Lab Puppy

[Jlhutnick]

Hi mt name is Jenny and i just got a 13 week old femal black lab puppy. I am interested in duck hunting with her although i have absolutly no eperience in training dogs. I was just looking for some advice on what to do to get started. Should I send her to a training program? Should I try and train her myself? Does anybody know any trainers in the central florida area?

I have been trying to teach her basic obedience commands such as sit, stay, and basic retrieving but its seems like she is uninterested in learning at this point.
I have bought a Gun Dog training video from bass pro by Tom Dokken and it is pretty broad.

Im up for any advice!

Thank You

[Del Lolo]

IMO, you can't beat the SmartWork series of books and DVDs.
They are very "newb trainer" friendly and very complete.

.

[EvanG]

We've made every effort to assemble the most detailed, easy to follow program. Please let me know anytime I can be of help.

EvanG

[Double Shot Banks]

There's a thousand ways to skin a cat, and train a dog.
I have heard good things about Smartworks, but myself am following the $10 book by Tom Dokken. Training my first dog now too.
You can check out some videos i posted, dogs doing good so far.
Isaac and Banks

[Brazosvalleyvizslas]

you get what you pay for. Is Dokken on this forum following up or helping?

[Double Shot Banks]

you get what you pay for. Is Dokken on this forum following up or helping?

Your right, he is not. Obviously
But that doesn't mean you should go out and find what costs the most and buy it, thats why he is asking us and i simply said i had good luck with Dokken's book and it was recommended to me from someone on the forum.
Isaac and Banks

[Del Lolo]

you get what you pay for. Is Dokken on this forum following up or helping?

But that doesn't mean you should go out and find what costs the most and buy it,

thats why he is asking us
.
Isaac and Banks

Brazos is right.
Double Shot : That means you shouold get the best (most or least expensive is irrevelant) and go with it
Do you really think that "Jenny" is a guy?

[Double Shot Banks]

Your all right, go buy smartworks if you want a good hunting dog.
But the thing i do know is no matter what program you have its the time, and effort you put in that makes a dog.

I am totally clueless to who "Jenny" is
Isaac and Banks

[808allday]

Congrats on your pup! Unless you really don't have the time to spend with your dog to do training I will always suggest training the dog yourself. Training your dog is kind of counter intuitive in the way that you actually need to train yourself to train the dog if you want the dog to succeed. Let me encourage you to do as much research and reading/DVD watching as possible. The Dokken books and DVD's are what I started with but I really like and recommend the retriever fever series. There are tons of good dvd's out there, I would suggest reading up on the trainer and finding one who's system you like best. (Although most are pretty similar, but presentation can mean a world of difference.) If you are looking for a professional trainer for help I've found that if you email or call the nearest lab kennels they have some very good, sound trainers they can recommend and many top breeders are also trainers. Hope some of this helps and good luck! Having a lab is one of the best, memorable experiences I've had with dogs

[Del Lolo]

I am totally clueless to who "Jenny" is
thats why he is asking us

Isaac and Banks

Jenny is not a guy's name.

[RoostersMom]

Jenny,

Welcome to the site - from one gal to another. First thing - find a local retriever training club - you'll learn a lot (probably what not to do too) and you'll have access to training facilities and supplies. As for programs, I have used the Smartworks series successfully with our newest chessie. The bonus to using that series is that Evan is on this site and he very much does respond to request if you get stuck on some part of the program. It is a (to steal another poster's description) modern, sequential training aid for you to use. It was easy for me to follow.

Isaac makes a good point - it's sure a lot about how much time and energy you want to put into the dog. If you enjoy working with your dog, then you should train him yourself. If it becomes a chore and you're not really interested in the process, then by all means, find a good retriever trainer (doesn't matter where they are - dogs and people can easily travel) that you share a training philosophy with. Send him there and let them have the dog long enough to get results.

Good luck with your pup! And don't hesitate to ask questions on here.

Elsa

[Double Shot Banks]

I am totally clueless to who "Jenny" is
thats why he is asking us

Isaac and Banks

Jenny is not a guy's name.

I understand....i apologize for not looking in the paragraph to find the name, i looked at all the usernames and had no clue who you were referring to as jenny. Again i'm sorry i didn't see who you were talking about.
Isaac and Banks

[bumper52]

get Smartwork!!! best money you will ever invest in your pup!!!! for now, just two short 5 minute training sessions daily....work on sit....maybe a couple of controlled retrieves in a hallway.....use paint roller or rolled up sock....get the dog excited, but don't over do it!!! take the dog for walks on lead and plenty of socialization...also, a lot can be accomplished at feeding time, such as sit, here, kennel, etc. You may not think your pup is learning but it is...trust me....just be consistent and above all....let the dog be a pup!!! Good luck

[asimon]

Is it really that big of a deal if he accidently called Jenny a "he". Seems to me like there is a lot of irrelevant nit picking going on.

[Double Shot Banks]

Is it really that big of a deal if he accidently called Jenny a "he". Seems to me like there is a lot of irrelevant nit picking going on.

I did not read the paragraph recently when i referred to jenny as "he" and had to read all the posts to figure out what i had done,

They were just guiding my to success

Isaac and Banks

[armand]

best of luck however you decide.