Looking FOR some training advice

deerslyr30-06

Old Mossy Horns
I am getting a new pup at the end of the week. He will be with me every day so I'm not as worried about training for obedience etc. I'm planning on training him to retrieve for hunting some. A few dove hunts a year and a handful or more duck hunts a year, as well as just doing it to watch the dog work.

What are some do's and donts for training from a pup.

I plan on trying to start him with retrieving and bringing it back to me just in the yard some.

Any advice is appreciated.

Oh yeah, here's a pic of the guy. His name is Timberjack, but will call him Timber. IMG_0239.jpgIMG_0221.jpg


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Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
buying a training video set like smart works is well worth the money. More tips, advice and detail in there than spending the same amount of time browsing the web. I did the same thing and asked for generic advice, bought the dvd set and was good after that for the basics.
 

ThrillofDaChase

Ten Pointer
Get a program such as mentioned. I used Fowl Dawgs. Get with a retriever club sooner rather than later. Read articles and forums online i.e. retriever training forum and the dog forum on duckhuntingchat.com
 

bowhuntingrook

Old Mossy Horns
Normally if hunting was his main purpose you would purchase from proven hunting bloodlines to increase his potential. I don't know if that's what you've done, but there are a lot of dogs with little proven history that can retrieve birds like your asking. The DVDs are your best guide to training. Obedience is most important, it's the foundation for everything else. Take your time with obedience, don't move on tell he gets it, you can take steps back, but don't skip quickly through it is my advice.
 
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JJWise

Twelve Pointer
I also just bought smartworks/ smartfetch for our Boykin. If you're willing to use an e collar that's the way to go
 

Jake NFC

Twelve Pointer
Normally if hunting was his main purpose you would purchase from proven hunting bloodlines to increase his potential. I don't know if that's what you've done, but there are a lot of dogs with little proven history that can retrieve birds like your asking. The DVDs are your best guide to training. Obedience is most important, it's the foundation for everything else. Take your time with obedience, don't move on tell he gets it, you can take steps back, but don't skip quickly through it is my advice.

Great advise here.
 

darkthirty

Old Mossy Horns
Sure all the above is good advice but the one thing that absolutely burns me up is people trying to "train" too early. Let the puppy be a puppy. Sure, it needs to know what "no" means but let it be a puppy. A puppy can develop a truckload of confidence its first 6 months of life by not holding it back with a lot of commands. Just be patient. Little tiny steps will get you a great big dog!

It kills me to see guys "bragging" about their pup by trying to make it steady and holding it back at 12-14 weeks old. Let him go, let him retrieve, make it fun, give praise and build its confidence!!!!!
 

deerslyr30-06

Old Mossy Horns
Yeah, it will be a few months before I buckle down on training for retrieving. I'll work mainly with the obedience part. He will be with me all day every day. I work in the woods and he will be out and about all the time.

I did get him from some hunting lines. But like dark thirty said, I plan on letting him be a puppy too. I don't expect him to be out retrieving ducks and other things right away. Main thing is the obedience.


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deerslyr30-06

Old Mossy Horns
What's some advice on training with an electronic collar. I want to get him used to that enough to where if we are out walking the woods that he stays near me and comes on command. Don't want him running off and don't want to have to have him on a leash either.


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darkthirty

Old Mossy Horns
What's some advice on training with an electronic collar. I want to get him used to that enough to where if we are out walking the woods that he stays near me and comes on command. Don't want him running off and don't want to have to have him on a leash either.


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Biggest thing with a collar is you can't shock a dog that don't know what it's being shocked for. He needs to have whatever the command is ingrained in him before you ever think about a collar. Even then, a collar in the hands of a novice can do more harm than good. Not saying you are a novice, just making a point about how easily a person can inadvertently ruin a dog.
 

derekorr1986

Six Pointer
others have given great advice. don't put the collar on him too early, and let em be a pup, don't let him get away with too much either, your'e the pack leader. and don't know if you are married or not but the dog is easily trainable....the wife may not be. I wanted hunting dog, my wife wanted a pet, I lost and we got both haha. he does everything I need him too but still could use some work, all in all hes a great dog and hes always with me and others always comment how good he is.
 

deerslyr30-06

Old Mossy Horns
Biggest thing with a collar is you can't shock a dog that don't know what it's being shocked for. He needs to have whatever the command is ingrained in him before you ever think about a collar. Even then, a collar in the hands of a novice can do more harm than good. Not saying you are a novice, just making a point about how easily a person can inadvertently ruin a dog.

I'm a novice when it comes to the shock collars. Buddy of mine has used them and been successful but I've never messed with them.


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ThrillofDaChase

Ten Pointer
I'm a novice when it comes to the shock collars. Buddy of mine has used them and been successful but I've never messed with them.


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This is where the program comes in handy. Laying out the steps leading up to electronic collar stimulation. You're dropping money on a dog so spending money on a solid program should not be a deterrent.
 
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NC Quailhunter

Six Pointer
There has been a lot of good advice here. Get a good program "Smart Works" that start with obedience and builds towards the field work. It can not be expressed enough to get a program and stick with that program. Mixing and matching programs will just confuse the dog and aggravate you and the whole process will not be rewarding for the both of you. I echo what has been said is that obedience is the key to everything. It helps you and the dog bond, it gets him learning, it gets him listening to you and it gets him use to pressure and doing what he is told and not what he wants.
Good luck and I look forward to seeing more pictures as he grows and learns.
 

k3pack

Button Buck
Can vouch for smartworks as well as Tom Dokken's retriever training book.

Regarding the woods issue, like others said, don't start with the e-collar too early (I am pro ecollar, BTW), a long check cord attached to the pup will go a long way in your comfort level in having him in the woods. You may be able to catch a puppy who doesn't want to be caught (I am not) but you should be able to get within 20 feet of him and grab that check cord.
 

JONOV

Old Mossy Horns
It sounds like you'll have the socialization piece down with him. I would add that since he's going to be with you all day, make sure he gets used to being by himself in a crate or whatever.
 

deerslyr30-06

Old Mossy Horns
I plan to order a couple of the smart works dvds. Which ones should I get? I see the obedience one and the retrieving one.


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NC Quailhunter

Six Pointer
I would get them both. The obedience smartworks is first then the smart fetch is after the obedience. Obedience is referenced in the Smart Fetch videos. He states that obedience has to be solid before you can do the force fetch.
AS has been said obedience training that is solid will make the rest of it a little smoother.
 
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bowhuntingrook

Old Mossy Horns
The Ecollar is a correction device, the dog has to be collar conditioned so it understands the corrections. You have to understand how and when to introduce it so that your dog understands it as correction/reinforcement or you can ruin the dog. It is not a punishment. It is a reinforcement to a command that the dog already understands. It is not a short cut to training, it is a tool to increase control, safety and training potential.
 
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NC Quailhunter

Six Pointer
Following a program will talk about e-collar introduction and how to overlay with a command. When it comes to an e-collar I would say stay away from it until you have done your homework and understand what it is for and when to apply it. I have seen guys that are over zealous with a collar ruin a good dog. So I will say again to pick a program and stick to it. Keep us up to date.
 

labman63

Ten Pointer
If I was new to training a retriever I would get the Fowl Dawg series. Easy to follow and it works. It doesn't matter if you only plan to go on a few duck hunts, the dog still needs to be trained correctly. Just follow the program step by step and don't skip any. The advice on letting it be a pup is good but every dog is different and he may need a little more early or later. You have to read the pup and do what needs to be done. I only let my pups break at the very beginning while building prey drive chasing live pigeons after that they get steadied pretty quick. I let one go until he was a little older one time and it was a nightmare to get him steady. I just went to a Lardy/Farmer seminar this spring and they both commented that there was no reason not to steady a pup early. Live birds will instill drive weather you steady them or not. Mine usually get live pigeons a day or two after I get them. I have bought over 25 pups and started then sold them in the past 11 years. I know pups pretty well and not one has been the same. Also a training group is a good idea. I think Yadkin River retriever club is the closest to you. They have a leased training area north of Mebane that is about 130 acres with several ponds.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
If I was new to training a retriever I would get the Fowl Dawg series. Easy to follow and it works. It doesn't matter if you only plan to go on a few duck hunts, the dog still needs to be trained correctly. Just follow the program step by step and don't skip any. The advice on letting it be a pup is good but every dog is different and he may need a little more early or later. You have to read the pup and do what needs to be done. I only let my pups break at the very beginning while building prey drive chasing live pigeons after that they get steadied pretty quick. I let one go until he was a little older one time and it was a nightmare to get him steady. I just went to a Lardy/Farmer seminar this spring and they both commented that there was no reason not to steady a pup early. Live birds will instill drive weather you steady them or not. Mine usually get live pigeons a day or two after I get them. I have bought over 25 pups and started then sold them in the past 11 years. I know pups pretty well and not one has been the same. Also a training group is a good idea. I think Yadkin River retriever club is the closest to you. They have a leased training area north of Mebane that is about 130 acres with several ponds.



100% concur on your comments about reading the pup and steadying early,,,,,,,,

not a retriever, but my current pup is SO prey driven that I am already working her on "whoa" on point and she just turned 4 months old,,,,,her instincts are strong, her prey drive is off the charts (to me), and bold as the day is long,,,

anyhow all that to say "here here" on the reading teh pup, following a program, and not waiting to long or the corrections get harder than the prevention,,,,
 

deerslyr30-06

Old Mossy Horns
He's coming along. Picking up on most obedience commands so far. Doesn't want to stray far from me.

He also loves to ride with me in the truck.
IMG_0416.jpg


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