Duckhill Kennels

The Puppy Headstart program, for puppies aged 8 to 16 weeks, focuses on developing the learning process, self-control, core behavioral skills, and desensitization/adaptation skills to new environments. Core behavioral skills include calmness and steadiness in high distraction environments, retrieving and delivery to hand, sniff and sit, hunting on rubble piles, whistle stops, and directional casts. Puppies are exposed to various sights and sounds, including gunfire, combat noises, heavy equipment, emergency vehicles, multiple obstacles and terrains, unsteady footing, boats, dark confined spaces, groups and crowds of people, urban areas, and vehicle traffic. All headstart puppies are prepared for gundog, Urban Search and Rescue, or explosive detection careers.

They also offer monthly Gundog Training Seminars. Robert Milner develops and shares simplified, gentle training techniques and protocols on their website in written and video formats.

Pricing Summary

The cost of the Puppy Headstart program is included in the price of the puppy. A deposit of $500 is required to reserve a puppy.

Duckhill Kennels specializes in breeding and training British Labradors, focusing on temperament, behavior, and trainability. They emphasize gentle, positive training methods, aiming to produce dogs that are calm, easy to train, and naturally retrieve to hand. Robert Milner, the founder, pioneered gentle retriever training and brought British Labradors to the U.S. in the early 1980s.

Their breeding program selects for hunting and game-finding initiative, calm demeanor, intelligence, ease of training, and natural delivery to hand. They offer a Puppy Headstart program designed to maximize learning during the first six months of a puppy’s life, preparing them for careers as gundogs, Urban Search and Rescue dogs, or explosive detection dogs.

Duckhill Kennels also serves as a laboratory to develop and improve training processes, with a primary goal of removing force and replacing it with operant conditioning/positive reinforcement techniques. They aim to empower the average hunter to train their retriever into an excellent gundog.

Accomplishments

Robert Milner founded Wildrose Kennels in 1972, where he trained gundogs and field trial dogs, including two Field Champions. He pioneered gentle retriever training and imported the first British Labradors to the U.S. in 1983. He sold Wildrose Kennels in 1995 and subsequently founded Duckhill Kennels in 2007 to continue breeding and training dogs for gundog, scent detection, and disaster search work, emphasizing force-free methods.

He is the author of “Retriever Training for the Duck Hunter,” “Retriever Training, A Back to Basics Approach,” and “A Disaster Search Dog Training Manual (FEMA).” He designed and implemented the Disaster Search dog program for FEMA’s Tennessee Task Force One, serving as Program Manager, Canine Manager, and Task Force Leader. His disaster response experience includes the Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City, Columbia Space Shuttle Recovery, and Hurricanes Francis, Ophelia, Ivan, and Rita.

How to Get Started!

For puppy availability and upcoming litters, or general inquiries, clients should contact Mauri at +1-901-846-6119 or mauri@duckhillkennels.com. For inquiries about started or finished working dogs, the same contact information applies. They highly recommend that customers pick up their puppy in conjunction with attending one of their monthly Gundog Training Seminars.