New Pup

[pinehawker]

Ok, just got a new lab, 8wks. Where do i start. have a canvas dummy been throwing it out but its too thick for him to grab but hes trying. been running in the yard calling him and calling come come come. This is all new to me at this age where and what should i be doing with him. should i put scent on the dummy at this age?

[topher40]

Do some looking around here and keep asking questions, this has been covered many times. Teach him his name, come, and crate training if that applies to your situation.

[pinehawker]

been working on the name, come, and crate, only had the dog for a couple days but trying to get some sort of outline

[nitrex]

I would start by a lot of socializing and then intoducing the dog to birds and then guns. Keep things fun and upbeat at this point. I would recommend George Hickox's DVD on training the upland (flushing) dog (I am assuming this is not a pointing lab?). If he is a pointing lab, try the Hickox video on training pointing dogs. They are great.

Nitrex

[Kmack]

8-weeks... You should be teaching that pup that spending time with you is the most fun thing in the world.
8-weeks... You should be teaching that pup that getting out there and discovering things on his own is the most fun thing in the world.

That's all I can think of...

[kylenicholas02]

Hey Topher,
Dont those three commands apply to everyone, I hate hunting with a guy whose dogs dont kennel, here, and whoa... aghhhh

[ezzy333]

Hey Topher,
Dont those three commands apply to everyone, I hate hunting with a guy whose dogs dont kennel, here, and whoa... aghhhh

I am not sure those three commands areused much while hunting. I guess when you are through you may want the dog to kennel if you have crates they can get into and of course a dog needs to come sometimes too but in most cases it is when you are through or wanting to rest. I do understand whoa if the dog needs to be stopped at some point but I also know many people train for silent hunting.

To me those commands are more for control in the yard than they would be in the field. I agree they need to know them but I don't use them much when the dogs are working.

Ezzy

[kylenicholas02]

I read in a recent PDJ article, "if you cant control the dog in the kennel, how are you going to control it in the field?" In my opinion the same goes for the yard.. ie. if you cant control your dog in the yard, how are you going to control the dog in the field?

I disagree with you that these arent command you use while. This is the question posed, "Is the hunt, only the time when you kill birds or is it the entire experience?" I know for myself, and the individuals I enjoy running dogs with, our dogs are right at home sitting around bs-ing with us after the "hunt."

As far as silent hunting goes, I train my dogs to the whistle so after hunting day in and day out, my voice isn't exhausted and I personally believe the dog responds more consistently to the whistle because the tone varies less than the human voice.

[crackerd]

The short answer is you need training at this stage more than the puppy at its age. Glom onto a copy of Cherylon Loveland's retriever puppy book pronto and you'll get all the answers both for yourself and your pup.

MG

[topher40]

Do some looking around here and keep asking questions, this has been covered many times. Teach him his name, come, and crate training if that applies to your situation.

Hey Topher,
Dont those three commands apply to everyone, I hate hunting with a guy whose dogs dont kennel, here, and whoa... aghhhh

Just to keep things clear.....I didnt mention anything about whoa. This word shouldnt even be whispered around the dog at this point. I do agree however that I also hate hunting with and out of control dog. Usually those are the dogs that hunt by themselves, (without any of mine on the ground to help), in the birdless fields. If the dog cant be controlled by his handler then why would I put them on birds?