. . . any first time training tips or tricks would be appreciated!
I am not a dog trainer, but the following has worked well with my dogs. When I got started with my first pup, I looked at few training guides and found them somewhat helpful and somewhat unhelpful.
For starters, get the AKC puppy guidance brochure. It's probably on line. For housebreaking, I would not recommend the use of pee pads as discussed the AKC brochure. The pup should spend considerable time crated in the house for housebreaking, keeping in mind that they need to go out frequently and preferably always through the same door so it will naturally go to that door when the need arises. Pups have to poop immediately after eating. Keep commands to one word: kennel (or hup), down, sit, fetch, heel, here, whoa, etc. You can teach whoa by walking the dog on a leash regularly and halting it accompanied by whoa or a soft, one-note whistle. Chattering at a dog with a command in there somewhere is unproductive, but chattering is fine when just playing.
Use arm signals consistently from day one to indicate where you want pup to go - into the crate, into the vehicle, back to you (arm straight up) - and you will have a dog that you can direct afield in complete silence by arm signals, sometimes first getting its attention with a bit of vibration from the ecollar. In the first six months of its life the focus between you and pup is on bonding and having fun. You want pup to want to please you. In this period the only field type training would be playing fetch with the command limited to "fetch" and "drop." If the dog fetches right off, just a few fetches a couple times a week is fine otherwise the dog may get bored by it.
Ecollars are great for silent dog management afield. But the dog has to be fully trained to your commands before ever using the nick or shock function. Always go incrementally: first vibrate, then nick, then shock. Be very careful with the power setting on the collar because you can make your dog scream if too high. An exception is to save your dog from harm: getting lost due to chasing a deer, getting run over by running toward a road with a grain truck barreling down the road, etc. Be aware that some dogs are too soft for nicks and shocks.
For conditioning to gun fire: when the pup is about six months old its big enough to get around afield. Go afield with a firearm and while pup is out front touch off a round now and then without stopping or indicating in any way that something is about to happen so the pup thinks a few loud noises are normal while afield.
Some hunters get frustrated if pup does not meet expectations and they'll send the dog to a trainer. I think this is a bad idea for a dog that is a pet. A friend has sent his pet setter to a trainer three times without any discernible change. It must be unsettling for the dog who loves his home and family and is suddenly in a strange environment with strangers only.
Give the pup time to come into its own. Love and patience work the best.