A P.E.I. trainer and his dog Hunter have brought home top honours from an obedience competition in Las Vegas.

'His favourite thing is to work.'— Duke Ferguson

Duke Ferguson told CBC News that Hunter's story could bring hope to anyone having trouble with their puppy.

"He had a lot of behaviour problems when he was young, like a lot," said Ferguson.

Hunter has been trained to retrieve a variety of objects, including briefcases.
(Laura Meader/CBC)

"He's strong-willed [and] he likes to work. His favourite thing is to work, so if I give him jobs to do that keeps him occupied."

Now five and a half years old, Hunter has proven himself an obedience champion. A few weeks ago, in his first competition, Hunter won first prize against 30 other dogs from Canada and the U.S. at a dog training school in Las Vegas.

"Hunter actually won the best retrieval, we won best in obedience, and then we got a trophy for best overall dog out of all of them. I was blown away," said Ferguson.

Duke Ferguson wasn't expecting to do so well in the competition.
(Laura Meader/CBC)

Ferguson uses specialized technology to help with the training of Hunter, a collar with a vibrator much like the silent ring of a cellphone. The collar, which works by remote control, prompts Hunter to pay attention in even the most distracting environments.

Technology aside, Ferguson says rewards for doing the right thing are the key to dog training.