[daniel.parson]

Hey all! I have a 9-week old Lab pup (born 1/1/23) and I am beyond excited... its been 15 years since I trained a puppy. Some may recall I had a pup with Strabismus and a severe vision problem that I re-homed with my best buddy. That puppy is happy and having a ball with all his young kids and dogs. I have visited a couple times.

The new dog, "Stella" is a ton of fun and seems happy in our home. I want to do this right and build a strong partnership with her, so I am looking for input on how things are going so far. I picked her up last Thursday 3/2/23.

Stella loves to wrestle with the 3 other dogs in our backyard (they are all larger mixed breed saves from the pound) and I am hauling her every where I can to promote socialization. So far we are clicker training and working on her name (she has this down), "Here" (she is pretty good on this one but we still need some work), Sit (she is a pro), kennel training (no accidents in the kennel. She sleeps through the night from 9:30ish to 4 am - when I am up anyway), House breaking is coming, slooooowly, and we still have to watch her like a hawk. I have thrown some toys and gotten good play retrieves of maybe 15 feet - just 3 or 4 times per day is all I am doing so far. She is of course chewing and play biting everything. I hold her mouth closed and tell her a firm no... and this helps a lot. But with anyone else she is a little over the top with play biting. I ordered the 3 disc training video set by Chris Akin. I hope it will arrive today.

So how are we doing? Any suggestions? When and what should we work on next week if anything more?

Thanks for you input!

Dan

 

[HNTFSH]

Hey all! I have a 9-week old Lab pup (born 1/1/23) and I am beyond excited... its been 15 years since I trained a puppy. Some may recall I had a pup with Strabismus and a severe vision problem that I re-homed with my best buddy. That puppy is happy and having a ball with all his young kids and dogs. I have visited a couple times.

The new dog, "Stella" is a ton of fun and seems happy in our home. I want to do this right and build a strong partnership with her, so I am looking for input on how things are going so far. I picked her up last Thursday 3/2/23.

Stella loves to wrestle with the 3 other dogs in our backyard (they are all larger mixed breed saves from the pound) and I am hauling her every where I can to promote socialization. So far we are clicker training and working on her name (she has this down), "Here" (she is pretty good on this one but we still need some work), Sit (she is a pro), kennel training (no accidents in the kennel. She sleeps through the night from 9:30ish to 4 am - when I am up anyway), House breaking is coming, slooooowly, and we still have to watch her like a hawk. I have thrown some toys and gotten good play retrieves of maybe 15 feet - just 3 or 4 times per day is all I am doing so far. She is of course chewing and play biting everything. I hold her mouth closed and tell her a firm no... and this helps a lot. But with anyone else she is a little over the top with play biting. I ordered the 3 disc training video set by Chris Akin. I hope it will arrive today.

So how are we doing? Any suggestions? When and what should we work on next week if anything more?

Thanks for you input!

Dan


View attachment 478640

Dan - there is excellent reading in the sticky's. Along with that I am a huge fan of letting the puppy be a puppy while instilling good habits. Rick Hall speaks well to this. Also, "training" on "commands" that young, just be careful. Fun training is good but there are few options for "corrections" and they're not in formal obedience. Not that you're doing that but pupplies can get stressed easily so basic obedience training is great with treats and clickers. IMO running water is good early if warm enough as is managed intro to pigeons for a few times and then come back to it.

 

[Ange]

Read Water Dog by Wolters. Don’t stress on the mouth. Never scold her if she has one of Mama’s Suday shoes in her mouth. Holding objects should be a pleasant experience. Praise her and use it as an introduction to hold. Make it fun for her to hold and give. Our current BLF was the most mouthy to date. She would bite the fire out of us and she destroyed a lot. We got through it. I never force fetched her. She came out of her mother’s womb knowing how to hold.

Dogs are progressive learners. They need to learn to heel for 3 yards before you expect them to heel around the block.

I start mine out at feeding time with a cap gun. I start in the furthest room in the house from the kitchen and move up a little each day at meal time until I can stand right next to them and fire the cap gun while they eat with nary a whimper. We get that down pat. Then I take them to a clay range, walk put 250 yards in front of it a ease up 25 yards at a time until we are right up on the firing line. With each 25 yards, I praise them for being steady.

I always fence off the kitchen or mud room and cover the floor with newspaper like Wolters did. It is important to correct at the time of the infraction and not afterwards so there is clear association.

Labs want to please you.

 

[Dakota Creek]

With the advances in training methods over the last twenty plus years, there are newer training programs than Water Dog.

From starting with a puppy with DVD‘ like Sound Beginnings by Jackie Mertens to Bill Hillman’s puppy DVD’s and YouTube videos, thru transitional to advanced work by Chris Akins, Rick Stawski, Evan Graham and Mike Lardy just to name a few. Lots of information out there!

 

[Ange]

Caveat:

I am a 59 year old traveling salesman. I am taking shortcuts. I hunt Arkansas Flooded Timber exclusively. I just want a steady Lab that hovers around me and hunts. To that end, I reinforce right overs, left overs and backs at meal time. The Pup has to steady at sit and wait on my cast. I am doing what is easiest to get from point A to point B. I do not use e-collars anymore. They are great tools but they should cost $10,000.00 a piece. I expect a lab to do all basic OB at hand, whistle and voice signals. I demand heeling on lead.

Labs can remember multiple marks. Some say they can recall up to 11 or 12 simultaneously. Some say that. If true. they can also be trained on multiple skills simultaneously. Make it fun. Every interaxction should have a purpose. They should be trained even when they do not know it.

 

[HNTFSH]

Caveat:

I am a 59 year old traveling salesman. I am taking shortcuts. I hunt Arkansas Flooded Timber exclusively. I just want a steady Lab that hovers around me and hunts. To that end, I reinforce right overs, left overs and backs at meal time. The Pup has to steady at sit and wait on my cast. I am doing what is easiest to get from point A to point B. I do not use e-collars anymore. They are great tools but they should cost $10,000.00 a piece. I expect a lab to do all basic OB at hand, whistle and voice signals. I demand heeling on lead.

Labs can remember multiple marks. Some say they can recall up to 11 or 12 simultaneously. Some say that. If true. they can also be trained on multiple skills simultaneously. Make it fun. Every interaxction should have a purpose. They should be trained even when they do not know it.

Largely agree Ange. The thing about shortcuts is knowing when and why. Most newer trainers screw themselves doing so. You get out what you put in and "winging it" in an animal training usually goes sideways. A working dog is a pet but a pet is not a working dog. Shortcuts from the ignorant are well displayed in neighborhoods across the country. You probably have to have trained a few good dogs to understand what a good dog is. Wolters was a fun read but the best thing I picked up was (paraphrased): "Teach your dog to love it's name".

 

[Ange]

Largely agree Ange. The thing about shortcuts is knowing when and why. Most newer trainers screw themselves doing so. You get out what you put in and "winging it" in an animal training usually goes sideways. A working dog is a pet but a pet is not a working dog. Shortcuts from the ignorant are well displayed in neighborhoods across the country. You probably have to have trained a few good dogs to understand what a good dog is. Wolters was a fun read but the best thing I picked up was (paraphrased): "Teach your dog to love it's name".

Wolters culled dogs. Some pups just have it when they hit the ground. Our current one has it. I am only teaching her to handle. I was lucky to own one titled Lab out of Rebel with a Cause and a biatch out of Candlewood. He taught me a lot.

 

[HNTFSH]

Wolters culled dogs. Some pups just have it when they hit the ground. Our current one has it. I am only teaching her to handle. I was lucky to own one titled Lab out of Rebel with a Cause and a biatch out of Candlewood. He taught me a lot.

Wolters was an author, not a dog trainer. Yes, well bred pups for work are the easiest dogs to train for work. It doesn't get you around the Teach-Train-Test relationship. I cringe when I hear "He's a natural" just like I do when I hear "He'd be a great hunting dog, you should see him watch the squirrels in my backyard."

 

[ohio mike]

I cringe when I read, This is my first "Bird dog". What kind of shock collar should I buy? I want to do this myself. How long will it take me to Force Fetch and Collar Condition my dog? That's just a short list of questions that make me feel sorry for dogs. The best answer they get is get a program and follow it. The worst is put the dog with a pro, not everybody has those kind of bucks. That and a lot of so called pros are anything but.

 

[HNTFSH]

I cringe when I read, This is my first "Bird dog". What kind of shock collar should I buy? I want to do this myself. How long will it take me to Force Fetch and Collar Condition my dog? That's just a short list of questions that make me feel sorry for dogs. The best answer they get is get a program and follow it. The worst is put the dog with a pro, not everybody has those kind of bucks. That and a lot of so called pros are anything but.

Amen - as you and I have agreed on for a long time - new people need an experienced mentor of sorts. Experienced meaning someone that has trained a working dog in the discipline to what most would consder a "high level". And "high level" not even having to include test and trials but often does. And "high level" can mean a steady dog that is quiet in the blind, can mark two birds and has extremely good obedience.

 

[Ange]

Wolters was an author, not a dog trainer. Yes, well bred pups for work are the easiest dogs to train for work. It doesn't get you around the Teach-Train-Test relationship. I cringe when I hear "He's a natural" just like I do when I hear "He'd be a great hunting dog, you should see him watch the squirrels in my backyard."

I never hunted with squirrel Dogs. I did grow up in Arkansas and come from a family steeped in Duck hunting culture on both sides. I went with my father from age 5. He let me start hunting at 7. This thread reminded me of how important a mentor is and how important having a circle of friends who are focused on the same goals. I came back to after 30 years. Even today, there is a strong Duck culture. There are Vets who focus on Duck hunting dogs. Mine breeds English Labs for example.

Find a good program, find a mentor and find a group where you can you and your Dog can grow your skills then be a mentor to others down the road. Pass it on.

 

[ohio mike]

Remembering back there was a guy who used to post here called Lab Trainer who knew Wolters. He ran a boarding and training kennel. He also FF'd all of Wolters dogs. It was through him that I learned Dawn Dish soap is a excellent flea and tick shampoo.

 

[HNTFSH]

Remembering back there was a guy who used to post here called Lab Trainer who knew Wolters. He ran a boarding and training kennel. He also FF'd all of Wolters dogs. It was through him that I learned Dawn Dish soap is a excellent flea and tick shampoo.

You've got elephant memory. Lab Trainer was in upstate New York as I recall.

 

[ohio mike]

Yup, he quit posting because a few of the members ragged on him once to often.

 

[Mike the Fox]

Yup, he quit posting because a few of the members ragged on him once to often.

Unfortunately I think that happened too often with a lot of members


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[HNTFSH]

Yup, he quit posting because a few of the members ragged on him once to often.

I don't remember that, not sure what was worth of ragging on him for!! McLabs in Iowa was a great guy too. He hated old Evan Graham, Evan cheated him in business behind the cloak of his "religious" persona. Evan was banned for spamming people via PM.s

 

[Ange]

Graham was big on the old Duck Hunter’s Refuge.

 

[TrapperRob]

The dudes above have forgotten more than I know…

my suggestion. Get this book…

also find a good hunting trainer to work with.
That is what I am doing.

 

[Rick Hall]

Hard to find a pro of his time who didn't claim to either have trained Wolters' dogs or make a great living fixing his mistakes. But his Game Dog provided the only training info I needed to have my first retriever running HRC Finished well enough for the folks owning what would become that organization's first HRCH Chesssie to want to breed her to him and us to learn he had bum hip from OFA prelim X-rays while he was still well under 2. Say what you will, but Wolters made training one's own gun dog doable for a lot of us the Evan Grahams put to sleep.

 

[Rick Hall]

Hard to find a pro of his time who didn't claim to either have trained Wolters' dogs or make a great living fixing his mistakes. But his Game Dog provided the only training info I needed to have my first retriever running HRC Finished well enough for the folks owning what would become that organization's first HRCH Chesssie to want to breed her to him

Don't get old, or your mind may get hinky. Was running Marsh and walking me on a friend's farm when I realized I'd written that. Sassy was the HRC's first G(Grand)HRCH Chesapeake..