About the owner:

My name is Troy Tofte, I’m a professional hunting dog trainer who has been working with German Short-hair Pointers almost exclusively since I began training.

Personally I own four pointers, Herb Brooks, Dakota, and Rose, (and most recently) Sioux, who was part of Dakota’s most recent litter.

I’m going to be real, these dogs changed my life.

Some of my friends watched when I had to put my other dog down, and saw how I changed for the better when I got Dakota. I took 3 months off bar tending to raise her and be fully invested.

…And boy did it pay off! I have that spark in my eye again. It makes me feel great when I’m out walking them and people get so excited. They comment on how sweet and calm they are, which makes me a very proud dog dad.

My love of dogs started when I was young and my grandfather took me hunting. Our family tradition. They had Springers and Brittanys mostly. Once I made the switch to a Pointer it changed the way I thought about hunting. The bonus of a point over flush is the dog will pinpoint where the bird is before we do, so we can be ready (and not get the crap scared out of us when they flush!)

I was so obviously happy with my pointer that my parents got one too! Her name is Hazel and she spends a lot of her time as a member of my pack.

Each year I take the dogs on a hunting trip to different states, and the rest of the year, I work with them consistently on obedience training, and work with them to prepare for AKC and NAVHDA Testing. These dogs are athletes and need to be exercised, so I have recently trained them to walk on a treadmill!

My Philosophy:

I entered the field of training hunting dogs by getting my foot in the door with NAVHDA (North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association). After working with those guys I knew I had found my calling. I became very active in training and working for their testing events, and I have a goal to become part of their judge program in the next year.

With some experience under my belt I then became a trainer at a well known kennel, where I fell in love with and bought my girl Dakota. Now I’m branching out on my own, taking a small-time family approach to breeding.

Since I’m breeding my personal pets, I’ll only allow two litters maximum per dam, per year. They will be whelped and raised in my home (around people and kids), which is very important for early development.

I train all my dogs to be close-working foot hunters, however this can vary based on the terrain of the field, and they are versatile enough to adapt.

My dogs are my children and I only use positive training methods. No old-school discipline. The dogs not only respond better to this type of training, it also makes me feel better knowing they are happy, healthy, and confident in our strong Alpha-Beta relationship.

A lot of hunters think of these dogs as a tool. But to me, they are so much more than that. All 4 of them sleep with me in my bed, as part of my family, my pack.

If you have any questions about these amazing dogs, please don’t hesitate to reach out. My goal is to create a community of folks who see their hunting dogs as their children, and help people understand why it’s so helpful to have a partner in the field.