New Pup

G

George

Member
Hi all, just got my first hunting dog 2 weeks ago. Chocolate lab out of Hunters Point Kennels (Sire is Griz and Dam is Deva). Dog is really smart walks at heel with little correction. My question is, is there anything inherently wrong with putting a few wings in the yard until I can get him on some land with some birds? Grass is pretty high haven't cut it in a month (broken lawn mower), I was thinking of hiding 1 or 2 and working him off a leash.
 
I would get some pigeons and give him a clipped wing or shackled bird. Let him chase and carry it around don't get anxious and take it away from him quickly. I am assuming this is a young pup so don't push any obedience. Formal obedience doesn't start til about 5 months of age.
 
I will add that you have a nicely bred puppy. Please take a look at the Fowl Dawgs DVD or some of Lardy programs. Teach that pup to use his eyes before using his nose.
 
9 weeks old? Relax and just have fun. Socialization is your number 1 priority. This pup has a long wait until it will hunt.
 
My previous dog was a lab from HPK, when they were located in Indiana. Awesome dog that was a joy to train and hunt behind. He retrieved a lot of ducks and geese and hunted grouse, woodcock, pheasant and quail in the uplands. He did have a lot of drive and was a beast...

Enjoy your pup!!! I would agree with above and let him be a pup. You can start to work with him on sit, sit to whistle once he has the sit down (my pup was sitting to a whistle at 12 weeks). But just let the "training sessions" be short and upbeat.

Looking forward to seeing the progress.
 
Thanks for the help. I've been socializing the pup and working on basic commands. I've also taken him on some walks through the fields. This weekend my plan is to introduce him to some chukar. I feel its past time really want to see how he responds.
 
Like everyone is saying, socialization is the key right now with a pup that age. Enjoy him as a pup and just expose him to as many people, places, normal sounds, and predictable dogs as possible. Jackie Mertens at Topbrass Kennels has a great dvd titled "Sound Beginnings" that will walk you through the early stages of your dogs training. With this being your first hunting dog I would highly recommend it.
 
Pup is too young for other than very mild limited training. Now is the time for pup to have fun and bond with you. Putting him afield this season would be a mistake. Pup's not old enough to have the confidence or the strength a dog needs for that; it would be a negative first experience afield.
 
Last edited:
George said:
Thanks for the help. I've been socializing the pup and working on basic commands. I've also taken him on some walks through the fields. This weekend my plan is to introduce him to some chukar. I feel its past time really want to see how he responds.
Click to expand...

I am a big believer in early intros to birds. I would not use chuckars as they are escape artists, clipped wing pigeon in mowed grass is a better choice. Don't read to much into what the pup does, some go crazy, some are timid, it doesn't matter..... Keep session short and positive! And if he runs out and grabs the bird great, if he comes back to you great (he most likely will do neither). If does come back do not hurry to take the bird, let him enjoy his prize.
 
If you do not have a program you are working with I cannot say enough great things about the Bill Hillmann training videos. He is the savant of lab training. After using many other programs I trained my most recent pup, now 1.5 years, using his DVD's and am amazed at the results. I have not seen him mentioned on this site previously but many of the field trial guys use his methods and he is frequently referenced on retrievertrainingdotnet. His approach is highly effective and builds a great bond with the pup. He has a lot of videos online and on his website. You can get the basics with the online material but his DVD's are more comprehensive.
 
Pigeons would be a great addition to your training. If I had to do the pointing dog training again from the start. I would have a loft and pigeons before the pup.

It was amazing how quickly pigeons in a launcher helped to teach my pup!!!

Have fun.
 
Its been too hot every weekend that I've been off from work up in the 70's. My plan is to hold off and wait another week or 2. I've been working on retrieves with the bumper, I try doing 3 or 4 a day he cant get enough of it. I'm going to have to check out those training clips every little bit helps. Otherwise just been taking Gus out for 30-45 min walks in some wildlife areas. Is it normal for a young dog to just walk next to you or right behind you? I'd like to see him out front, but maybe it just takes time or the intro to birds to realize what to do.
 
George said:
Is it normal for a young dog to just walk next to you or right behind you? I'd like to see him out front, but maybe it just takes time or the intro to birds to realize what to do.
Click to expand...

In my experience, yes, it's a new and big world full of lots of smells and sounds out there for a pup and time and experiencing them will lend itself to confidence and eventually roaming out. You are doing what I've always done and that's just spending time in the outdoors letting them gain experiences and bonding with you.

Everyone has experiences that have / haven't worked for them and thier dog. Just remember that all people are different and all dogs are different, find what works for you and your pup and enjoy the experience of your new hunting partner.

Congrats on the pup and good luck! :)
 
I used wings and scents as soon as I brought mine home at 8 weeks. She's all about it now. Did about 10 minutes a day in the back yard and would take wings away afterwords so that she didnt lose interest.
 
Took the pup out to the club yesterday and showed him a bird. Had someone hold the bird so he could see it clearly and he went nuts. He seemed very focused on the bird and kept lunging at it, trying to lick it, following it with his eyes. Seemed all in all a good first step. Originally we tried putting the bird in short grass, but Gus was having a hard time seeing it. I'm thinking its going to take a bit longer before we can jump to that step.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top