I just googled Jim Closson, the new trainer Leerburg introduced in their recent video release. I think I met this person at MES sometime ago. I'm really surprised (and HUGELY disappointed) that LB has aligned themselves with a SIT MEANS SIT franchisee. As a labrador owner I was very much interested in seeing field training the "Leerburg" way, but you can bet I won't be buying any of these videos.

Tanya

Leerburg is in no way shape or form associated with Sit means Sit, and never will be. Jim is doing the course with us separate from his other business ventures.

The training in the course goes right along with the balanced training methods we use with our dogs. We are doing the puppy foundation course with Jim and plan to do the next course with him as well. we are also going to be redoing our Retrieve DVD with Michael Ellis along with an online course, that will fit in well with the development courses that Jim is doing.

The goal of the course is to teach people that the old school barbaric training methods commonly associated with hunting dogs are unfair and obsolete. We had Jim out last week to film the lecture portion of the course and have been collecting the demo footage for the past 5 or 6 months. I think that you will be presently surprised by the quality of training in the course. We will launch an interactive course within the next month or so and once that runs through and we answer any questions that come up we will be converting the material into a dvd and self-study course.

Both Michael and I have labs from Jims breeding program. We were beyond impressed with he quality of dogs he was breeding and the level of drive in his puppies. This all came about from Michael getting his lab than I got mine after seeing Michaels.

Michael and I discussed how to market our training methods to the hunting dog community. We felt that in order for them to except Michaels methods we needed to break the ice with someone like Jim. I do not think that they would be as open to listing to Michael with his long hair and laid back demeanor if they were not pre exposed to it with someone wearing camouflage shirts and actually hunting.

Long story short Michael has no interest in hunting. I hunted a lot as a kid but after 8 years in the army I would rather take pictures of animals rather than kill them. (Not saying I’m against hunting, I still hunt, I am just not as into it as I once was) Which is why in order to do this right we needed someone who was already actively training in the hunting dog community. Jim was the perfect fit, he and all of his trainers have been through all of Michaels schools and train in the same way we do.

We filmed a 30 minute interview with My dad and Jim that will go out in our newsletter in 2 weeks. I would recommend taking a look at it that when it comes out, to get a better feel for the what is going to be in this course.

Jeff Frawley

Hi Jeff,

I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to my post, and I understand LB’s logic in not making a ME gun dog video (not to mention Michael’s lack of desire); however, I’m still having a difficult time reconciling your choice of a SIT MEANS SIT franchisee.

As you know, the SMS training methodology requires the use of exclusive SMS “training” collar – in other words, an e-collar. Although I do not have first-hand experience with SMS, I do know Fred Hassen blocked me from his FB page when I commented on one of his “training” videos that showed him heeling his Labrador Retriever, Finn, through a dog park while other dogs were nipping and barking at him as Fred continued to burn him to prompt him to stay in the heel position. It was obvious the dog was under stress and Fred didn't care; all he wanted was to show his dog "under control" despite the distractions. (unbeknownst to most I have first hand info on what happened with that dog and if you would like to know more please feel free to PM me). While I am fully aware not all SMS trainers may or may not endorse Fred’s tactics, they do endorse his franchise name and continue to profit from the advertising and training of SMS. Personally I’m surprised that LB chose to align themselves with a franchise (I realize you aren’t affiliated however, to an inexperienced person it does look like there is a LB/SMS connection.)

I do recall briefly observing John at MES a few years ago. At the time I was really surprised he was attending Michael’s ecollar class, let alone the whole curriculum. Yes, he does breed some nice pups – I’ve seem Michael’s and Lindsay’s and your Sonny, but that doesn’t make him a sound trainer in my opinion.

I wish the endeavor well, but I’ll be forever disappointed that Michael chose not to do a gun dog DVD.

He's not the perfect fit if he's tossing his ethics out the window to train the SMS way and be connected to that dog abuser Fred Hassen.

I'm with Tanya. SMS affiliation is unacceptable to me.

Fred the fryer!

That about sums it up, Bob! His training videos are beyond horrible.

There is a pretty long back story of how Jim came into his SMS business, that I would not feel comfortable discussing in a public forum.

So without stepping on any toes all I will say is that Jim runs a successful pet dog training business using the same system of training we advocate. All of his trainers attend Michaels school in CA. He does not push excessive e-collar use, and in fact does all his training during the learning phase through motivation exactly how we do. I really would not feel comfortable getting into any more details simply because we are not associated with that portion of Jims business. The name on the door has nothing to do with the training he is conducting.

So before jumping to any conclusions I only ask you wait for a bit and allow the material to speak for itself. Jim is a great guy who is doing great training and I think you will agree once you see the material.

And as for Fred, he was blocked from the Leerburg msg board years ago...

FH is a blight to the dog world.

I believe you when you say the shingle that hangs outside the door does not represent the training inside. Why else would Jim be attending MES... OTOH, the retriever world is a tough venue to crack; any affiliation with SMS will not be well received despite great reviews. All one has to do is google Jim's name and SMS pops up everywhere. Retriever folk are not kind, in fact they are probably the most opinionated unforgiving group; if you want your arse handed to you go talk to the retriever crowd!

--- adding: well after a little more research checking out Jim's FB page and seeing what he is promoting, I'm disgusted. He continues to promote horrible SMS training and that is totally unacceptable to me.

Personally, I'm really happy throwing Robert Milner's name out there when it comes to gun dog training.

Jeff, your reply is more then good enough for me to look forward to Jim's involvement with LB!