Sitting on the Whistle

[@ianking2542]

This is an incredible video. Pet dog trainer here who's just studying some different realms of training. Loved this video

[@Raevenswood]

your training techniques are just solid gold.

[@henkfelix6109]

Mr Bill ,,you are with no doubt the best Hunting Dog Trainer i ever seen.

[@hiiqk9s3]

Thank you! Perfect timing for my 4 month old puppy! Valuable lesson!

[@laurafletcher2813]

I have a problem getting my dog to sit on a whistle at distance greater than 20 feet. What can I do to get a crisp whistle sit at far distances.

[@DeniseAtkinsonSteffe]

Thanks for explaining the whistle sit. I paid pro's hundreds of dollars for help and never got a sit on my dog. Now I have the new puppy and ordered your DVD,

[@thenaturecoastdogtrainer8258]

Great video...it would have been nice if you could have explained how you are estiming the dog in conjunction with the whistle.

[@DeniseAtkinsonSteffe]

Great video about the whistle sit. My last field dog I sent to a pro he never taught the "whistle sit". Now I will be ordering your puppy dvd in the next few weeks.

[@ScottFulp]

Is your method the same with a puppy

[@jensjacobrmer1433]

I love your videos and try to learn from them. I'm from Norway. But even has a labrador who at times does not stop at the whistle. Your exercises shown here will be tried tomorrow.

[@conorlinehan4434]

This is the essence of a balanced approach to dog training!

[@danielschulz2961]

How do you get the dog to turn and look at you. My dog wants to keep looking art the mark?

[@troutbum8699]

Daniel Schulz I used check cords at short distances to control behavior. I also remove marks and run the diamond with hand signals. Basically like Simon says with a reward at the end. Eventually leading to marks set at all corners of the diamond. Making the dog listen to commands to retrieve the proper mark im directing him to

[@DurtyxThurty]

hit the sit whistle until they look at you then as soon as they look at you, cast them. they will figure out that they dont get to go until they are looking at you.

[@DaveThomspon]

Hi Bill, We have been following your instructions since be bought your puppy training video when our first dog arrived. Your video\'s along with personal help from Dennis Voight has formed our training regime. Recently our three year old has begun to sit slowly on blinds. We have broken it down over and over yet he still trots to a sit. On the way back in or close up or doing the traffic cop he slams his butt down. Any suggestions?

[@steenludvigsen4483]

Mr. Hillmann great video. The dog is very obedient. Seems happy as well. Must however agreed to the below comments regarding the electric collar. Not sympatic and not needed at all. I write you from Denmark. In Denmark the use of electric collar is prohibited by law. All dog training including retriever training, is done without the electric collar and do believe me: the dogs, if well trained do stop on the whistle - no electric chock needed. In fact our retrievers are doing very well on the IWT European Championchips and the Skinners World Cup tournaments. Try to challenge your self to work without using the electric collar. Anyway, good luck to you folks.

[@denishunter2151]

I want to see your dog sit on whisle on video please

[@RaviShankar-es6bk]

What if a wild hare runs by? Will she bolt? How do you control the variables?

[@sh-hg4eg]

You gradually expose them to these variables, starting with low intensity and working up to high intensity, until they know to ignore them. Your reward for their obedience should outweigh the distraction.

[@stephenlyons443]

Excellent Bill

[@louisegariepy7697]

Great video. Thank you. I just not quite understand why would the dog want to sit (let’s say 2 feet away): because then he’ll be rewarded by getting to the bird? Well had he NOT stopped, he would have received the “reward” much faster. What do I miss there? (Assuming that not sitting will not be punished by an electric chock)

[@aaronkeistler8217]

Bill, I have a 17 month old GSP that had this issue. Would you be willing to do another video in more detail of how I can work with her to correct it? This video is a great start to it and I plan to start tonight. But any more tips for this correction is much appreciated! Thank you for all the great videos!

[@Awed1b]

Thank you. Nice video. Great dog. Beautiful spot. You are blessed! When you showed how he was getting something for sitting on his way to pick up the bumper and you showed him stopping to sit on his way, I did not quite understand what it was that you were saying that he was getting. You'd said that he was happy that you'd given the sit command because he got something out of it. What did he get out of it? I'll watch again to see if I can understand, but if you don't mind, please clarify what you meant. Thanks again. B.

[@RetrieverTrainingAlone]

Most retrievers that run excellent water blinds are excellent on stopping to whistle and treading water, waiting for the handlers cast

[@dawnkinderman1379]

What type of whistle are you using?

[@jc-details5125]

What kind of whistle are you using..?

[@garilou2]

Hard to understand how sitting was motivated by the fact that she then would get what she wanted, because she would have got what she wanted much faster if she had not stopped! That close to the bumper, my dog first fetches the bumper and then sits . I don’t know how to change this behaviour, but the explanation is not convincing.

[@Bwanar1]

That's not true and the fact that you admit not understanding it is a good step in the right direction. She (may) have gotten to it faster the first time, but not after that and it would have been an unpleasant experience. Your dog should be under control at all times. You are the one that decides when your dog should fetch and when it should sit. If you teach the dog to comply with your commands before it gets the reward (of a retrieve), then you will have a dog that understands that it must do as you command, BEFORE it will be released to retrieve. My dogs are trained such that their default is to sit and she is released to fetch. So much so that if I were to throw a bird in front of her while standing, she would (and would expect to) sit, before picking up the bird. I wouldn't have to say a word.

[@Raevenswood]

because the dog first and foremost wants to please you!

[@markhansen437]

Mine is learning this at 4 years old too! (He's a Golden.)

[@luisgarcia152]

Great video. Thanks for the tips.

[@brianoswald6970]

how bout popping problems how do yoi fix that..

[@reddhutchinson2788]

Awesome, very helpful!’

[@jessejames9739]

My lab will sit on a whistle, but when going to retrieve I blow and she comes back to me, how do I correct this?

[@travisechelberry4902]

Jesse James when you blow the whistle and the dog starts a return to you, immediately whistle again give a sit command and get a sit as quickly as you can. Once you get the sit send the dog back to the retrieve for the reward

[@jessejames9739]

When I blow for a sit command she comes right back to my feet.

[@Plasticjesus504]

Thank you for the info, thats a stud of a dog.

[@bennyrosado5402]

great stuff!! thx...

[@kateand2330]

great video, thanks a mil :)

[@jonnyk-uk662]

Ah this will be interesting to wa ... 3:56.... HOLY F**KING SH*T!!!!!!!!

[@fullstrutn]

Labs are smart and always learning ,,though high maintenance,,Mine learned this at 4 years old ,,my fault for waiting so long.

[@johndoe5203]

Nice dog!!!!

[@kirkrhatigan2575]

Great tip,my dog cash sit, but he does a half circle I will try this thanks

[@stewartmackay539]

You don't need an electric collar to train a gundog. You should be more confident than that in your methods.

[@thomasfriudenberg3251]

Mr. Mackay, I agree with you to an extent on training your gun dog without a collar. The E collar can be inhumane if not used sparingly and correctly. But lets get something straight. That's not a gun dog. That's a competitive field trial dog, trained every single day from the time its was 8 weeks old to handle pressure, make multiple retrieves up 500 yards, pick up 400 yard plus water blinds, and take handle signals at those same distances. That dog has to stop on the whistle at 350 yards away with the wind blowing or water swishing by their ears and then take a very delicate hand signal and take it correctly. To get the dog to the level to be competitive takes 5+ years of consistent training. Some of these dogs are sold for 10s of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. These dogs make their owners several thousand dollars a year on breeding alone. Way more than a gun dog and Bill Hellman is one of the best to do it. And you need an e collar to get a dog to that level.

[@stewartmackay539]

Dear Mr Friudenberg Thank you for taking the time to reply to my comment regarding the use of the electric collar. My use of the term ‘gundog’ was meant as a generic reference of the breeds that work in the field over guns. Even at the field trials I have attended there is usually at least one man with a gun. Your dog is a black lab so is one of the ‘gundog’ breeds. May I add that I am not a novice when it comes to gundog training so I do have some knowledge in the subject. I also know the time and effort taken to train gundog to a high standard and the prices they can bring. However, I still maintain that to resort to the use of an electric collar tells me two things. Either, the dog has not been trained to a high enough standard or it shows a lack of confidence in the dog from the trainer who feels the need for some ‘back up’ just in case. The distance of the retrieve and the weather it is conducted in is irrelevant and is a spurious argument. If you are working beyond the hearing/seeing distance of the dog, you should not be sending the dog, unless it is a blind retrieve (one where the dog is out of sight), in which case you would not be directing your dog anyway. Where it is a blind retrieve that the dog has not seen the drop (but you have) then there is no difference. Your dog should still be steady on the whistle/hand signals without a collar. Do I read it right from your comment that you are allowed to have the collar on even at trials, which I find could be construed as not adhering to the spirit of the competition. What’s next, headphones on the dog so you can direct it over 1000 yards? However, I admit that I may have mis-interpreted this part of your reply so accept my apologies. Surely, if a dog has been trained from 8 weeks one would have thought it would be rock steady and have even less need of an electric collar. If your dog stops dead on a whistle at 10 yards, why would it not stop at 250 yards, 400 yards even, (allowing time for sound travel) My dogs always have. These devices are not needed and in my opinion have no place in gundog training (field trials). I think we will have to agree to disagree on this matter as I will never see the need for an electric collar to get a dog to a high level. Yours sincerely

[@thomasfriudenberg3251]

the e collars are not allowed in competition. just in training. I think your idea of what a field trial is and what this man trains for are totally different. these dogs don't compete under a gun at all. and yes there is a huge difference between a dog handling at 10 yards and 350 yards. HUGE!

[@Bwanar1]

I would be interested to know what field trial champions you have trained, Mr. Mackay; and where? Secondly, have you ever used an E-collar? Also please enlighten me as to how you (with all your experience) make a correction on a dog at 100+yds. in training?

[@Bwanar1]

I would wager that Mr. Mackay is from the other side of the Pond, from his comments. As he has "some" experience and is going to tell one of the top trainers in the country, that he doesn't know what he's doing! Their dogs aren't taught to mark like ours, they handle them all over the place, even at trials. Our dogs simply a much more highly trained animals. He could probably train what they find acceptable without a collar.

[@carollarking742]

Electric collar is disgusting!! .

[@chrislaw9574]

E-collars are cruel and should be banned globally

[@linetrudeau2811]

I used to think that to

[@tschutte1978]

You know the e collars of today are not inhumane. I can't even feel the stimulation at the level I usually work with my dog at. Mine e collar has a level of 0-100 and I work at a 10 most of the time. If he is distracted I'll turn it up, sometimes I can turn it down. It does not hurt him, it just gives me the ability to tap him on the shoulder for an instant correction from any distance.

[@brianjohnson326]

Bill you beast you brute the world is going to end in twelve years, using those horrible e collars

[@sh-hg4eg]

"Bitches nipping their pups is cruel and should be banned globally."

[@chrislaw9574]

@@sh-hg4eg most ridiculous comment award goes to you. Well done.

[@taylorrussell2812]

Just curious, whats the importants in stopping the dog to a sit during a retrieve.. Is it just for the redirection and correction of their retrieve?

[@1988ZER]

yes, I've also seen it used when a group of new birds come and they don't want the dog running around. I've literally seen a handler give the sit command in the middle of a flooded timber hole as a group of mallards poured in. The dog never moved kept eye contact with the handler and then started retrieving ducks after the volley was over. Was amazing to watch

[@jaycejackson9784]

You sit the dog to give it a cast. Redirecting him after he sits, which is giving you his full attention, and handling him towards the bird if he was to get off line en route.