I am a new duck hunter and I am looking to get a black lab.... But other than basic commands I dont know how to turn a lab into a strong bird dog. I need some help with this and I am looking to find a good teacher. I am willing to come to a arrangment for services. Plus I am still looking for a good dog to train. So if anyone has or knows of pups around ft benning or pups that are worth the drive please post.
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New duck hunter needs help with training a lab
- Thread starter COLDBORE
- Start date
DeweyDuck
Senior Member
Duck Dog
Whatever you do, get a pup from hunting dogs ONLY. No pet breeders. You may be wasting all of your time and money otherwise. The odds of getting a no good pup are still possible even with the best pedigree. So, use your head, pay a little bit more and learn how to train. Then find a good trainer when the pup is about 9 or 10 months old, even a year or more is ok. Help the trainer on his work days and learn and learn and learn. I connot overstate the need to learn hunting command fundamentals. Buy a book or two and a good CD and plan the whole course for your pup. 4 to 5 months at about $450 a month, and you can break this up into 2 or 3 sessions, then daily exercises about 20 to 30 minutes for the next 18 months and there you'll have it!!! Gator free ponds will be a big asset to you because the dog needs a lot water work. Of course you'll need a $500 tritronics collar, it never ends, bumpers, travel crate, high quality food, and a very understanding wife!!! Your reward will be lots of wet slobbering kisses and shirt full of pride when you get to show off your new hero.
Whatever you do, get a pup from hunting dogs ONLY. No pet breeders. You may be wasting all of your time and money otherwise. The odds of getting a no good pup are still possible even with the best pedigree. So, use your head, pay a little bit more and learn how to train. Then find a good trainer when the pup is about 9 or 10 months old, even a year or more is ok. Help the trainer on his work days and learn and learn and learn. I connot overstate the need to learn hunting command fundamentals. Buy a book or two and a good CD and plan the whole course for your pup. 4 to 5 months at about $450 a month, and you can break this up into 2 or 3 sessions, then daily exercises about 20 to 30 minutes for the next 18 months and there you'll have it!!! Gator free ponds will be a big asset to you because the dog needs a lot water work. Of course you'll need a $500 tritronics collar, it never ends, bumpers, travel crate, high quality food, and a very understanding wife!!! Your reward will be lots of wet slobbering kisses and shirt full of pride when you get to show off your new hero.
Wood Smoke
Senior Member
Get involved with a Hunting Retriever Club, .....absolutely one of the best things you can do! Old South HRC holds monthly training sessions on the second Saturday of each month and they are usually held at a farm near Moreland....not too far north east of you. The next training day is Sat. 6/13. Members include everybody from beginners/novices with new puppies, to professional trainers, to long time experienced dog owners with some mighty impressive titled dogs. HRC is all about training and testing against a "hunt scenario" standard and not about competetion against other owners/dogs. Good friendly crowd of folks too!
Also, HRC clubs are a good place to start looking for advice/help on finding the right puppy for you!
http://www.huntingretrieverclub.org/
http://www.oldsouthhrc.org/
Also, HRC clubs are a good place to start looking for advice/help on finding the right puppy for you!
http://www.huntingretrieverclub.org/
http://www.oldsouthhrc.org/
91xjgawes
Senior Member
i have to disagree with you on many of the things you spoke of.
you do not have to buy a 500 dollar tri-tronics collar.
you do not have to pay more.
and you do not have to pay someone to train YOUR dog.
find a reputable breeder and check out the parents of the puppy.
spend a huge amount of time with the pup when you first get him/her, take him/her everywhere you go so that the new pup can get use to the surroundings and new noises.
check out various books, videos, and magazines. you are not only training the dog, but also yourself.
a dog is only good as you make him. usually if you put in the time, you will see good results...usually
it helps to find a puppy that WANTS to retrieve. I have had quite a few dogs... sometimes no matter how much training(with yourself or a pro) the dog will never be up to par with other dogs who live to retrieve.
duckdawgdixie
Senior Member
exactly you can do all the training yourself especially if your just gonna hunt with it, i used the duck dog basics dvd for the huntin stuff and i used the secrets to training the perfect dog for obidience stuff
gsubo
Senior Member
Ducks Unlimited website has awesome videos and arcticles on training. That was my main source for training my boy last year. Worked great with alot of helpful insight and short videos.
Rip Steele
Senior Member
91xjgawes
Senior Member
^ whats he got in him?
Rip Steele
Senior Member
huskie, one is short hair and one is long hair. these are brothers
Attachments
91xjgawes
Senior Member
he looks like he is going to be super muscular.
will he go get something?
will he go get something?
Rip Steele
Senior Member
Yeah, the long hair one I've worked with more. Standard commands sit, lay, wait, stay, jump, and so on. Retrieving part I'm still working with him. Short hair needs more work. Just hard to train two dogs at the same time. I like to focus all my attention on one at a time. Short hair one is very active and hyper though ready to go. I've never duck hunted and was going to try this year if I can get me one to fetch a bird for me.
91xjgawes
Senior Member
i hear that. It dont take a lab to get the job done. if you get one that loves water, you can accomplish what you want. Labs have been bred so many days now-a-days you may get one that will retrieve all day long, and you may get one that wont pick up nothing. i know how you feel about not being able to train 2 dogs. i have a boykin and a lab...they will both aggravate me to death to throw something
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Rip Steele
Senior Member
They both love water. I have property with two ponds on it. The biggest one is about two acres, and I see ducks in it all the time while I deer hunt. I figure get me some dogs to go get some birds. Easy right......Wrong. I'm working on it though.
LOVEMYLABXS
Senior Member
Coldbore figure I'll throw my 2 cents in. Depending on what you really plan on doing with the dog may make a difference in what you want to look for. I myself love to duck and goose hunt but about all I really want is a dog with the drive to fetch and that (to me anyways) want to please. I've owned both pure and mix and to be honest most have been mixes but they had both the drive to fetch and to please.
You can go out and spend hundreds of dollars and end up with a mutt that at best is a good couch dog or you can pic up a mix that is a fetchin fool.
If you want a dog like what you see on TV or at trials or test then you may want to spend the money getting pro trainer for both you and the dog.
But if you are just looking for a dog to be your best bud and fetch your birds you can do the training with the help of any of the above book and DVDs. they will teach you how to train your dog. For a dog like this you must remember a couple of points.
1 Spend all the time you can with it. Take it with you as often as you can. Get them out amonst people and other dogs when you can. Try to spend time before and after work this could be nothing more then working a little basic stuff sit ,heel come, stay or maybe throw a few bumpers. main thing spend time and bond!!
2 If it's a pup don't get mad/lose your temper remember it's a pup. You do need to be the boss/alpha but this is just to set the stage that you are BOSS but you don't have to be mean just stearn. Correction need to be done quick don't wait. The same with praise if he does it right let him know be excited.
3 Repetition be consetent in your comands but change up the routine. One day work obedence then retrieve next day change it up. Sometimes just throw some bumper for funtime. By this I meen you still need to be firm about bringing it back but ruff housing after it does make it FUN just like us they don't want to work all the time.
4 LOVE and PRAISE to me they are my BUDDIES and I treat them as such when they do good I want them to know that I am happy with them.
Now these are just my ideas so you'll have to figure out what you want out of your dog.
GOOD LUCK no matter which way you go.
Check this thread out
http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=359924
Mike
You can go out and spend hundreds of dollars and end up with a mutt that at best is a good couch dog or you can pic up a mix that is a fetchin fool.
If you want a dog like what you see on TV or at trials or test then you may want to spend the money getting pro trainer for both you and the dog.
But if you are just looking for a dog to be your best bud and fetch your birds you can do the training with the help of any of the above book and DVDs. they will teach you how to train your dog. For a dog like this you must remember a couple of points.
1 Spend all the time you can with it. Take it with you as often as you can. Get them out amonst people and other dogs when you can. Try to spend time before and after work this could be nothing more then working a little basic stuff sit ,heel come, stay or maybe throw a few bumpers. main thing spend time and bond!!
2 If it's a pup don't get mad/lose your temper remember it's a pup. You do need to be the boss/alpha but this is just to set the stage that you are BOSS but you don't have to be mean just stearn. Correction need to be done quick don't wait. The same with praise if he does it right let him know be excited.
3 Repetition be consetent in your comands but change up the routine. One day work obedence then retrieve next day change it up. Sometimes just throw some bumper for funtime. By this I meen you still need to be firm about bringing it back but ruff housing after it does make it FUN just like us they don't want to work all the time.
4 LOVE and PRAISE to me they are my BUDDIES and I treat them as such when they do good I want them to know that I am happy with them.
Now these are just my ideas so you'll have to figure out what you want out of your dog.
GOOD LUCK no matter which way you go.
Check this thread out
http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=359924
Mike
rholton
Senior Member
Coldbore, a good friend of mine just told me today that he has some yellow lab puppies for sale. His dogs are real good dogs and they are hunting dogs. I dont know what he is asking, but he is usually very reasonable. He only does it to get the money to do special stuff for his grand kids. Call me if you want more info.
Richard
229-809-6459
Richard
229-809-6459
miller-black
Member
"Water Dog" by Richard A. Wolters
The book is great for explaining a step by step walk through for starting a dog from the day you bring him home. This is my first dog that I have tried training and so far so good. I have a 5 month old black lab and I have already started handling with him. He comes from two excellent parents who I had hunted with in the past so that helps but time and patience are key. Start early with whistle training and you will thank yourself later. Miller will stop on a dime and that is just from early repetition. Also really work on getting your puppy excited about retrieving. That is a must. Good luck
The book is great for explaining a step by step walk through for starting a dog from the day you bring him home. This is my first dog that I have tried training and so far so good. I have a 5 month old black lab and I have already started handling with him. He comes from two excellent parents who I had hunted with in the past so that helps but time and patience are key. Start early with whistle training and you will thank yourself later. Miller will stop on a dime and that is just from early repetition. Also really work on getting your puppy excited about retrieving. That is a must. Good luck
Mark Brooks
Senior Member
Amen - Miller-Black. Water Dog is the best!!! Pictures are outdated, but Richard has been dead for several years.
I trained my first dog on Water Dog and it was easy and made sense.
Good luck Cold Bore!!
MB
I trained my first dog on Water Dog and it was easy and made sense.
Good luck Cold Bore!!
MB
