Marilyn and Flirt in the Grouse Woods >

Clyde and Shooter duck hunting.		Clyde and Marilyn grew up in North Dakota as part of hunting families. Clyde and his brothers trapped fur, hunted deer, waterfowl and upland game from the time he was eight years old. His parent’s farm was surrounded by several waterfowl production areas; where every fall Clyde and his hunting dogs spent countless days in search of ducks and geese. Every year, they return to those same haunts to awaken old dogs’ hearts and introduce new pups to the wonders of the marsh and prairies.     Clyde and Marilyn bought their first hunting dog together in 1990. Mandy was the root of their passion for well trained versatile hunting dogs. What started as a hobby quickly progressed into a professional endeavor. They moved the kennel to Illinois in 1993, where Clyde guided at Oakmount Hunt Club and trained member’s dogs.
In 1996, Sharp Shooters Kennel took up permanent residence in the New Richmond, Wisconsin area, just 45 minutes from the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN Airport. There they train, test dogs and raise selective German shorthair puppies. Their true specialty is training versatile hunting dogs to perform both in the field and in the water. Along with training, each year Clyde also holds several training seminars for hunting dog enthusiast groups across the country.
Achievements Clyde has tested in more than 240 NAVHDA tests. He has qualified 86% of all dogs he’s run, 71% with a Prize II score or higher. The kennel owns nine Versatile Champions, most of which are also Master Hunters. Clyde, Marilyn and their Assistant Trainer and Certified Veterinary Technician, Jessica Lieffort have qualified 23 VC’s; 17 of which have been handled by Clyde. Have successfully trained and ran many dogs in AKC Master Hunt tests. Worked with many clients and puppy owners on how to train and handler their own dogs. Many have gone on to gain their own Prize I’s, Versatile Champions and Master Hunters. Click here if you want to see Clyde’s NAVHDA Handler record.       Other Activities Both Clyde and Marilyn are Senior and Invitational Judges for NAVHDA Both have held offices in local NAVHDA chapters. Marilyn is the President of NAVHDA International. Are members of various gun dog organizations and conservation groups Author articles for NAVHDA’s Versatile Hunting Dog magazine. Please visit the St. Croix Valley NAVHDA Chapter web site.

	Clyde in 1990 with our first GSP - Mandy of Thistlepatch. She turned out better than we could have ever imagined. Mandy began our passion for the breed and for NAVHDA. We'll never own a dog that is more special to us. Below Left: Mandy's first Sharptail season. Below: Old but good - Mandy in 2002 at 12 1/2 years.

Marilyn hunting with her grandmother and granddaughter duo, Tess and Quest. Line breeding created dogs two generations apart that look like "book-ends."

Clyde hunting in the waterfowl production area by Clyde's parents' farm in North Dakota. In fact, the silos in the background are the Vetter farmstead.

The license plate says it all.

Clyde fly-fishing in Montana.

One can never have too many hobbies or spend too much time outdoors.

This is how Clyde spends his "down" time over the winter months.