General dog training questions

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Aamolina23
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General dog training questions

Post by Aamolina23 » Fri Jun 06, 2014 2:36 pm

How's it going guys I just registered to this forum and am a beginner in gun dog training and have a couple questions, I have a yellow lab pup That's 4 months old and my wife picked him up while I was stationed in California now I'm home to start his training the following questions I have are
1- since she has been with him he's really attached to her and I can understand why but what can I do to get the seporation so I can work with him and listens to me?
2- he is fetching very well but he has started to grab the toy and kinda run off with it how can I fix this?
3-what's the best way to start training him to stay while I throw the dummy?
Thanks for your guys help!!!!!!!

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Sharon
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Re: General dog training questions

Post by Sharon » Fri Jun 06, 2014 3:22 pm

Welcome to the forum.

1/ Be the only one who feeds him anything, including treats.

2/3/

Get a good retriever training programme and start him off at page 1. :)
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Re: General dog training questions

Post by reba » Fri Jun 06, 2014 4:40 pm

Get the book Water Dog by Wolters.

He has a simple easy to follow method. Don't worry about the age thing, just start from the beginning.

I only recommend this book for Labs. His book Gun Dog I do NOT recommend.

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Re: General dog training questions

Post by DonF » Fri Jun 06, 2014 7:52 pm

I think the lab folks start their pup's pretty young but i don't know about 4 mos. If you want him to wait till you send him, don't let him go till he's settled down. Do him on a check cord. I wouldn't worry about his attachment to your wife, that could be a very good thing. You do the training with him and he'll bond with both of you, that's a good thing. You might get her to help out as you go along. Good to have a wife that is also involved!
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Re: General dog training questions

Post by Fran Seagren » Fri Jun 06, 2014 11:56 pm

I agree that you need to get a good retriever training book(s)/video/program. There are lots of good ones out there these days. Even though Richard Wolters books are great to read and I thoroughly enjoyed them, there are better instruction books available in my opinion.

You won't be able to get everything you need by just asking questions on this forum. I like Mike Lardy videos/books. Check out his website for more information. But there are other good ones, too. Don F is right. If I'm starting off a lab pup or a pointing pup, you can't go wrong with a good ole' check cord! Have fun. Dog training is the best.

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Re: General dog training questions

Post by gundogguy » Sat Jun 07, 2014 3:53 am

Aamolina23 wrote:How's it going guys I just registered to this forum and am a beginner in gun dog training and have a couple questions, I have a yellow lab pup That's 4 months old and my wife picked him up while I was stationed in California now I'm home to start his training the following questions I have are
1- since she has been with him he's really attached to her and I can understand why but what can I do to get the seporation so I can work with him and listens to me?
2- he is fetching very well but he has started to grab the toy and kinda run off with it how can I fix this?
3-what's the best way to start training him to stay while I throw the dummy?
Thanks for your guys help!!!!!!!
Send a PM to Evan Graham here on this forum. Evan is in Michigan this weekend putting on a Training seminar. At this stage you need the training not the pup.
Your pup will need Evan's Smart works program it is a sequential training program that takes the randomness of the internet forums out of the picture.
Already you are receiving information that may or may not be helpful but it is already out of sequence. Retriever Training is really all about long distance precision work done by the dog. If the handler is not precise and orderly than how could we ever expect the dog to be able to do his job properly.
Send Evan a PM.
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ezzy333
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Re: General dog training questions

Post by ezzy333 » Sat Jun 07, 2014 8:53 am

gundogguy wrote:
Aamolina23 wrote:How's it going guys I just registered to this forum and am a beginner in gun dog training and have a couple questions, I have a yellow lab pup That's 4 months old and my wife picked him up while I was stationed in California now I'm home to start his training the following questions I have are
1- since she has been with him he's really attached to her and I can understand why but what can I do to get the seporation so I can work with him and listens to me?
2- he is fetching very well but he has started to grab the toy and kinda run off with it how can I fix this?
3-what's the best way to start training him to stay while I throw the dummy?
Thanks for your guys help!!!!!!!
Send a PM to Evan Graham here on this forum. Evan is in Michigan this weekend putting on a Training seminar. At this stage you need the training not the pup.
Your pup will need Evan's Smart works program it is a sequential training program that takes the randomness of the internet forums out of the picture.
Already you are receiving information that may or may not be helpful but it is already out of sequence. Retriever Training is really all about long distance precision work done by the dog. If the handler is not precise and orderly than how could we ever expect the dog to be able to do his job properly.
Send Evan a PM.
Evan has done a good job but there are others that do to. And there have been many good dogs trained without any program. This is a good recommendation but not the only way to go. Make up your own mind how you want to do progress.
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Re: General dog training questions

Post by Doc E » Sat Jun 07, 2014 9:47 am

I am in full agreement about Evan Graham's Smartwork series of books and DVDs.
IMO, there are none better and it doesn't matter if you are a rank newbie or an experienced trainer.
Evan's website is at www.evan-graham.net/‎

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Doc E
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Re: General dog training questions

Post by Doc E » Sat Jun 07, 2014 11:09 am

ezzy333 wrote: And there have been many good dogs trained without any program.
Yeh -- at least a dozen or so :lol:
What will those "good dogs" do with a wing-tipped goose that sails 400 yards before it goes down ?

I hope I don't get kicked off for "taunting" like Del Lolo did.

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Re: General dog training questions

Post by ezzy333 » Sat Jun 07, 2014 11:37 am

Doc E wrote:
ezzy333 wrote: And there have been many good dogs trained without any program.
Yeh -- at least a dozen or so :lol:
What will those "good dogs" do with a wing-tipped goose that sails 400 yards before it goes down ?

I hope I don't get kicked off for "taunting" like Del Lolo did.

.
One sure way to avoid that is don't taunt. And by the way Del Lolo didn't get kicked off and there are probably several hundred really good labs in the state of Iowa alone that have never seen a training program. I will suggest that when you try to help someone that you make suggestions and not that your way is the only way or your choice of dogs are better than anyone else's. Seems to me, an old saying I have heard many times would apply to many of your posts, it is not what you say but how you say it. Think about it and try to accept you are just one of many that have had dogs, trained dogs, and have been successful in their endeavor. Labs are fine dogs as are every other breed. But some need to be trained a little differently than others and serve different purposes.
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It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

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Re: General dog training questions

Post by Doc E » Sat Jun 07, 2014 12:18 pm

Doc E wrote:
ezzy333 wrote: And there have been many good dogs trained without any program.
What will those "good dogs" do with a wing-tipped goose that sails 400 yards before it goes down ?
OK -- No 'tauinting' here. just a question.

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ezzy333
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Re: General dog training questions

Post by ezzy333 » Sat Jun 07, 2014 12:51 pm

Doc E wrote:
Doc E wrote:
ezzy333 wrote: And there have been many good dogs trained without any program.
What will those "good dogs" do with a wing-tipped goose that sails 400 yards before it goes down ?
OK -- No 'tauinting' here. just a question.

.
I have don't know for sure but would guess most would go get it and bring it back to you. A wing tipped goose is hard for a dog to handle but most of what I have seen do a great job of retrieving. I have had my Britts bring wing tipped cock pheasants back from a half mile or so and they have never been trained to retrieve.

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Re: General dog training questions

Post by gonehuntin' » Sat Jun 07, 2014 6:55 pm

Before you go any further, get a good program and follow it. Retrievers are trained with sequential and organized programs. Evan's is one of the best and Fowl Dawgs is very good as well. Get a program, study it, and then begin with the pup. You have plenty of time.
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Re: General dog training questions

Post by dogluvah » Sun Jun 08, 2014 8:56 pm

I have a Lab puppy that will be 5mo next week. His mom was the first hunting dog I trained. She has earned SHR, HR, and JH titles, plus 2 SH passes, and 2 UH passes so far. She just loves to hunt. I used Lardy's program, but found it very confusing for a newbie who didn't even understand all the lingo. I have read almost every book published on retriever training, and acquired a few more vidoes along the way. I liked Spencer's books and Farmer/Aycock videos for drills and handling info. Review what is available, but like others suggest - do pick a program. One you think will work for you, to organize your training and (hopefully) prevent gaps or holes. Right now I have 3 important suggestions for you. #1 find a local Retriever Club - I find UKC/HRC a bit friendlier, but also belong to AKC retriever club. That way I get double the training days ;) I travel 2 hours to meet, it is that important. #2 buy Bill Hillman's Puppy Training DVD ASAP! Really, order it today. He has the answer to every question you asked! Our pup is so steady with his methods I wish I had done this with his momma! He is doing 80-100 yd doubles! Not retrieving to hand regularly yet, but going and coming like a rocket after sitting as still as a stone. Can't really teach hold now till they are done teething anyway, so we are happy with his performance at this age. #3 sign up and take pup to Obedience class. You will get an obedient pup, time to bond, and something else to focus on besides retrieving till you educate yourself more. Biggest thing I learned the hard way is not to rush, 40x harder to "undo" something than to go slow and do it right the first time, with dogs and life in general. Good luck, that pup can love you both, just make sure to spend lots of 1:1 time with him without your wife around. Oops, that is probably #4 thing to start right away! Our pup is going to be my hubby's dog, since his momma is my dog. Even though I am with pup all day and feed him, he is happy to see hubby in the evenings and weekends for their special time. If we are all together he will try to return his bumpers to me, or look at me when hubby gives him a command, that is why they go out without me. Besides it gives momma dog and me time alone without pesky puppy ;)

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Re: General dog training questions

Post by whoadog » Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:47 am

ezzy333 wrote:Evan has done a good job but there are others that do to. And there have been many good dogs trained without any program. This is a good recommendation but not the only way to go. Make up your own mind how you want to do progress.
Thank you so much for saying that and the other about dogs turning out with less than a "modern sequential program"!

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Re: General dog training questions

Post by Trekmoor » Mon Jun 09, 2014 4:12 am

I had never even heard of "programs" until I joined this forum. I think following a good one probably would help a beginner handler a lot. The only thing likely to be better than that would be to have regular 1-2-1 tuition from a really good and successful trainer. I owned a few gundogs and made a muck up of parts of their training before I gained enough experience to make fewer mistakes.

I can say for sure that a good lab can and will bring back wing tipped geese from very long distances if the retrieve is a marked one and if the dog is well experienced. My first lab back when I was a teenager , was not steady and hardly handled at all but he knew what to do when he saw a wing tipped bird glide on. He didn't need a program to help him do that.

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Re: General dog training questions

Post by AZ Brittany Guy » Mon Jun 09, 2014 7:41 am

I think all of the great old trainers had a "program" but they didn't have a name for it. Back then they would say "this is how I train dogs". Call it what you may but every good trainer has a process and have the ability to adjust it based on the individual dog.

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Re: General dog training questions

Post by RoostersMom » Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:12 am

I have successfully used the Smartworks for our chessie. I like the DVD's and I find myself going back to them time and again. Evan uses this site and when I have had issues, I have PM'd him and gotten a quick response.

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Re: General dog training questions

Post by Sharon » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:20 pm

AZ Brittany Guy wrote:I think all of the great old trainers had a "program" but they didn't have a name for it. Back then they would say "this is how I train dogs". Call it what you may but every good trainer has a process and have the ability to adjust it based on the individual dog.
Exactly. Well said.
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Re: General dog training questions

Post by ezzy333 » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:52 pm

Sharon wrote:
AZ Brittany Guy wrote:I think all of the great old trainers had a "program" but they didn't have a name for it. Back then they would say "this is how I train dogs". Call it what you may but every good trainer has a process and have the ability to adjust it based on the individual dog.
Exactly. Well said.
All experienced trainers have a method that they learned from their experiences. it became a program only after they or someone else published it. And the biggest benefactors are the one who developed it. But they do work well for beginners and then as they become experienced they will develop their own methods just like the old timers.

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Re: General dog training questions

Post by EvanG » Mon Jun 09, 2014 4:05 pm

RoostersMom wrote:I have successfully used the Smartworks for our chessie. I like the DVD's and I find myself going back to them time and again. Evan uses this site and when I have had issues, I have PM'd him and gotten a quick response.
Send me a PM, or email me to rushcreekpress@aol.com . You can also call: 816-213-9397 and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

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General dog training questions

Post by Bluesky2012 » Tue Jun 10, 2014 2:26 pm

reba wrote:Get the book Water Dog by Wolters.

He has a simple easy to follow method. Don't worry about the age thing, just start from the beginning.

I only recommend this book for Labs. His book Gun Dog I do NOT recommend.
No. As said in a thread on DHC the other day, "more dogs have been ruined by his methods" and "you could make a living fixing dogs trained on wolters methods". I have not read it but consistently see too many people try to go cheap, get his book, and come back in 4 months with issues. Get a modern program, not wolters, and you will be fine.

Like everyone else said, smart works, fowl dawgs, duck dog basics. Even better, find a pro.

Big tip, join duckhuntingchat.com if you want more in depth retriever advice. There are good retriever folk on here but a lot more on the other site. This primarily caters to pointer and flusher folk. Kind of similar basics but after that it's a different ball game.

Make sure you have thick skin before going that way though.
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Re: General dog training questions

Post by EvanG » Tue Jun 10, 2014 3:25 pm

Bluesky2012 wrote:
reba wrote:Like everyone else said, smart works, fowl dawgs, duck dog basics. Even better, find a pro.

Big tip, join duckhuntingchat.com if you want more in depth retriever advice. There are good retriever folk on here but a lot more on the other site. This primarily caters to pointer and flusher folk. Kind of similar basics but after that it's a different ball game.

Make sure you have thick skin before going that way though.
Also, take your think skin with you to the Refuge Forum at http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/forumdisplay.php?f=9 . It's not a big forum, but there is real knowledge about retrievers there, and it's not as hostile as RTF. Just my opinion.

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