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#028 What separates truly elite dog trainers from the rest? Clark Kennington pulls back the curtain on 20 years of success in the competitive retriever world, revealing that psychological understanding might matter more than traditional pressure-based methods.

As a two-time SRS Crown Champion with over 100 Grand passes to his credit, Kennington explains how the retriever game has evolved dramatically over two decades. Today's better-bred, more intelligent dogs respond to fundamentally different training approaches than their predecessors. "They don't require the use of pressure that they did 20 years ago," he explains, highlighting how the best trainers steadily adapt their methods to match this evolution.

Kennington's most powerful insights revolve around building genuine connections with each dog. Unlike trainers who maintain strict emotional boundaries, he becomes each dog's "biggest cheerleader." This relationship-based approach extends to competition situations, where his pre-run ritual might surprise many handlers: "If I'm in the holding blind about to go run a dog, it's not uncommon for me to have that dog laid over on its back and me rubbing its belly." This counterintuitive approach creates relaxed, confident dogs that perform at their peak.

Drawing from his experience in both retriever work and protection dog training, Kennington articulates a philosophy that emphasizes psychological understanding over dominance: "I want the dog to do the right thing because it wants to do the right thing, more so than I want it to do the right thing because it fears doing the wrong thing." This perspective, coupled with his insights on maintaining consistent standards appropriate to each dog's developmental stage, offers a blueprint for handlers seeking to elevate their training approach.

Whether you're competing at elite levels or simply want to improve your hunting companion's performance, Kennington's balanced methods provide a roadmap for building better relationships and achieving better results with your retriever. Visit www.thehunttestguide.com to learn directly from Clark through instructional videos, courses, and regular Q&A sessions designed for handlers at all experience levels.

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