Duck Dog Questions

[TXBowhunter11]

I appreciate everyones advice! Cant wait to get the pup.

What im gathering- doesnt matter where you let them sleep.

obedience first and most importantly

introduce them to as many environments and people as quickly as possible

introduce to game birds

be patient

dont train over 15 minutes a day

be patient

have fun!

[Texas Grown]

I'm on my last one. I love watching a good dog with lots of drive do work. They enjoy it too. It's what they learn to live for. And have brought much company as well. My lol girl will be 13 this coming Jan. She is still "all in" for what she's still capable of doing. I have to be somewhat careful now. Or she'll hurt her self just trying to do what she loves. She is still in great shape. The vet can't get over how well she looks. But she is older and slowing down a great deal. I'm gonna miss having them around. But they have brought some great memories to my life.



Enjoy your new pup!

[SaltwaterSlick]

. Once you have a disciplined pup, the retrieving part is easy... takes a lot of time if you want to train him for field trials or hunt trials, but it's not hard. Saltwater Slick training for field trials is definitely not easy , I train daily and haven't finished a derby yet. We won't run a trial again til summer next year and that will be a qualifying. But it's enjoyable to spend so much time teaching a dog and having that much quality time with them.

Man I totally agree with that. And as I suggested it takes a LOT of time... I never had time (nor really the desire) to do it. CastAndBlast had one of my pups and he really was into it for a while and the pup did really well... I never took the time to learn how to train for field trials.


I do love to watch a good dog work, retrievers, upland or tracking... Once got me a GSP to train for the Versatile Dog hunting circuit... I could not handle it... WAY ti HYPER for me!! Learned my lesson real quick!!

[Tex21]

Force fetch is a big key but doesnt happen until 6-7 months old. keep it short and fun early on. Obedience can make or break a good hunt.

I have the complete set of fowl dawgs training dvds if you would like them? Ill let you have them for $20-30 just to cover some of the shipping cost

[tadmaryperry]

Let's see...our labs sleep in the bed with us. They are crate trained and will stay in the crate however long we need them to...during the day or night.

I would recommend Bill Hillmann also. Water dog is good, but a bit dated. There are a tremendous number of very good training programs out there. The important thing to do is get one and follow it!

Work obedience from day one. That is the foundation of everything you will do moving forward. Once you start with retrieves (prob in a hallway) only do a couple. Always leave pup wanting more and keep it fun! The real work comes once they hit about 6 mos and get their adult teeth.

bumpers, wings, balls, etc....anything you can get your hands on. You will need a lead (we use slip leads), check cords, and a heeling stick (very handy!).

We run hunt tests with our labs, but we mainly do it to keep them in hunting shape. We train atleast a few mins every other day. My lab is my best friend. If i'm around, he won't be 3 ft from me. I like it that way - we are a team - and you have to be in order for that dog to trust you. Gaining that trust is also a foundation to the training. Good luck!

[SaltwaterSlick]

Couple other things....
Instead of play toys, balls and such, on my last 2 labs, I have used shed deer antlers. In the house we'll play a game with them by throwing them for fetching and then I go hide them and tell them to "find the shed"... worked like a champ! Got a lot of sheds from my last lab that died back in '13 by telling her that when we were filling feeders in the Spring... Working on the current new pup now...


One note of discipline, if you have to strike the dog, use the leash NEVER, never NEVER hit your dog with your hand... Your hand must always be a comfort to the dog and it must trust you unshakably.

[Storm]

Olso get your obedience solid here , heel and sit. At the sit position dont accept a sloppy sit , dancing ,jumping or barking. Sit means just that sit and pay attention . Those command can make or break a good gun dog. And Texas Grown has a very nice dog . Best of luck with your new pup . I wont get my next one til sometime in the summer and then my dog gets breed. 3 field trial dogs around the house is going to drive my wife to committing murder!
If you want to see why I said what I did look up 2020 NFC CHAMPION SHIP it starts tomorrow. This is the whos who of the dogs , owners and top trainer throught the country and its being held around the Giddings Texas area. Come on out