Is it Possible?

[Nate K]

OK

My pup is gonna be 10 weeks on Sunday and to this point she has the house thing down.

Gotta go potty- She sits by the door to go out.
Time to eat- She sits by her bowl until I tell her to eat.
Bed Time- She goes to the kennel (she is actually napping in the kennel as I type this (door is open)and doesn't cry at all.

But in the field she is different. She cries a lot when we are walking around the fields. She never looks like she is having fun or wants to be there. Today as soon as she saw the truck she bolted for it and sat by the door waiting to leave.

I know she is still young but is it possible she just has no interest in the outdoors? I am hoping it is just because it is still a little cold and snow on the ground. Hoping next month once the snow is gone and temps rise she will want to spend more time outdoors.

In the meantime what should I do:

1. Keep taking her out and hope it grows on her?
2. Stop taking her out in fear of boring her to death with it?

[DonF]

have you let her got lost in the field on you? how about cover, how did you get her in that, if at all? Sounds like an awfully laid back dog. Take her for walks where there is no chance of losing her and slowly, as she get's comfortable, take her toward cover, very light cover until she's used to it. Let her decide how much she's willing to chew off.

[Trekmoor]

Like Don I am a bit worried that you have been taking a 10 week old pup into places it shouldn't orter be yet. I might be getting worried at 20 weeks but not at 10 weeks , the pup is a canine baby, give her a break.

Bill T.

[Nate K]

Never been lost. She won't go more than 20 feet from me and usually she is right at my side.

If I stop and sit down she will pretty much stay in the area I am in. She will sniff around a little but she don't show any interest in exploring beyond a 20 foot area around where I am.

We have not done anything with cover. We have been sticking to open fields and logging trails.

[Nate K]

Here is a picture of the terrain we are in.

[Winchey]

seems normal to me.

[Nate K]

seems normal to me.

Was hoping so. I told the Mrs's today that I think anything under 4 months is a little to early to tell. But figured I would ask just in case.

[DonF]

I'd give it time. have you thrown a bird down for it with it's wings tied down?

[Nate K]

Have not done any bird work. She has been given pheasant wings though.

[mountaindogs]

Some dogs are more laid back and more owner focused. It's a wonderful thing in a retriever to have a puppy that is focused so intently on you. A good time to introduce stay concepts in the home for reward only! Usually these focused puppies can learn "intro" commands quickly for reward. Google: Pat Nolan for some ideas there.

Keep the cover light the days warm (good luck with this one) and the outings short. Maybe "hide" a few pieces of food around and let pup sniff around and find something fun. Don't tell pup to find it, act as if you didn't even know about it. Take a book and sit in a sunny warm spot (in a chair so pup doesn't climb back to your lap) for 5 -10 minutes with a few hidden treats for pup to discover. Be patient and if you are hoping for a flushing dog be GLAD that you don't have a pup with pointing dog range

It's all growing up and fun times at this age. Even the learning is cleaverly disguised as fun times.

[ezzy333]

This isn't a dog we are talking about but a puppy that is only 2 weeks away from it's mother. Walks are fine as long as there is no expectations and you keep your mouth shut. But right now this pup needs to figure out what it can do, where it can do it, when it should do it, and why it should do it. The answer is it doesn't know yet but given the opportunity it will figure it out. At ten weeks I would be happy as I could be if the pup wants to play and get into things. A few more weeks maybe it will start getting some answers.

Ezzy

[Redfishkilla]

Plant a bird for it.....build excitement for birds....this should solve the issue. I think that pup should think there's birds out there.

[EvanG]

OK

My pup is gonna be 10 weeks on Sunday ...

1. Keep taking her out and hope it grows on her?
2. Stop taking her out in fear of boring her to death with it?

First, she's only 10 weeks old. It's awefully early require to as much obedience as you currently are with a pup, Lab or not. She needs to learn life is good - anywhere - and that she can always trust and rely on you. 2 or 3 retrieves per session at the most. Take her for walks in new places often, but carry her for a while, petting her and speaking gently to her before stopping, putting her on the ground and soothingly petting her before walking on. In other words, all new exposure to new places and things should be done sequentially and patiently.

Do you have a good puppy program to follow?



EvanG

[Wenaha]

I think you have a very young pup and a bit timid. Don't do anything with her and birds yet... if she has a bad experience (the bird frightens her, or whatever) you will have created a serious problem for no good reason. Give her time, very short walks with lots of play time on a level surface with no cover - maybe a lawn.

She's a baby, don't push her.

[myerstenn]

You are expecting to much to soon,!!

[Nate K]

OK guys I am not so much "expecting" as just asking a question.

I have not done any retrieves with her and she has never seen a bird (does have and enjoys pheasant wings).

She has never been in cover and we have never spent more than a hour in the field. And by field I mean just that (corn field or just grass) She has never been out of reach or sight of me.

She is well socialized with people and other dogs and she shows no fear of people or other dogs at all. I do agree she is very timid and I take that into consideration with everything we do.

I was told by the breeder to start her on basic commands (sit, stay, come) right away and she has taken to them pretty well.

I have purchased Grahams Smartwork Puppy Program.

[buckeyebowman]

It's a great big, scary world out there, and you are the leader of her "pack". Nothing at all unusual here. Time, time and more time. Patience, patience, and more patience. And plenty of love. When I got my first Springer I started taking it out to the field right away. Not training, just to take a walk and acclimate the pup to the environment. The very first time out I noticed the pup seemed timid and unsure of itself, and I realized just how small that little guy looked out in all that acreage. So, I picked him up, loved him up, put him back in the truck and went to a place where there was a strip of mowed grass alongside a weed field. We'd just hang out and play at first. Then, I began to slowly amble my way down the strip and the pup came with me. In a little while the pup started moving out front, eventually casting very naturally from right to left about 30-40 yards out. Finally he started exhibiting curiosity about what might be out there in the "big weeds", making short forays into it. I'm thinking this is pretty cool.

That's when I kicked it up a notch, finding some cover that wasn't too daunting, but still thicker, and we started taking walks there. Mind you, the only "training" I've been doing has been socialization, and basic household behavior and discipline, come, sit, say, heel, no and the like. We're coming back from our walk and the pup finds a patch of really soft, fluffy grass and starts flinging itself into the grass, and giving me that goofy puppy look that says "I'm really happy!" You know, mouth wide open, tongue lolling out, and the tail wagging like crazy! I'm thinking this is pretty cool, and also that it's time! I had hidden a pheasant wing in the back of the truck, and when the pup was distracted I took it out and flipped it into a clump of weeds away from him. I know this isn't chapter and verse from the better dog books, but I was a newb and trying to figure it out for myself. After all, I didn't even know if the dog was "birdy" yet. Luckily, I kept my yap shut and didn't try to help the pup find the wing. I let him do it himself. Eventually he swung downwind of that wing and HOLY COW! He about wagged that little stub tail right off his butt! I let him find the wing and examine it. Finally, he picked it up and brought it to me shaking like Beyonce' at the Super Bowl! He was so proud of himself! I was proud of him to.

It was then that I knew I had a bird dog! And it was then, and only then, that our training became specifically focused on birds and hunting!

[onuhunter02]

Are there any other dogs that she enjoys being around? When I take my puppy out to new areas (meaning outside of the norm from day to day life) I take my lab with me and it seems to ease her a little. She is a lot more playful and you can tell she is less worried I think because she knows it can be fun. Just a theory.

[4dabirds]

http://www.georgehickox.com/articles%20 ... 0Weeks.pdf This might help you. Only Introduce a bird to the dog with a locked wing pigeon. The Last thing you need is a Bird dog that is afraid of birds because it was not ready. Take your time it is a long haul.