So my wife has heard me talking about getting a lab for a while now. My dad bought property a while back with a ~40 acre "lake" on it. Been duck hunting on it and just retrieving birds with a kayak or waders.
So with a bunch of her criteria being met, my wife decided to surprise me with an 8 week old female black lab. I really wanted a lab for my son to grow up with and eventually start hunting with my dad and me when he's old enough. He's the first grand child so my dad is really excited.
I've got two working line German Shepherd, so I'm no stranger to the time it takes to train a dog, but I haven't worked with bird dogs before. The breeder recommended Best Retrievers Inc., who is 1.5hrs away from me, luckily. Found a few positive posts about them on the GS and nothing negative so far. So right now, I'm planning on taking her to them at 12 weeks for some "imprinting." That is unless someone really wants to suggest otherwise.
I've read just about every thread on the GS about retriever training the last few days. The most common recommendations are:
Water Dog
Gun Dog
Smart Works
Ten Minute Retriever
Bill Hillman's DVD/YouTube
E collar (already own)
buy different color bumpers
train daily, 10-15 min, 1 or 2 times a day
Any other inputs? Any experiences with Best Retriever's Inc.?
So with a bunch of her criteria being met, my wife decided to surprise me with an 8 week old female black lab. I really wanted a lab for my son to grow up with and eventually start hunting with my dad and me when he's old enough. He's the first grand child so my dad is really excited.
I've got two working line German Shepherd, so I'm no stranger to the time it takes to train a dog, but I haven't worked with bird dogs before. The breeder recommended Best Retrievers Inc., who is 1.5hrs away from me, luckily. Found a few positive posts about them on the GS and nothing negative so far. So right now, I'm planning on taking her to them at 12 weeks for some "imprinting." That is unless someone really wants to suggest otherwise.
I've read just about every thread on the GS about retriever training the last few days. The most common recommendations are:
Water Dog
Gun Dog
Smart Works
Ten Minute Retriever
Bill Hillman's DVD/YouTube
E collar (already own)
buy different color bumpers
train daily, 10-15 min, 1 or 2 times a day
Any other inputs? Any experiences with Best Retriever's Inc.?
Comment