I would recommend a dog with akc papers because it proves a hunting blood line. But to have a good dog you have to spend the time to train it. If you want some good training advice, tips and contacts to find good dogs the Tulsa retriever club has meetings 3rd Tuesdays at 7 at bass pro classroom
chiming in on an old thread just in case someone is interested....get a lab...the goldens are great dogs but their coat picks up briars etc and they are a chore to get out....they just fall off a lab....buy a pup from a duck hunter....buy the book "waterdog" by wolters or game dog...same author....2or3 weeks before you pick up your pup....in a year you'll have a guided missle for a hunting partner/house dog/kids dog/watch dog/member of the family...and you'll miss em when they're gone
I went back to the local pound as they had a black lab and took some tennis balls with me. We went out to play and he wanted nothing to do with the ball. I tried just playing with him and getting some exercise, but in the end, he just didn't want to retrieve. I put him back in the kennel and the animal control officer mentioned a puppy that had just been surrendered. I took a look at him and went and got my wife. We took him out and he interacted well with my daughter, was energetic, and was fetching a ball immediately. We chose to adopt him. He is a redbone coonhound / lab mix with some big 'ol paws. Say hello to Sue, the male retriever.
What tools, dummys, etc. do y'all use when training a duck dog? I'll be getting the mallard duck dummy soon. Does the duck scent help or is it a gimmick?
How old is the pup, approximately?
I would start with 2" canvas bumpers and work up to plastic ones. Only throw a couple bumpers in each session to build the desire to retrieve. At this point, I would put a lot more focus on obedience.
Try to get some duck wings instead of the scent. I would buy more bumpers instead of the mallard dummy. I don't think the dummies are worth what they want for them.
Also, get a whistle and start sit training with the whistle. Blowing the whistle is much better than yelling at your dog in the Oklahoma winds.
Good looking pup by the way.
Bassman hit the nail on the head. Obedience training, just the basics, is the foundation from which you build a good hunting partner. It should always be the first step. For a dog that already has the drive, retrieving can be the reward used to build that obedience level. Once you have 100% cooperation with the basic commands: sit, stay, come (or 'to me!'), down etc.. .get those basic commands down pat, using retrieval bags as the reward. On those days when the dog just isn't in the groove, mix in a treat reward. that typically gets my guys going again.
My experience is a little different. I've got a German Shepherd that fetches bad guys arms for me (protection dog for the fam and property - Informal Schutzhund ) - but it's still the same basic concept.
One thing I've not seen anyone mention is the bite. A good retriever needs to have a soft mouth, especially if you hunt delicate birds like wood duck or dove. The last thing you want is a good retriever that brings back a 'hamburgered' bird or wants to play with it, destroying the meat. It's not really something that can be trained into a dog really, it's more about lineage.
Then again, makeithappen got a rescue - and THAT trumps all other requirements in my book! Good work! I'd much rather have a rescue mix with a good demeanor than a $1,000 retriever that is cranky.
I know he doesn't belong in a retreiver thread, but I can't help posting a pic! This is Sarge last year waiting for my daughter to get him his stocking off the fireplace.
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My experience is a little different. I've got a German Shepherd that fetches bad guys arms for me (protection dog for the fam and property - Informal Schutzhund ) - but it's still the same basic concept.
One thing I've not seen anyone mention is the bite. A good retriever needs to have a soft mouth, especially if you hunt delicate birds like wood duck or dove. The last thing you want is a good retriever that brings back a 'hamburgered' bird or wants to play with it, destroying the meat. It's not really something that can be trained into a dog really, it's more about lineage.
Then again, makeithappen got a rescue - and THAT trumps all other requirements in my book! Good work! I'd much rather have a rescue mix with a good demeanor than a $1,000 retriever that is cranky.
I know he doesn't belong in a retreiver thread, but I can't help posting a pic! This is Sarge last year waiting for my daughter to get him his stocking off the fireplace.
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Good points Bassman and Aviator41. He is 3 months old and was surrendered by a couple the same day we picked him up. I am a bit worried about giving him a rope toy and refuse to get him a stuffed animal as it would lead to a hard bite, like aviator41 mentioned. He absolutely loves water, and is constantly jumping in my daughter's wading pool, fully dunking his head. I'll start working on the obedience stuff, using retrieval as a reward of sorts and keeping the times short so I don't wear him out as he is still just a puppy. Guess I'll have to wait for September dove or teal season to get some wings....
Video of his water obsession.
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Video of his water obsession.
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Sit, heel, and here. Those three commands are the foundation for most everything else. Once you get those down, you can start all the other fun stuff, but you cannot start the fun stuff without getting those down. I do not mention stay, because there should be no need for that. When you tell a dog to sit, it means sit and remain there until given the release command. Get you a good book, read it cover to cover before you start training. Everyone has their favorites, I like The Working Retrievers by Tom Quinn, although it does get quite complex and in depth. That does not mean you have to train your dog to be a polished field trial dog, but that information is in there. Even better than reading a book, if you have someone that can train you first how to handle your dog, then you train your dog. I had a bud do that for me and it was invaluable.
You definitely have a keeper there! Looks like He has the potential to be a great hunting dog! I'm with you, no stuffed animals.
remember: no tug-of-war games or keep-away games either. He needs to be rewarded for being gentle, retrieving quickly and dropping on command. If he thinks keep-away is a game in the back yard, or tugging is a game in the back yard, he will think the same thing in the field! Don't let anyone do either of those things with him. That's really hard too, cause humans love tug-of-war.
See, that's the exact opposite of my GSD - tug-of-war is a big-time game with him. Teaches a hard bite and to hold on. Good for a protection dog, bad for a retriever. I can hold my GSD up with from his mouth with his intermediate sleeve. Dude has a vise grip for a mouth! I would NEVER consider taking him hunting though. Of course, I also teach 'guard' and 'watch' and several other commands that a hunting pooch would never need.
I personally teach 'stay' - because there are times you want your dog standing but stationary, ready to go. Sit should have stay built into it. But stay, in it's own right has it's merits, in my book. I learned a long time ago that 'come' and 'here' can be hard for dogs to really master because there's not enough syllables in the word and to a dogs ear, they sound like many other human sounds. "To me!" is usually easy to pick up, and sounds like no other command (unless you name your dog 'Tommy') and can be easily said loudly to get the dogs attention. I also teach "down" as an 'at ease' command. given the dog a chance to rest.
Just my thoughts and opinions. Everyone has their own 'quirks' to training. Mine included.
Sue looks great! what a find!
remember: no tug-of-war games or keep-away games either. He needs to be rewarded for being gentle, retrieving quickly and dropping on command. If he thinks keep-away is a game in the back yard, or tugging is a game in the back yard, he will think the same thing in the field! Don't let anyone do either of those things with him. That's really hard too, cause humans love tug-of-war.
See, that's the exact opposite of my GSD - tug-of-war is a big-time game with him. Teaches a hard bite and to hold on. Good for a protection dog, bad for a retriever. I can hold my GSD up with from his mouth with his intermediate sleeve. Dude has a vise grip for a mouth! I would NEVER consider taking him hunting though. Of course, I also teach 'guard' and 'watch' and several other commands that a hunting pooch would never need.
I personally teach 'stay' - because there are times you want your dog standing but stationary, ready to go. Sit should have stay built into it. But stay, in it's own right has it's merits, in my book. I learned a long time ago that 'come' and 'here' can be hard for dogs to really master because there's not enough syllables in the word and to a dogs ear, they sound like many other human sounds. "To me!" is usually easy to pick up, and sounds like no other command (unless you name your dog 'Tommy') and can be easily said loudly to get the dogs attention. I also teach "down" as an 'at ease' command. given the dog a chance to rest.
Just my thoughts and opinions. Everyone has their own 'quirks' to training. Mine included.
Sue looks great! what a find!
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