I used a small white paint roller as the dummy and showed it to my pup and let him get interested. I tossed it a short distance and he took off right after it. He picked it right up, turned around, ran right back to me and jumped in my lap. He received a lot of praise and he was loving it. I gave him 4 or 5 retrieves before calling it a day. He definitely wanted more. He performed like he had been doing it for years. I let him hold the roller for a little bit rather than just taking it. He mouthed it a bit but retrieved like a champ.
The next day I decided to try a water intro. We took him to a small local lake with a little launch for canoes and kayaks. I walked in the water and my wife was still on land. I expected both of us would need to get in and coax him slowly into the water. Before she could set foot in the water he had jumped right in after me. I walked in a little deeper and he got to the point where he couldn't touch the bottom. Without a pause he took off swimming. Again, he looked like he had been doin this for years.
I know we have a long way to go yet but I've got to say that I'm really proud of the little guy.
I know this may not seem like a big deal but this being my first gun dog I feel like I'm allowed to get excited over the little things.
