Meet Will Fletcher
- Former Marine Corps IED Detection Dog Handler with multiple deployments
- Former Instructor/Trainer and Team Leader for Auburn University Canine Detection and Training Center
- Various apprenticeships with Professional Retriever Trainers across the United States
- Studied canine behavior under the mentorship of Dave Taylor of Cedar Valley Canine
- MY UNIQUE SKILL is being able to find effective ways to communicate with dogs. I find great fulfillment in helping these dogs who don’t stand a chance without us!
- MY PASSION is studying canine behavior and understanding how it can be manipulated in order to help the canine reach its utmost individual potential in any desired discipline.
- MY FIRST LOVE is retriever work, and I’ve titled many individual AKC and UKC retrievers.
MY CAREER started as an infantryman for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. We were searching for effective ways to defeat IEDs by clearing roadways, searching suspicious rubble piles, vehicles, and people. The marines needed to create a distance from these risks to create a safer working environment.
The Marine Corp highlighted a dog that the infantrymen could handle under combat conditions… a simple dog that could operate off-leash and didn’t mind the sound of gunfire: enter, the labrador retriever.
Because of their incredible abilities in scent discrimination and biddability, these labs kept themselves and us safe. In fact, my dog saved my life about a dozen times.
I spent the next several years understanding dogs and learning how to train them as a “thank you” to their existence.
They bring so much love and pleasure to my life, and I find fulfillment in teaching them to thrive in our lifestyle, behave properly, and be a member of our family. It’s the least we can do!
