re: Getting my GSP on august 2nd.... any training tips to start with?

<----- not mine, but what he will be looking like soon once he grows up.


I've never trained a retriever but have read/watched everything I could get my hands on since January.

As someone else mentioned, expose him to feathers early. If you can find done duck wings or dead ducks/pigeons that would be great. Nothing to serious, just let him explore and become interested. Once he's a little older, you can shackle a live pigeon and let him have fun with that.

Also if your serious about training, I would recommend finding a training program and following closely. Search for Evan Graham, Mike Lardy or Hillman methods. All of these aware very good. I've never seen the Hillman method, but supposedly it takes you week by week as the pup grows on what/how to proceed.


Also spend some time on retrievertraining.net. LOTS of info there. It's the tigerdroppings of training a retriever



Good luck

This is my first LBD ("Little Brown Dog"), but I'm pretty sure he won't be my last. He so smart and soaks up everything I tell him to. I was nervous about me (attempting to) trainhim and potentially screwing him up, but right now I feel comfortable in the direction we're heading and CAN'T WAIT (:BartScottvoice:) until hunting season. Counting down until dove and duck seasons

Youre giving me the

quote:

---

strong desire...

---

for an upland bird hunt

quote:

---

(No message)

---

quote:

---

Sometimes I have difficulty typing, and driving in the rain on the interstate...

---

me too

at 10k miles a month you tend to get pretty good, normally. I need something to waste time and there is enough traffic on here to make the miles pass...

quote:

---

have you ever had your own birds in a pen before wickowick? i'm considering doing it pretty soon here.

---

I got a few from time to time when the dogs were young, but older dogs know the game real quick and unless you are working to fix a specific problem they are not really needed.

I used to take a push pole and attach a landing net and go under interstate overpasses at night and net pigeons. My quail supply has dried up I think there is a breeder over near Lafaytte with some flight birds...

LINK a good source of upland gear.

quote:

---

Could you get into some shite if caught?

---

I have had cops stop and ask what I was doing. I was in college at the time, just told them research. They went on...

quote:

---

is this feather, pigeon, pen quail stuff really necessary for a pointer hunting upland birds or woodcock?

---

Not really, but the shorthairs were bred for fur and feather. The dog has to know what it is looking for. Mine will hunt lizards all day long at the house, but the woods mean birds and they know the leave the deer alone (though 2 years ago they started retrieving armadillos for some reson.) A pup or inexperienced dog will not know this...