Training a retreiver puppy by Hillmann ?

[MooseGooser]

I mean if Ya think about it.

Baseball!!!

If Some guy stood in one place and Just tried to teach Ya about baseball!!

Ya just cant get the intricacies about the details that go into playin the Game.

Ya really need Visual aids! The Cheerleaders,, the Barber shop quartettes.

How about tryin to explain how Ya move a guy off the plate.

Chris would prolly walk down from the mound, and politely ask the batter to kindly step back a foot or two PLEASE,, and then whaen Back on the Mound tell him Thank You!!!

Whilst Fallon would try to understand all lifes little details,, and how it has personally affected the batters relationships with overbearing California girls!!! He's just throw him all balls and walk him in a Kinder,, Gentler way!!

Now,, Lets watch Uncle Bill ON FILM,, Take the Ball,, spit on it,, Grab it by just the laces with his hairy knuckles that drag the ground,, haul off and Pitch that thing ,smakin the batter right in the Jimmy!!


That VISUAL makes it all the more clear a WHY YA DONT CROWD the PLATE!!!

ITS ALLLL VISUAL!!!!!!!!! Just wouldnt be the same just bein lectured about it!!

Goosers kinda a visual guy!!

6 Pages!!!!

[DOG MAGNET]

It has been a while since I watched this DVD but I wish we could hear more of Hillman in the field talking to the pup. Most segments are narrated during editing. Other than that, I loved it.

[Chris Atkinson]

Some of my absolute favorite experiences of the Field Trial game have been the times I was campaigning Bus in derbies. Just about all that we ran, Bill was there running two dogs. "Punch" is the one that stands out. The other was a female whose name I've forgotten.

Bill has a very cool style. He's very approachable and open to sharing his thoughts. I'd gotten to know Bill a bit when he competed with Cutter in an event I helped put on a few years prior.

At those derbies, my first whitecoat adventures with my first non-Amish dog, Bill shared all sorts of training ideas and thoughts. All I had to do was ask.

He also was a great one to watch how he took the dogs off the truck, how he approached the holding blind, how he cued the dogs at the mat. I don't recall ever seeing him wear white at the line in the derbies.

Shayne always told me that the cool guys didn't wear white to the line in the derby. (I always wore white. )

[Steve Shaver]

Bill explains at the beginning that there is no training going on "behind the scenes" all the training he does is right there in the video.

I find this hard to believe. That pup is too perfect through out the dvd. Just my opinion.

[Cowtown]

One thing that could be misleading to a newbie is the continual use of "days" as in 28 days of training both in the video and this thread.

I believe Mary Hillman posted on RTF that they should have said "sessions" rather than "days". This was done over a period of time rather than 28 straight days.

It is a puppy program that is the first step in training your dog...such as Sound Beginnings. You do these Puppy programs first to get your pup on the right track then at around 6-7 months age you start a formal (ie lifelong) program like Lardy, Graham or Stawski. These puppy programs get your pup on the right track and prepare them for formal training once they hit 6-7 months.

[Pam Spears]

I find this hard to believe. That pup is too perfect through out the dvd. Just my opinion.

My guess is that the puppy responded so well because (1) he's a well bred pup with all the instincts he's supposed to have, and (2) Bill is such an experienced and accomplished handler that he is "managing" the pup's behavior the whole time and getting optimum results. Years of experience provide capabilities well beyond someone who is doing it for the first time.

While I have not gotten the same near perfect responses with my own pup (we hit a snag at about week 7 and had to wait 6 weeks before we were back on track again, she simply lost interest in retrieving for awhile,) we have been able to make steady progress once she found her joy again. I don't have the instinctive "correct" response to her every move that Bill has, but it' still working.

[T-Pines]

I find this hard to believe. That pup is too perfect through out the dvd. Just my opinion.

He does not say (or imply) that the pup is in isolation at all times except during filming.

I choose to believe that the DVD presents all the formal training of this pup. I also believe that this pup was a part of the Hillmann household and participated in all kinds of informal interaction with Bill and Mary and other dogs and cats. I'm sure that the Hillmann philosphy is indirectly imparted during informal play sessions and through learning to abide by the rules of the household.

In addition, Bill says in the video that most training sessions are followed by informal walks around the property where the pup is further stimulated, albeit with more freedom to explore and be a pup. I think only one of these sessions was shown on the video. These sessions are still a big part of the pup's development and Bill says as much.

I think all dog trainers are always interacting with their dogs in a manner that supports their philosophy and their vision for what the dog will become. During informal play, casual observers may not realize that "training " is occurring. I'm sure that Nick, Jr. was learning everytime Bill was nearby, whether or not it was being filmed.

Jim

[Chris Atkinson]

One thing that could be misleading to a newbie is the continual use of "days" as in 28 days of training both in the video and this thread.

I believe Mary Hillman posted on RTF that they should have said "sessions" rather than "days". This was done over a period of time rather than 28 straight days.

It is a puppy program that is the first step in training your dog...such as Sound Beginnings. You do these Puppy programs first to get your pup on the right track then at around 6-7 months age you start a formal (ie lifelong) program like Lardy, Graham or Stawski. These puppy programs get your pup on the right track and prepare them for formal training once they hit 6-7 months.

A few folks did address that in this thread. Posts 74 and 80 were ones where I just ran a few numbers.

[Chris Atkinson]

He does not say (or imply) that the pup is in isolation at all times except during filming.

I choose to believe that the DVD presents all the formal training of this pup. I also believe that this pup was a part of the Hillmann household and participated in all kinds of informal interaction with Bill and Mary and other dogs and cats. I'm sure that the Hillmann philosphy is indirectly imparted during informal play sessions and through learning to abide by the rules of the household.

In addition, Bill says in the video that most training sessions are followed by informal walks around the property where the pup is further stimulated, albeit with more freedom to explore and be a pup. I think only one of these sessions was shown on the video. These sessions are still a big part of the pup's development and Bill says as much.

I think all dog trainers are always interacting with their dogs in a manner that supports their philosophy and their vision for what the dog will become. During informal play, casual observers may not realize that "training " is occurring. I'm sure that Nick, Jr. was learning everytime Bill was nearby, whether or not it was being filmed.

Jim

I agree 100% with Jim and was about to type something similar.

I personally find that crating pups and mealtimes (which I personally include together for puppies) are wonderful training opportunities to help move a pup along in his education.

There are obviously all sorts of training-influencing interactions that Bill or anyone would have with the pup off camera in-between sessions. But I don't think that means anyone was attempting to say anything inaccurate.

I think it is entirely possible to have only the formal training sessions on tape, but still have all sorts of less formal interactions taking place in between formal sessions. That's just real-life for dogs and their trainers.

Chris

[Howard N]

Quote:
Originally Posted by rednek

Bill explains at the beginning that there is no training going on "behind the scenes" all the training he does is right there in the video.

I find this hard to believe. That pup is too perfect through out the dvd. Just my opinion.

I am of the same opinion as Steve Shaver. I had, still have, a copy of the DVD. I ordered a gift copy of the puppy DVD for a Christmas gift for someone a couple years back and asked about this when I ordered it. There was one day when Nick was his normal self, training pretty well I think. Then a few seconds of video time later he's suddenly ears and tail down. IMO he's gotten a correction the viewers didn't see. I thought that was an example of training, "Behind the scenes." Mary said that she had had hours and hours of video to edit and couldn't put it all in the commercial product. I thought/still think that whatever actions that Nick made which prompted Bill to make a correction and what that correction was, would be/is important to trainers learning what the standards are and how they are to be upheld.

I think we probably saw most if not all of the training sessions, just not all of each session.