Labrador Retriever | Essential Training Skills Episode 1 

Are you a fan of my training style, but can’t travel to Kentucky to see me in person? No worries! I offer an awesome online dog training course, which includes access to an array of exclusive videos and content, personalized coaching, journaling, and in-depth mentoring and evaluation by yours truly! Just need some an advice or have a couple questions you need answered? I also offer professional consulting by the hour. Both of these great services can be found here: kentuckycanine.com/onlinecoaching. Thank you all for your remarkable support over the years! I cannot express enough how grateful I am for your appreciation and patronage of this channel, my training style, and my kennel. Always remember, it’s a great day for a puppy-sized adventure! ⁃Stonnie Dennis, Dog Trainer

He even trains his trolls 😊

Mr. No Name is awesome. He’s a fine animal 😊

Wow !!!. Absolutely amazing Stonnie. Best video on this procedure. Thank you for sharing !!!.

Thanks Stonnie. Been working on the hold with my dog. It has been challenging but more so because my available time has been inconsistent. You remind me to remain patient and positive. The work (and fun) continues!

I really like this video, I love how you advocate for an awesome method that makes it fun for both you and the dog. This obviously proves that it’s an awesome method and it’s never failed to keep my dogs motivated because I’ve used your method for fetch. I was also lucky enough that Mr. no-name was the student during your puppy class! Never change Stonnie!

Love your patience and kindness

I love your retriever training videos. Mr. No Name is looking great! Thank you!

Yes, we need training on how to react when you don't get the response you want! You're so right, it's so hard not to give up and lose patience!

I have a 9 week old black Lab! He's great. So much energy, but my husband have what it takes. Husband is a firefighter and I stay home with our kids. Love your videos. Thank you so much for giving your knowledge!

Very well explained. Very clear directions. I can watch it again and again. Very helpful.

I want more of this! Really looking forward to episode 2, 3, and beyond!

I love your videos, give me so much confidence of the mistakes we made. Thank you. 🙏🙏 my family just got a yellow lab. She is 3 months. You had helped me so much.

Loving your work Stonnie

I think your method is awesome. I love watching my dogs have fun

Very informative video. Learned a lot! Definitely will be applying your knowledge. Thank you.

This was awesome. thanks for sharing. good reminder not to get angry or impatient.

This man is a beast! I love your attitude and natural sarcasm

This is an amazing training video thank you so much!

Could hardly believe that was Mr. No Name!! He's turned into a good looking young Lab from that gangly puppy of a year ago. And calmed down, AND just wow! What an inspiration you two are.😍 "putting in the work" pays big dividends.

Enjoying your videos from Canada!

I'm planning to get a field Lab after having a WL GSD, need to adjust my training and understanding of the breed. These videos are GOLD! Thank you Stonnie! 🙏

That's some great advice right there! "Keep it positive and do a little bit at a time." I try to apply this principle to all parts of my dogs' training, and a lot of other areas of my life as well ;)

My husband and I love watching your videos. We watched you trained Mr. no name before we got our lab and my husband used everything from your videos. Family and everyone around us are always so impress with how well behaved our Lab is!! Thank you!!!

Stonnie - great video and I really don’t care to hear what the trolls think. I am on my 4 lab in 45 years and I really agree with the way you train. I have been to many training classes with my labs and your way makes a lot of sense to me. Can’t wait for the next video in the series.

Stonnie, that was amazing. No names is one fine animal. 😺😎👍👍

As they say in the north of England, ‘there’s nowt as funny as folk’ opinions will always vary on training styles and a good job too as it keeps us real and honest. Mr Noname is a stunner and the results speak for themselves. Keep up the good work Stonnie 👍🏼👍🏼

Positively awesome video and 2 beautiful Labradors too!

Ahh can't listen with Ruby rolling around all cute like that hahaha. :) Love this channel so much for the great information as well as the cute pups.

Thank you Stonnie. What you say at 2:53 about people getting frustrated and angry makes so much sense. It just seems like your first priority should be having a great experience with your dog and enjoying what you are doing together. If your training method can't meet that standard, what is the point? Having a finished hunting dog to get mad at isn't much better than having a dog you are getting mad at in training, so why not back up and commit to a positive experience first and then find a training method and activities that fit in with that? I'd rather do this than force fetch, so I'll be following along. If you are like me, you probably never get tired of hearing it, but it is a pure delight to watch Mr. No Namework with you. What a great dog!

Great video just the encouragement I needed to be a better owner, thank you!

Stonnie, We added two lab pups to our houshold about 11 days ago, both from the same litter. We are having super results already. House breaking was a snap. They haven't had an indoor problem in 7 days. They go with us on 2-3 walks a day and are already quite good on a show leash. They sit 100% and are doing well (as beginners) on wait. Both dogs are retreiving a dummy in the hallway. We've watched almost all of your dog videos 2-3 times, especially the lab videos. Certainly labs are easy to train but I know that much of this success comes from the knowledge and the positive approach put forth by you. Thank you very much.

Stonnie was waiting on all this time to finally show off Mr NN. And it paid off. I have to remember to enjoy the whole experience and not just most of it. I can get frustrated.

All what you said and showed is exactly how I learned it with my Labrador at the dog training school, the one small difference is I don't have to tell my brown one to stay, she is trained to keep the command until I lift it, I guess both ways work :D Even though we are not going to retrieve real birds, she is super reliable on bringing me things and it's just fun to work with her like that for the both of us. Keep up the great work!

Please bring back Coffee with Stonnie videos. They are entertaining and helpful. Your energy and enthusiasm makes the viewer a better trainer/person.

Okay stonnie I’ve trained my lab which we got under a barn lol for free just by watching your old videos from back in the day you’ve just given me some new stuff to work on 2019 was his first year hunting he did great thanks for all your teachings keep the retriever videos coming!

Love!! Applying Stonnie's vids to our shepherds is sooo fun!!! *SHARED!!*

I trained all of my dogs from Australian Shepherd, Pointer, Retriever, Hound, mix with this method Stonnie is teaching. It works with all of them even in high distraction environment.

Labrador Retrievers are well-known for their exceptional friendliness, which is a defining characteristic of the breed. They have a warm and outgoing nature, making them excellent companions for families, children, and individuals. Their friendly disposition extends not only to their human family members but also to strangers and other animals. Labradors are typically social and amiable, which contributes to their popularity as beloved pets and therapy animals. Their friendly demeanor, combined with intelligence and versatility, makes them a well-rounded and sought-after breed.

Nice points. I thank you and so does Little " Rhody."

a lot of my dog training success is due to your videos. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the help. Also, as a video editor, I appreciate so much the time and effort you put into making the informative videos Stonnie. I wish I could bring my pup out to visit you someday so she could get some real instruction. Keep up the good work friend.

Going to start using this with our 7 month old working lab. Great relaxed style of video! Thanks

This is very nice!

Awesome!!!!!❤❤❤

Mr No Name stays for so long! Such a good boy!

I am using this positive training technique for my lab 6 month old and am starting to continue it into hunting training so he can go hunting with my husband. (I still have to train my husband on the steps lol) It really works so well and nurtures a fantastic relationship with my pup, Rooster.

Something i need to try Thanks

you're just the best

Hi. I really enjoy your videos! I have trained all my labs threw classes and then after on my own but have never used a clicker. What one do you use or recommend? Unfortunately i just lost my chocolate a week ago- it has ben hard on me and my family after 12 and a half yrs! My black lab misses her sidekick as well- her name was missy-and we all miss her! Just wanted to say how much i like your videos-your training and your dogs! They are beautiful! Thank you!

Dude... super cool. I'm looking for a dog that can hunt with, but in all honesty, I camp more often than I hunt. These dogs seem perfect for all of it.

Hi Stonnie! Great video! What do you use for treats?

Fine work team :) Mr NN's looking in great shape, and eager for those treats ;) Also, Do u find irony in trolls with those initials ?

All I can say is positive training works! I've only had my pup for 2 weeks, she sits and stays. I toss her dummy and she doesn't move until I tell her to fetch it. Then she brings it right to my hand.

My 3 year old doberman is listening to you talk and whistle and interrupting his sleep, haha. He doesn't retrieve. It took a month after getting him for me to get him interested in going after a ball or even to run around. He's really settled in the past week and a half and we've been able to do more and go more places :) I'd like to teach him to bring me things at some point, as I want to train him to be my service dog, but it's not really his instinct, so I think it'd take more effort on both our parts.

Have you ever considered connecting with Bob Bailey? It would be great if you offered a seminar at one of his gatherings.

My Black Lab was a natural. The very first time I took him out hunting he went out. got the grouse and brought it directly back to me and dropped it at my feet. I was a little nervous when he ran off into the woods chasing the bird-----I was relieved when he came straight back with supper :)

This is nice to see. I am assuming that you still use E-Collars for distance work? It is nice to see a hunting person be willing to use something other than a Force-Fetch. I know it is the fastest method, but it is just so robot-making for the dogs. Also, may I say, as an pet/show/service dog trainer for the last 35 years, it is nice to watch you be nice to your dogs, and stress the importance of stopping on success. LITERALLY, the 3 biggest issues I face with people are tone of voice, training to failure, and repetition of commands. They then are shocked that the dog is burned out of whatever they had been doing, and when I tell them it's because they did it for the 25th time, when they should have stopped at 4, they tell me he was enjoying it.

I love your training method Where can I buy a whistle like you have from?

Great video. Do you have any experience training them to point out birds as well? Would love to see a video on that.

Great video, I'm going to make my Lab watch it until she is as proficient as Mr. No Name.

Hey Stonnie! I have a question. In your backyard you have a lot of dogs so the dogs will automatically socialize with the others. But how could the average dog/puppy experience the same environment? Should the owners' take the dog to the dog park everyday?

First Stonnie, I love how you kept the name Mr No Name. I have seen some of your other videos where you introduce and work up to the retrieve. I haven't seen a video on how you train holding the dummy. Are you going to show that in another episode of this series? I haven't worked hard with my dog on retrieving but he often, especially when retrieving from water, drops the dummy at the edge of the water before getting all the way to me. I would like to see how you introduce the hold part into the fetch equation, maybe with the puppy you had in the beginning. Thanks as always for your videos. I wish I lived closer and could afford you.

Wow, an instructional video, on a method to build retriever skills, that is clear, concise and demonstrated to be reliable. Takeaways: 1) Mr No Name waiting patiently on the ATV while Ruby is doing her reps, without so much as a glance from Stonnie 2) Using Ruby’s prey instincts to get her excited about fetching the dummy 3) Patients and emotional leadership with Ruby and Mr No Name 4) Wings to the dummy to keep excitement up 5) Leaving Ruby hungry for more reps is fantastic. Technique I’ve used to teach golf to a child. 6) Mr No Name’s enthusiasm to perform retrieves for his “boss” 7) I counted at least 9 drills to progress your dogs skills to retrieve in a 15:00 video!!! 8) I noticed on the 3 dummy drill w Mr No Name you blew the whistle as soon as he clearly had the dummy gathered. Is that part of the technique? 9) Nice rifle 10) Excellent video, many thanks Stonnie!!!

Hey Stonnie, what's your method to keep a retriever from breaking on a mark? My lab will sit and stay while I place blinds up to 100 yards out, but if I toss a mark, and I'm not holding him with a leash, he breaks every time. I've heard people say "don't let him break, ever", and I've done that, holding him with the leash when I throw marks with balls or bumpers. But after doing this for weeks, and now months, If I throw a mark without the leash on him, he still breaks for it, without hesitation, every time...Any ideas?

nice

Sons Chocolate lab has been hunting with us for a couple of years. No formal training other than fetch. We took Rainer quail hunting last year. All of sudden he realized he could make the birds fly when he found them, then he could grab them when he heard a shot, and got a treat when he brought the bird to us. Took him duck hunting and same behavior except the swimming part. He will prematurely jump in the water

Where did you get your vest from? What's it called?

Good dog.

good advices. thank you. screw trolls.

I have a 12 week old lab pup and have been training her basic commands. Should I be starting retrieving training now or just keep it fun?

I have golden retriever . How to avoid his jumping when some one comes home

What do you use for treats?

Mr. No Name is one fine animal.🐾. I watched him more than Ruby and Stonnie.

I have a little problem with my 4 month old puppy. She does fine enough at the dog park but I cant get her past three houses when I go on a walk without her quitting on me and wanting to go home. I keep trying and hoping one of these times to make it around the block. Treats only get her about 5 ft further per treat. Is this something that just requires trying or is there something I can do different? It doesn't matter what direction we go, she goes the same distance before wanting to go home. If we get to far the treats don't work anymore. I doubt it matters but she is half ridgeback half lab. I'm not looking to make her walk her exercise as much as something to get her out out of the house for a bit when its late or early for the park. I've been stuck on this walking issue for about a month with little to no success or improvement.

My dog hurt his knee and we were not able to get out and work. His retrieving is terrible now. What can I do to get him back into it?

'Don't be blamin' me for your lack of patience' THIS GUY KNOWS THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU!!

If your dog gets confused when on a far fetch how do you go about getting his attention and redirecting him is it single whistle for hand commands or is there a different way you train cheers stonnie

Do you have pointing videos? My pointer can find em and flush them but doesn't like pointing a ton. But will bring me a dead bird from a sage brush field in pitch black night. Her nose is amazing but she's mega high strung. I think I'll let her be and work on pointing with a bird launcher slowly. Not being mean about it.

Any suggestions on my 1 year 4 month lab He is started HRC But dove hunting he eats the doves?

Wut kind of dog food are you feeding your labs

Are Golden Retrievers similar? What are their characteristics and behaviors I should expect?

That's a good dog

stonnie can you address how you would get a dog to retrieve when the dog is gassed or for some reason unwilling to retrieve. I'm not questioning the method because I use your methods with slight variations and I know how I do it, but I feel like that is what your trolls are looking for you to answer when they say reliability of the retrieve.

Hello! How did you train him to hold? My lab is quiet good with retrieving ( done with positive reinforcement) i can't teach him to hold thing!! He will just grabs it from my hands and drop it after few seconds..

That blk lab I love him so much lmao I love labs sooooooo much. I wanna hug his head

Stonie I’ve got pup he’s a black Lab with a hint of boxer in his DNA is this pup; Not gonna be a good duck hunting dog? He has a little interest in fetching the Dokken dummy and I keep praising him but he loses interest after a few throws. I’m struggling to find any predatory instinct in him. If I could just get a live pigeon

Any tips on how to teach your lab not to tug on the dummy and release it reliably?

🤣🤣🤣 Hey Larry

hi im franklin wow much smort

It is frustrating that I can only put 1 “like”

Ruby must be half lab half ridgeback😄

my dog will give it back but as soon as he picks up the bumper till the time he gives it back hes chewing on it like a madman

They are not machines make positive and fun

larry quit being a troll...lol

you said tha fastest way to teach nothing is to teach everything what does it means

Hey Stonnie. I’m getting a black lab retriever bitch next week. What would you call her ?

Thats me, too much at once

Troll Larry believing that his way is the only way, if only dogs were robots maybe that would be true. 🤖🤖🤖

Your critics should, by now I guess, be making a FORTUNE off of training the dogs you fail with your methods. :)

Lately there's been some talk about Goldendoodles being overbroad. What is your opinion on the subject? I have trained 3 of them in the last year, and find they are not as smart as they were touted to be.. I think all this over breeding has watered down all their best qualities. The intelligence of the poodle is just not there, the willingness to please of the golden and easygoing manner of both breeds just has gotten so watered down, it's pathetic. What's going on?? STOP just throwing these 2 breeds together for the fun of it, or should I say the stupidity of it!!!!