Dog training info
 

Ive never trained a dog before so i really have no idea where to start. I know nothing about the do's and dont's. Would really like to try my hand at it with the lab pup i have now. Im really looking forward to start duck hunting this year and figured that this could add a little motivation to that. Not too serious about it just yet, just juggling the idea around while she's still young.

For a pup, obedience, obedience, obedience.

Sit, stay, come.

The book Water Dog is still a good guide, but I am sure there are many others and you will hear about them.

I like Robert Milner's stuff too.
consistency and do not give a command you cannot enforce.
also, I like giving nothing but positive until they are around six months or you know for sure the pup is refusing a command he knows.........great stuff out there really.

Thanks. I will check these out.

The best thing u can do is purchase a proven program i.e. Smartworks by Evan Graham, Jackie Merten's Sound Beginnings, Mike Lardy's stuff, and stick to it. Evan Graham has plenty of his Smartworks material on YouTube, and I personally recommend it. Check it out and good luck with your dog.

I use Evan and mike on mine and he is progressing well kind of expensive but cheaper than sending off

I'll be totally honest with you. I used waterdog and only waterdog. People will tell you it is the biggest joke out there....they haven't seen my dog work. I used the book like a bible and picked up a few tricks from experience and seeing other handlers work. You won't be disappointed if you start early with obedience. Good luck, hope you have enough time to spend with your dog, the more time you spend the more you both with click.

Is he force fetched and will he run 300 yd blinds? Can you no him off a dead bird and pickup a cripple? WD was a scheme nothing more nothing less and written by a fruitcake. Training evolves like technology, evolve with it or get runover.

Yes, topped off at exactly 300 yards in field (water blinds not quite as far). Called her off of numerous dead birds to go after cripples. She chased a green wing for 20 mins this morning after passing up 2 dead ones. Want to be more of a smart ***?

She is strictly a hunting dog and pet. Spade, not full blooded, no HR championships, just a good dog trained by a college student who doesn't get paid for it. I used that book and only that book. Haters gonna Hate.

The guy never once said he was trying to train a champion. There is nothing wrong with someone simply wanting a dog to make a few simple retrieves and to be proud in the fact that he trained it himself. I have trained 4 dogs using waterdog and find it to be a useful tool if all you are looking for is a hunting dog/pet as I believe the original post was referring to.

Good training is good training, the methods are the same whether the destination is hunting or field trials. If you are going have standards you might as well shoot for the moon because it is the same amount of trouble. Would anyone on this site hook a zebco 33 on a falcon/Waterloo/crucial rod and not think they would catch grief? It has always amazed me the number of hardcore hunters that think halfway is good enough with their dogs. I will wager that the majority of the guides in Louisiana have plugs for their help. If you ever see what a trained dog can do you'll never hunt with an untrained dog again. If you don't want a trained dog that would be your prerogative but make an informed decision first.

I like my zebco/waterloo combo...great for soakin shrimps. Oh gettin the pup saturday mornin, thanks for all your help and help to come Raymond!

My next lab is getting sent to you. But I do love my zebco abd castaways

Get a shock caller and shock the pizz out of it everyday til it runs under the house when u walk outside. Then u will have obedience down.

Now we talkin

i agree with ramond once u had a good dog you cant go back.

Water dog is obsolete, no 2 ways about it. If your happy with your dog, then great, but for someone wanting to train their pup, no way I recommend Wolters stuff. He doesn't utilize (not until the end of his career) the E-Collar, but back then the collar had 2 settings, off and weld. But the collars today are light years away from the old types, and so are the programs. Like I said before, Evan Graham, Mike Lardy, Bill Hillman, Jackie Merten, etc. all have good, solid, proven programs. Water dog doesn't come close to em.

P.S. I'm not knockin your dog so don't take it personally.

Wolters also changed his tune on force fetch as well since waterdog.

Dog training tip #3:

Dog is only as good as the trainer not the books you read. I'd bet my tuition on it.

Tip# 3:

Just when you think you've shocked him enough. Shock him once more for good measure.