About
About West End Retrievers
West End Retrievers is a professional retriever training kennel focused on developing competitive dogs and building lasting relationships with the people who own them.
We intentionally keep our program small. That allows us to give each dog the individual attention, consistent training and care it needs while keeping owners involved throughout the process. Whether the goal is success in AKC Hunt Tests, a capable hunting companion, or both, we approach each dog as an individual and build a program around where that dog is and where it has the potential to go.
For us, good training also means educated owners. We want our clients to understand their dogs, be part of their progress and leave West End prepared to continue the work we’ve built together.
What a terrific facility to get your retriever trained! Scott Durkin is a very knowledgeable, proficient, and compassionate trainer. He can bring out the best from each dog through consistency and compassion. Scott can also share the dog’s ability and success with their owner so they can experience the same amount of joy watching a well-trained dog! I highly recommend this training facility for your retriever needs!
Scott's Story
Working with retrievers has been part of Scott Durkin’s life since he was young. His first job was working as a bird boy for one of the country’s largest professional retriever trainers, an experience that introduced him early to the work, commitment and standards behind competitive retriever training. Having his own retriever business became a goal that stayed with him.
His career with working dogs eventually took him well beyond the retriever field. Scott spent more than a decade training explosive-detection dogs for the U.S. Marine Corps, including a deployment to Afghanistan. Along the way, he continued gaining experience working with professional retriever trainers, hunting and competing with dogs.
West End Retrievers brings those experiences together. Scott’s background with working dogs, competitive retrievers and hunting has shaped a program built around performance, consistency and an understanding that every dog standing in front of him is different.
Training Philosophy
Honesty is an important part of training at West End. Our goal is to develop dogs capable of competing and succeeding, and that means being straightforward with owners about a dog’s strengths, weaknesses and potential.
Training is balanced and tailored to the individual dog rather than forcing every dog through exactly the same program. We build on what a dog does well, work through the areas that need improvement and continually evaluate what that dog needs to move forward.
Owner participation is a big part of that process. A trained dog is only part of the equation—the person handling that dog needs the knowledge and confidence to maintain the same standards at home, in the field and at the line. We encourage our clients to be involved, ask questions and learn alongside their dogs.
Life at West End
West End is intentionally smaller than many professional kennels. That’s important to us.
Keeping the kennel small allows us to know the dogs in our care—their personalities, habits, strengths and the little things that can make a difference in training. The dogs are here to work and progress, but their care and well-being are always part of the program.
It’s also what allows us to stay connected with our clients. We want owners to see what their dogs are doing, understand how they’re progressing and feel like they’re part of the process. At West End, we’re interested in more than putting another dog on the truck. We want to build better dogs, more knowledgeable handlers and relationships that continue long after training begins.