Training Journey Begins

[leechlake]

I have a little female lab, Belle, that's one and we're gearing up on our training with the cool weather.  I've trained 5 labs or goldens and with every one I learn a little more, make mistakes, but have a blast.  My first lab, Jake, many moons ago I was heck bent on teaching blind retrieves.  He was great at it, only problem was I glossed over basic obedience.  Duck hunting with him was a major chore.  Lesson learned, obedience first.   Belle and I have worked this week on sit off of the lead.  She's getting pretty good at it and I'm working on my patience, which I'm getting pretty good at too.  We also have worked a bit on healing better on leash and once I found my old pinch/pressure collar it was easy work with no pain for either of us.  She was a great citizen today when we went for a quick walk.

The thing I'm aware of more than ever before is to read the dog, figure out when to quit, keep things short, and notice when I'm not communicating with her when she's confused.  The other thing is to not work on her strength, which is fanatical retrieving.  We do some fun retrieving stuff but sometimes I just skip it.  When the bumpers are in the back of the truck she knows it and that's all she wants to do.  I leave them at home the days we skip it because it seems to distract her.

My goals in training a dog are for them to be good citizens, find game, retrieve in the most efficient way.  I don't need perfection, I just want a practical hunting dog that doesn't drop ducks on the edge of a bog for me to have to finish the retrieve on.  Any tips would be appreciated, if I live to 200 I will never learn enough about training dogs.

Edited September 13, 2015 by leechlake

[Todd Caswell]

If you have access to a retriever club close by, I recommend joining. Also find a training program and stick to it, I don't care what your goals for the dog are whether it be a FT,HT or gun dog you need a solid foundation to build on.

[Ufatz]

Nice looking dog Leech. You will find some serious trainer's here to help you along-if you need it. Your comment that you have "learned to read" a dog is excellent and perceptive; you can learn a lot by watching instead of rushing into a day's work out. I have become a DEMON on simple, basic obedience. One companion criticized my insistence on a dog stopping and sitting like a rock INSTANTLY when I  commanded. I explained thus:  what if that dog gets goofy and chases another dog or cat.....maybe into traffic. I HAVE to be able to stop him INSTANTLY.  Same in the field. And when I stop to jabber with the boys I want my dog SITTING at my left side.....not wandering around where I might stumble over him....so my dogs come to me immediately and park their canine adzes right next to me. Any good Lab will retrieve with joy! So all you have to do is harness that and teach some manners.

It is GREAT fun!

Edited September 14, 2015 by Ufatz
mispell

[leechlake]

Ufatz, thanks.  The one thing I forgot is that a dogs life is more about being around the house than hunting.  Last year I lucked into a situation where I hunted in SD, ND, and Minnesota about 26 out of 30 days and that will probably never happen again in my life or my dogs lives (God it was fun though!).  My mother in law could care less if my lab can blind retrieve a winged mallard at 150 yards or not, she does care if the dog is jumping on her when she visits.  

My wife did notice that since Belle and I started a more steady routine of training that the dog always wants to be next to me, more than normal.  Nice having a 45 pound lab snuggling next to you all night long, yes our dogs are free rangers at home.  The stay in kennels when traveling and kennels at out of town trips but at home they are part of the family.  Sometimes it's a negative but anyone that will jump in 33 degree water for me and retrieve a duck gets special treatment.

[TylerS]

Hey good to hear! She's a beaut, too. 

You got it right in that routine is everything. My wife was not impressed when Remy and I started training 5-6 evenings a week that first year...until she saw how well he behaved around the house! 

That was 5 years ago, and I'm still training regularly with ma's full support!

[Ufatz]

Now here is a TRUE smart dog story. We acquired Abby sorta by accident. She will be my last dog and might well outlive me. She is a runt, of modest breeding;  you can see some yellow tints from time to time in the right light. There was a time she would have been disposed of....and in a way I guess dropping her off on me was just that!

But she is SMART.

This morning wife and I sitting on front deck with coffee.  Abby out snooping around a hedge we have in front, between house and lake. There were a couple baskets and a roll of garden paper on the ground AND one of my wife's garden gloves.  Wife started talking to Abby and saying "Fetch it....fetch it....pointing at the glove on the ground. Abby was bright eyed, ears perked trying, trying trying to understand what my wife wanted.  I said,  laughing, show her the one in your hand.  Wife held up the glove and waved it around and said "Fetch it Abby. Fetch it".  The dog looked around again and GRABBED the glove laying in the tall grass, roaring up the lawn, leaped onto the deck and gave her the other glove.

I was stunned.  You show her one glove and she identifies the other and retrieves it? Man, that is something. And I like to remember there are people who don't think dogs can reason or think.

Hell,  Abby has a larger vocabulary than most high school juniors!