When we wrote the book “Retrieving for All Occasions” it was very important for us to spread the knowledge that it is possible to do gun dog training with positive reinforcement methods. (With positive dog training we mean that you train your dog without physical and/or verbal corrections that can be perceived as unpleasant for the dog).
We want to continue to spread the knowledge that this is possible, we feel that it is almost a mission for us – to spread the word! That’s why we would like to publish an interview with Robert Milner who is an excellent instructor and dog trainer. Enjoy!
Name: Robert Milner
Lives: USA
Dogs: British Labrador Retrievers
Does: Breeding and training Labrador Retriever Gundogs at Duckhill Kennels
Why do you do gun dog work?
I love the dogs.
What is the philosophy behind your training method?
Reward what you want. Ignore what you don’t want
Why do you train the way you do?
It works very well and both I and the dogs like it.
Are there any disadvantages?
No. When you stop using compulsion in training, the problems disappear
What role models or sources of inspiration do you have?
BF Skinner, Konrad Lorenz, Karen Pryor, Cathy Sdao, Bill Meldrum, Ray Hunt
How do you regulate the level of arousal in your dog training?
I keep it very low and strive to reward only when the dog is in a calm state of mind.
If you are only allowed to choose one thing that you think is most important to train in order to get a dog to perform great on field trials or in the gun dog training, what is that? (What is on the top of your list?)
95% recall in high distraction environment.
Duckhill Kennels – Pioneering Positive Gundog Training!
This training program is basically the US Navy’s Marine Mammal training program as adapted to fit Labrador gundogs.
Check out our commercial for our Train-the-Trainer seminar:
Positive training is
- 3 times faster than traditional methods
- 10 times more fun for dog and handler
- easy to master, difficult to botch
Whether your dog will be a companion or a great gundog or both, all dog owners will benefit from our Train-the-Trainer Seminar to learn positive gundog training.
A short synopsis here: http://www.duckhillkennels.com/dogs/positivegundogs.php
See schedule of seminars here: http://www.duckhillkennels.com/about/seminars.php
New Book – Absolutely Positively Gundog Training: Positive Training for Your Retriever Gundog Available here: https://www.createspace.com/5492478
Companion Video Download here: http://www.amazon.com/Absolutely-Positively-Gundog-Training-Companion/dp/B01351O3TO/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1438721476&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=absolutely+positively+gundog+training
Thank you very much for this interview, Robert! Good luck with your dogs in the future.
We hope that many of you have been inspired by the interview with Helen. We will continue to interview interesting dog trainers. Please let us know if there’s anyone you’d like us to interview!
