Spring vs Fall Litters/Training

[jk_minn]

Ignoring the fact that one should choose a pup from the breeding pairing rather than the time of the year....

What are the pros/cons (when talking about training) of getting a pup that is whelp in the spring vs. fall. I would like to get my pup in the water ASAP - this gets much harder for pups whelped in the fall due to our MN weather...will I have issues training them in the winter? Are these first few months that vital? I am sure there is a topic out there somewhere on this? What have people noticed?

Ideally, I would like to get my pup this spring, get it in the water throughout the summer, bring it along on fall hunting trips the first season to watch and learn from the verterans. It may not happen this spring and I don't want to wait another year.

[LABS4ME]

Winter and early spring pups give you the best chance of this happening. The best time for me to get a pup is Feb - till mid April to do be able to do some hunting the first fall... They are old enough to have a good foundation in training, and are well versed on water etc. These pups are generally 7-8 months old. Now you have to remember they are still pups and modify your expectations that first fall. If you want one to hunt, your best bet is to get a late summer - early fall pup and have it go down south on a pros truck at 4-6 months old and then come home and continue to work it all summer. That DOG should be 12-16 months old and ready to be a hunting dog.

Good Luck!

Ken

[gixxer01]

If house breaking is part of the equation, its a lot easier to do in the spring. I have always went with spring litters for ease of training, bit there is lots of basic obedience that ca be done dwith snow on the ground.

[nofishfisherman]

I went with a spring litter for the house training purpose. Much less annoying to take the pup out at night when its 40-50 degrees versus 10-15 degrees. I got a vizsla so the cold was a bigger issue for him given his lack of a thick coat.

A spring litter also gives you more of an opportunity to get the dog outside right away for training. I did basic obedience both inside and outside. Outside there are more distractions so it was good practice getting him to focus on what I was asking of him. Was also able to get him in the water early on, its not a hunting thing for him since I don't duck hunt but I did want him to be comfortable in the water for our BWCA trips.

[Todd Caswell]

There really isn't a perfect time for a puppy, i've had spring , winter and summer puppy's they timing wise they all have had there pluses and minuses. I believe it's most important to get a puppy from the best possible breeding you can afford and not worry what season it is. I won't run a dog in a FT untill it's really ready to run a derby, 18 monthes or older, and won't run a HT untill the dog is ready to run a Master around 24 monthes, and won't hunt them until there around 18 monthes, too many bad things can develope if you try hunting a 6 monthe old pup, so timing of a puppy reallly doesn't matter to me. With that being said I have a 6 month old right now that I sure wish I had trainable water for him right now..

Good luck..

[BLACKJACK]

If you have a good warm spot to keep a pup, either in your house or a heated shed, I would go with the winter pup simply because they will be ready to do a better job of hunting the next fall. They're actually kind of fun if you're a pheasant hunter, they haven't figured out how to trail a bird, fairly easy to hunt behind. A spring born pup isn't going to give you much help in the fall. If you're a pheasant hunter, don't take them with so early that they get tired and want to follow you thru the grass, thats a bad, bad habit to let a pheasant dog get into!!

You mentioned that you wanted to get them into the water ASAP. I would be careful not to traumatize them by getting them in too soon. Once it warms up and the water warms up, let them play along the edge of the water, throw a few dummies along the edge of the water and walla, next thing you know they are out swimming.

[Don Brinkman]

I have 2 german shorthairs, one born in feb and one in Nov, both were able to hunt there first year, it was much easier house training the one born in Feb. I would never bring a pup home in winter again to much hassle.