New here and training a puppy with wings and things...

remobec · Post by **remobec** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 11:35 am

Hello! My name is Becky. I've recently gotten married and discovered the joys of hunting dove with a Lab. Our Lab, though, is rather old and we'd like to get a pup. My husband says she was so smart she sort of trained herself and that I should train the next dog. Which, I love training dogs, but I'm trying to learn about hunting training.

Not totally sure when we'll get a pup, but we wanted to be sure we had the training necessities. We saved about 10 dove wings in the freezer. How many dove wings would you all recommend saving for training a pup? Should we be saving the whole bird or anything else?

Also, while I'm on the subject, anyone have any recommendations for good books on retriever training?

Thanks!

Bluesky2012 · Post by **Bluesky2012** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 12:17 pm

No wings. Whole bird. And a program.

DonF · Post by **DonF** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 12:57 pm

Evan Ghrame (that spelling is wrong) is on here. I believe he has a book that is pretty much the bible for retriever's. I've never read it. Years ago I did read a Jame's Spencer book on it, I liked it but don't know if it's still around. A good book is one written so you understand most what's being told. If the writer is not able to get his/her point's across clearly, the book is no good for you with out hands on help. Those little glitch's that hang you up can usually be overcome by asking question's on a site like this. A book that is supposed to be a great pointing dog training book is by Paul Long. I read it but didn't understand much of it. Book was no good for me but probably great for the next guy. Dog training is dog training is dog training. Whatever type dog you do you need to understand what you want when your done and work toward that. Consistency and repetition work every time. But they must follow some plan to take you to where you want to go. I bet Evan shows up here pretty quick.

GunDogAdventures · Post by **GunDogAdventures** » Sat Oct 04, 2014 9:47 pm

2X on finding a program and following it. You'll soon find the challenges and rewards of working with your hunting buddy. Don't be afraid to ask questions to others that have done this before. This forum is a great place to start!

Training your first gun dog can be a challenge - especially by yourself. Find a trainer nearby. One local to my area invites people to bring their dogs out when he's training on Saturdays. I've taken my GSPs out and they've had a great time. He trains with ducks he raises onsite. Get one, clean it, wrap a heavy duty plastic wire tie around it (wings and all) and snug it up good and tight, then put it in a couple of Ziploc bags in the freezer. When you're ready for a few games of fetch or some training, you've got feathers for his mouth.

This forum is a great place to gather opinions and get help. Good luck and have fun!!

Doc E · Post by **Doc E** » Sun Oct 05, 2014 8:53 am

The problem with saving whole body Doves for training is that Dove feathers come out extremely easily and "clog" the dog's mouth. You'd be much better off using pigeons for training. Of course you will also need some training dummys (bumpers).

For a retriever training program, I (and thousands of others) follow Evan Graham's "Smartwork" series of books and DVDs.
If you get a Pointing Lab, you will need to add in "Training the Pointing Labrador" by Julie Knutson along with Smartwork.

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