Vincent grew up in Nashville, TN with a love for adventure and the outdoors. As an avid hunter from deer to waterfowl, it was hard to keep him out of the woods growing up. "There is just something about being in God's country that makes me come alive and just appreciate His creation". As he was introduced to waterfowl through a friend, he knew he needed a retriever of his own, and that's when he would get his first retriever, a Boykin Spaniel named "Rebel". His retriever training story starts here!
Meet Your Trainer
Vincent and Rome
Vincent Fields, Professional Retriever Trainer and Owner
In Memory of My Best Friend
5/23/12 to 3/20/14
Rebel with his first Junior Pass
In 2009, Vincent headed west to Northern Mississippi to become part of a packaging company team. After just a year he realized packaging wasn't what he saw himself doing as a career and started his own business in landscape contracting. As he was growing his business he came to know many people he still calls friends today. One friend in particular that stood out, because of his love for hunting, like Vincent, was Chris Laughter. Chris introduced him to waterfowl hunting and as most people become after just one season, Vincent became addicted to waterfowl hunting. Before the 2009 season, Vincent got his first retriever Rebel, a Boykin Spaniel out of Starkville, MS. He began training his pup and reading up on everything he could find for training retrievers, including watching numerous training DVD's. He continued to train and take Rebel hunting into the 2009 waterfowl season. As they say "Practice Makes Perfect," field experience paid off and at just 8 months his boykin was retrieving snow geese in AR for the snow goose conservation season. Chris and Vincent shared many hunts with other friends and their 2009 waterfowl season will never be forgotten.
Vincent continued to train day after day. He found the Mid-South Hunting Retriever Club (MSHRC) in Memphis, TN. There he was able to meet many like minded people. It was right before he joined this club that he decided he wanted to compete his "Little Brown Dog" in hunt tests to get Rebel titled. Vincent met other club members and helped in AKC Hunt Tests hosted by MSHRC where he learned the in's and out's of hunt test events.
Vincent began to help a member of MSHRC, Jeremy Cantrell, owner of Big River Retrievers in MS, an experienced pro-trainer. Mr. Cantrell offered advice to him for training his own retriever and Vincent used every Bird Boy Session as a learning oppertunity. Vincent worked with Mr. Cantrell for 2 years.
Vincent embraced a great deal of the trade with Rebel for those brief 2 years. Due to an uncontrolable incident, Rebel passed early in his training career. This was a hard loss for Vincent, but he was determined to continue in the field. A short timer later, he purchased another Boykin named "Rome". Vincent sold his landscape business and moved back to his home town in Lebanon, TN, just 30 minutes East of Nashville, TN. One year later he started this business out of the passion he has for training retrievers. It came to be named Extreme Retriever Kennels. Now the business is Located in Lincolnton, GA just outside Augusta, GA. The rest is history!
Vincent proudly invites you and your retriever to come MAKE History with him as he continues to advance to become one of top retriever trainers and handlers in the country. He says one of his biggest goals is to compete in the National Derby Championship and the National Open Championship. "One day I'll be competing against the Top Trainers and Retrievers in the country".