last from two to 10 weeks, takes place. Dokken also provides training for housedogs and has been given opportunity to train dogs to adapt to wheelchairs and to understand sign language for hearing and speaking impaired. Many celebrities have looked to him for expert training of their dogs, including Minnesota Twins player Dan Gladden and Hank Williams Jr.

The key to successful training: consistency, says Dokken. The goal is to train the dog to want to perform for the simple act of pleasure.

Through hard work and good fortune, Dokken’s dog training business has become successful on local and national levels, expanding to include speaking engagements, state-of-the-art kennels, a dog supply business, Labrador puppy sales, a book, Tom Dokken’s Retriever Training, and the invention of the Dead Fowl Trainer, a fabricated duck made with a foam middle and a wooden head and feet a breakthrough in the training industry and a tool that is sold in all major big box sporting good stores throughout the country.

Dokken can be seen in action with his dog during ManZone from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at Community Resource Bank South, where he will be demonstrating basic obedience skills and fielding questions from the audience.

One thing about Tom that says the most about him is this: when people bring dogs to him to be trained they bring happy dogs. When they return to get their dog back, they get a trained dog that is still happy, said Shara.

Tom Dokken

OCCUPATION: Owner of Oak Ridge Kennels

Location: 4186 W. 85th St., Northfield, MN

Type of Business: Dog training, supply and kennels

Contact Information: 507-744-2616 or www.dokkensoakridgekennels.com

Brenda Ward can be reached at 645-1117 or bward@northfieldnews.com