A note of Thanksgiving from Bill & Mary Hillmann

Janice Gunn wrote:
I HIGHLY recommend Bill Hillmann DVD’s – especially the one called The FETCH command – which would be of great value to you especially as you don’t have instruction near by. He also has lots of free video’s to watch on You Tube and his website. Put his DVD on your Christmas list! I love Bill’s approach, makes it fun for the dog and then add in rules. He has a soft technique for using the collar.

Kevin McDonald wrote:
I find Bill’s training philosophy and methods to be the most practical, common sense approach of any I have ever seen. (As I told Bill, I avoid other forums and training sites simply because I don’t need to dilute my dogs development with random ideas)
The thing I like most about Bill’s program is that, if followed correctly, it eliminates common problems before they can even become an issue. (One example of this is in his teaching doubles marking progression. If followed properly, it eliminates switching, and returning to old falls before they ever have a chance to occur. It teaches, instead of testing, which builds success and a great deal of confidence. And that’s just one of many, many examples.)
It is the smartest approach I have ever seen in retriever training. Really quite brilliant.
Thanks again! Best regards, Kevin McDonald

Note from Northern Wisconsin

This is a note from Northern Wisconsin…..Shadow and I have been traveling and trialing this summer and having a great time. I’ve been thinking a lot about videos and topics to share. So, look for a short series on test setting, evaluating performance on tests and some pitfalls that judges may run into and how to avoid them. Also I am considering a full scale video on field trial and hunt test performance issues. In other words I am frequently asked how to deal with training issues that come up at an event (hunting, agility, obedience…) but that do not occur in training. How often do you hear “My dog doesn’t do that in training.“   A very common issue. So the big question becomes what do you do when the only time a problem surfaces is at a competitive event? If you have issues like that put them in the comments section…..and I will see if I can address them. Have a great day & GO Packers!