Partners in Training

Nathan Sloan, owner of Muddy Wing Retrievers, enjoys building relationships with his clients and helping them reach goals with their dogs

By Lindsey McMillan

Photo by Dr. Robin Rogers

Nathan Sloan started Muddy Wing Retrievers in 2015, and it has grown considerably ever since, becoming a premier dog training outfit in the Four States area.  Nathan works hard to accommodate clients from all over the country, taking in various dogs for training in basic obedience to progressive hunt testing which has consistently earned them high honors each year.  They kennel and care for approximately 45 dogs year-round, and this number may vary with ones coming in for various training purposes.  Nathan reports that half of their clientele is seeking training for gun dogs (hunting retriever) and the other half for hunt testing and achieving hunt test titles.  MWR is located outside Texarkana in Genoa, Arkansas, and has 3,200 square feet of indoor kennel space along with outdoor training areas.  The dogs also travel to other properties for experience with different terrains and conditions.  Nathan says he has been blessed and humbled by their success as it has exceeded his expectations, consistently growing since their inception.  With countless titles achieved in hunt tests, MWR has a high percentage of passing scores over the past seven years.

Nathan and Bill coming off the line after the 5th/final series of upland at the HRC International Grand.

A native of Texarkana, Nathan grew up in Fouke, Arkansas, and was raised on a cattle farm with his two brothers and parents, Terry and Lanita Sloan.  He helped work the farm from an early age, participating in sports and FFA.  He particularly was fond of showing cattle and also an avid waterfowl hunter. He graduated from Fouke High School in 2008 and headed to Southern Arkansas University to earn a degree in Agricultural Business.  He took a few years off from school, taking the opportunity to work with show cattle on ranches.  He returned to SAU and completed his degree in 2015.  It was then that he realized that his passion for duck hunting and hunting retriever dog training was something he wanted to do full-time.  Growing up with Labrador Retrievers, Nathan had always been astute to the breed and their keen capabilities.  He explains, “I can remember my dad carrying me across creeks that were too deep for me to wade or riding in an old flat bottom on the bayou to get to the hunting spot which is where my waterfowl hunting obsession started. I had raised several litters out of some of my hunting dogs as well. This led me to wanting better hunting dogs and pushing them more in training and learning more about it.” He became involved with the Four States Retriever Club while in college and worked with trainer Roger Gray who helped him get comfortable with training dogs for running hunt tests.  Nathan took on some dogs for retriever training during this time, and it simply grew from there.  He recalls that he couldn’t imagine it would grow to where it is today.  “My passion for duck hunting and working with dogs is what led me to this career path, but I will always be thankful for cattle and the foundation it gave me,” he admits.

Katelyn and Nathan display their winnings after the Master National in South Carolina during the fall of 2019.

Nathan and Katelyn take Major on a hunt at Bois d’Arc Lake.

It was also through his traveling while showing cattle that he met his wife, Katelyn, in 2010 while on a trip in Kansas.  They married in 2016 and daughter Gracie arrived in 2020.  MWR is definitely a family business, as Katelyn and Gracie join Nathan on many trips for hunt tests and help as his support team.  Gracie loves working with the dogs, and Katelyn helped Nathan out with various jobs and training until he hired an assistant to join him.  Trent Liggin serves as his assistant trainer and another employee, Railey Williams, helps with the kennels and operational duties.  Dogs of various retriever breeds are brought in as pups of about six months of age and stay on-site for training anywhere from five months to a year or more.  “In our program, we can train dogs from the basics of obedience, basic gun dogs, and all the way up to fully finished gun dogs. Now the majority of the dogs we have come in are to run hunt tests as we have expanded running tests that are part of Hunting Retriever Club (HRC), American Kennel Club (AKC), and Super Retriever Series (SRS) all over the country,” he says.  

Copper was instrumental in lighting the fire for Nathan to train better and eventually run hunt tests.

Nathan runs a hunt test with Scarlet, a client’s retriever.

Nathan serves clients by being the dog’s handler and works with them as they achieve different levels of titles.  Any breed is welcome for basic or general obedience and as Nathan puts it, “We also offer a head start program for the hunting and test prospects for when the owner doesn’t have the time to build their drive and get them going.”

Nathan with his first two Grand Hunting Retriever Champions, Bill and Major.

Bill and Nathan while on a hunt at Mercer Bayou.

While most of his kennels are used for dogs across the ArkLaTex as well as from across the country, Nathan has five personal dogs who also compete.  Most notably Bill, his 8-year-old, has many titles and made it into the HRC Hall of Fame.  Another of his dogs, Major, is 9 years old and has taught Nathan a lot about the sport. The name Muddy Wing Retrievers came about in a unique way and best sums up their philosophy of preparing dogs to be at the top of their game in the sport of waterfowl retrieving. “I was trying to come up with a good name for the kennels, and while hunting one morning in a mud flat, the dog kept bringing the ducks back with mud dripping off the wings.”  MWR is proud to have a strong client base and besides having a Facebook page and various product sponsorships, the main form of advertising they use is by word of mouth.  The dogs they train speak for themselves at hunt test events which are held in various places throughout the year.  For example, in 2021, MWR attended hunt testing in Idaho, and next September, they will be in Oregon. Last fall, they had an impressive showing.  “Grand and Master Nationals is where our crew went 50% with five passes at the Grand and 66% at Nationals with six passes,” he acknowledges.  In April, Nathan had a group of dogs at the HRC International Grand in Natchez, Mississippi.  Hunt tests are held all over, and most recently, MWR has joined the SRS, or Super Retriever Series, participating in the Red River Shootout this past May placing fourth and sixth.  

GRHRCH(5) Beau MH QA2, GRHRCH Doc MH, and GRHRCH Jed MH with Nathan in front of his 20 hole Deerskin dog trailer which allows the team to travel safely all across the country to train and run hunt tests. The trailer has storage for equipment, dog food, a water tank, and is insulated well and has fans to keep the dogs comfortable. Photo by Dr. Robbin Rogers.

Gracie and Nathan with the retriever crew after her first HRC International Grand in the fall of 2020.

Nathan takes the opportunity to be involved with the community in regards to hunting retriever enthusiasts by collaboration with Ducks Unlimited-Texarkana Chapter Banquet and Dream Hunt Foundation.  He also works with youth through organizations such as the Four States Retriever Club’s Youth Handlers Camp, Texas HRC Youth Hunter Camp, and Southern Sportsmen Foundation’s Outdoor Extravaganza.  His primary goal is a simple one and one that he hopes will continue to expand the sport and training capabilities. He says, “We always strive to train the best dogs that we can while building great relationships with our clients and helping them to reach all their goals with their dogs.”