# Duckhill Kennels - Robert Milner



## rhill14 (Feb 14, 2011)

He owns and operates Duckhill kennels in somerville, tn. What are the general thoughts about Robert Milner and Duckhill Kennels? I ask because I have tentatively decided to get my future pup from there and was planning on doing his training seminar and going by alot of his habbits in training my pup myself with the addition of a few books/dvds ive seen mentioned on here? Any thoughts? Also any recommendatins for books/dvds to watch and learn about to train myself to train the pup correctly? Thanks.


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## DarrinGreene (Feb 8, 2007)

if you're going to do it his way, do it his way, all the way


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## rhill14 (Feb 14, 2011)

What would I be better off doing? Also, I should have mentioned this but I have never trained a hunting dog. Would I be better off going with a couple books or dvds or try to stick solely to his plan? I will be atleast 3-4 hours away from Duckhill Kennels so I wont be able to run up there if something isnt going right..


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## DarrinGreene (Feb 8, 2007)

you need to do whatever you're comfortable with and that will produce the end goal you're looking for

no one can or should tell you that

you have to decide for yourself

i won't engage in a debate of milner/wildrose/any other program

they work for thier intended purpose

question is, what do you intend

my ONLY advice is to stick to whatever method you'v echose and don't try mixing them up. while many of the concepts are similiar, some counter one another and it is generally unproductive to mix programs


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## rhill14 (Feb 14, 2011)

DarrinGreene said:


> you need to do whatever you're comfortable with and that will produce the end goal you're looking for
> 
> no one can or should tell you that
> 
> ...


Thats solid advice, thanks. that probably wouldnt be the best idea to try and mix a couple programs together especially my first time training. Without getting into a debate about the different dogs, have you ever hunted over a duckhill dog? Just wondering about their general charistics, although i know it can vary greatly from litter to litter and pup to pup


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## DarrinGreene (Feb 8, 2007)

rhill14 said:


> Thats solid advice, thanks. that probably wouldnt be the best idea to try and mix a couple programs together especially my first time training. Without getting into a debate about the different dogs, have you ever hunted over a duckhill dog? Just wondering about their general charistics, although i know it can vary greatly from litter to litter and pup to pup


sorry, can't say I ever hunted over a dog Robert bred or trained

good luck with your decision

and welcome aboard!


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## DarrinGreene (Feb 8, 2007)

BTW there is a lot of information available on British vs. American bred and trained labs out there

if you ignore the chest pounding and assertions of superiority, the characteristics listed on most of those writings is true


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## Chris Atkinson (Jan 3, 2003)

Rhill, welcome to RTF!

I am a Field Trialer/Hunt Tester/Waterfowler/Upland bird hunter. 

In short, I don't want to have vanilla icecream for desert every time. I enjoy trying many of Baskin Robbins' different flavors.

Robert Milner will tell you that if you want to run AKC Field trials and pursue the next National Field Champion title...you are better off looking elsewhere. But if you are looking for a very well-mannered gundog that will be quiet, not creep, and go efficiently pick up birds when you release him/her, you should consider Robert.

Mr. Milner has worn many different hats in the retriever world. He has trained for AKC Field Trials (granted, when he did, they were in a previoius incarnation and were not quite what they are today). He has trained British-style gundogs and field trial dogs. He has trained detection dogs for civilian and military service. 

Robert Milner knows dogs. He also knows what he wants to do with dogs today. And it is clearly NOT with Field Trials or Hunt Tests today. 

So part of folks being able to steer you in a direction for training, puppy sources, instructional material, etc. is the understanding of what you want. 

I don't think you've been specific enough with your desired end-use for your retriever. I don't think you have stated what your goals are with your dog. Only then, can folks really help guide you in much of a direction. 

Good luck. Have fun. Retrievers are cool!

Chris


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## rhill14 (Feb 14, 2011)

Chris Atkinson said:


> Rhill, welcome to RTF!
> 
> I am a Field Trialer/Hunt Tester/Waterfowler/Upland bird hunter.
> 
> ...


Chris, thanks alot and I should have put more info out originally. Ive never had a hunting dog and Ive decided its time to get one. Ive never trained a dog for anything other than general obiedance (sit,stay, etc.). I am thinking a british lab will suit my needs best. I wont be doing any trials or anything like that I dont imagine. I mainly want a dog to duck hunt and do some dove hunting with but mainly duck but also will be a family dog aside from duck season weekends. Like I said Ive never trained one and really have no idea what to expect so I;m trying to do my homework on everything from dogs to training. I wont be getting it for about a year or more so I hopefully will be able to learn a good bit about the whole process before I ever start with the training. As a side note I am thinking a female lab because Ive read there are somewhat easier for a first timer? Is there any weight to this? If i go with a female I will most likely get her fixed because I dont really have any plans to breed her and will eliminate the time away from training and hunting while in heat. Any ideas/advice? Thanks


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## AmiableLabs (Jan 14, 2003)

1. When assessing his dogs and his training materials, keep in mind British hunting and shooting sports are different than their American counterparts. This should not make a whole lot of difference, but definitely some.

2. I have watched many of his videos and they demonstrate his dogs can do basics well. But I cannot remember any of them demonstrating intermediate or advanced abilities. I would ask to see the sire and/or dam demonstrate some competency in intermediate and advanced level work (does not necessarily have to be done live, a HT or FT degree or title was good enough for James Lamb Free, it should be good enough for us).

I am of the opinion that just like American field-bred Labs, British field-bred Labs make capable trained gun dogs for the average Joe Hunter. Where I have question is if by-and-large they are capable of exceptionalism? But exceptionalism is only important to HTers and FTers, not the average Joe Hunter. ("Should exceptionalism be a necessary prerequisite for breeding?" A different question, for a different day.)


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## GulfCoast (Sep 24, 2007)

My advice: 

Be a sponge, and hold off on making decisions until you have absorbed a lot more. 

Go to a "UK style" field event, and watch the dogs. That would be the best place I can think of to see a Milner dog in action. There will be several in MS/TN this spring. 

Go to an AKC field trial or hunt test, or an HRC test, and watch the dogs. 

This will give you a good snapshot of the similarities and differences in training, and how the dogs work when excited. I run all of the above with mine. They are worlds apart, yet somewhat similar. 

After you spend some time as a sponge, then you will have a better idea what you want, what you need, and what type of dog trips your trigger. Then, you can make a better decision based on what you have observed, versus what those of us friendly folks here tell you. 

Have fun, and enjoy the journey!


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## mlp (Feb 20, 2009)

GulfCoast said:


> My advice:
> 
> Be a sponge, and hold off on making decisions until you have absorbed a lot more.
> 
> ...


Great Advice


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## Chris Atkinson (Jan 3, 2003)

GulfCoast said:


> My advice:
> 
> Be a sponge, and hold off on making decisions until you have absorbed a lot more.
> 
> ...


What he said...

This is perfect!

Go on out there and see for yourself. Get involved. See the differences.

If you find a dog that you absolutely love, you may want to see if that dog's parents are doing a repeat breeding.

Good luck!

Chris


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## spencedilworth (Jun 27, 2010)

A good friend of mine just got a puppy from Milner and is training a pup using Milner's program. This puppy is gorgeous and SO well behaved. Milner's emphasis is on hunting dogs so he trains for that. He lets certain issues go because they are not all that big of a deal when hunting but may cause problems when your dog is doing its thing in front of a judge. For example, popping is not discouraged. Squaring up and facing the handler to take a cast is not considered all that important in Milner's program. I train with my buddy, the Milner puppy, and hear about Milner's program and I have no doubt that this lab is going to be a jam up duck dog and I look forward to the day I can hunt over him. I will also say that I know very little about Milner and his program and have based this on what my buddy has said. I will say that I'm impressed with Milner and, from what I know and what I have seen, he is an awesome dude. He has his on forum that he actively responds to and I have seen him respond on this one. I respect the hell out of him for contributing so much of what he knows. My buddy bought me Milner's book so I would understand the program better. I have just started reading it and it is a great and easy read. I recommend it. In addition to that book, I will be studying Lardy's tapes and Evan Grahams program. I share the opinion that its best to soak up as much as you can and use whats good for you. I really like some of Milner's stuff and I know I will incorporate it into my program.


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