New Pups

[Huntlabs]

Day 8 was another good day. We worked on sit, down, and come. The whistle was added to all commands. I love it when you see the light come on and get results from training. At feeding time I said "sit" and the butts hit the ground so fast until it shocked me. Started working on leash manners. Skeet was much more aware of the leash and did not pull as much as Chic but both got the idea before the end of training. Threw small bumpers for the 1st time today and Chic did great. Skeet was not sure how to hold the bumper and I didn't force it. Since he does such a good job with the pigeons, I figure its just a matter of getting him used to the bumper as he grows a little more. He is still a good bit smaller than Chic who is a week older.

[Huntlabs]

Day 9 happy dog time. We played down by the lake for most of the time. Reviewed sit and come with whistle. Transition to whistle alone was easier than I had thought. Walked on lead to and from the water to get them under control before and after fun time. Not working on a strict heal yet but learning how to stay close by and not pull on the lead. Different personalities are starting to develop. Female, Chic, is bigger and has started to push the male, Skeet around. She is still the best at retrieveing. Skeet is much more concerned with hunting. He smells and looks around. Leaves me more to venture out while Chic stays close by and wants a pat or rub.

[Huntlabs]

Day 10 Rain day. Brought the pups inside and played with the toys. Still need to spend time on house training.

[jwilliams]

THanks for the day to day. I have always been a Wolters fan but that is a worthwhile suggestion looking at not impeding the pups retreiving by stay commands. Anyways, something to think about.
I think someone was very wise when they suggested picking a plan and sticking to it. My pups will be 7 wks sunday and we start. they are having a blast retrieving the tennis ball right now. Keep the updates coming. Thanks.

[Huntlabs]

I don't mix obedience and retrieving yet. After we work on obedience we go have fun retrieveing. They are still two very seperate things. The retrieves are the reward for doing the work.

[SterlthePearl]

Please give us a day to day. I agree with you that starting them early pays dividends later, and yes, I have read water dog. my 4 yr old lab has never ever not wanted to retrieve and i started her in her 7th week, spending at least 10 minutes but never more than 20 minutes training per day. i played with her a lot longer than for 20 minutes, but after that time period, they just lose focus, unless you're making it fun with retrieving, etc.

[Huntlabs]

Day 11 was Vet checkup after work. Spent the whole time at the Office getting shots and checkup for the pups. They are both in great shape. We leave for the hunt test setup at noon today. (pups go too) Should be fun and hope to see some of you there.

[Huntlabs]

Day 12, 13, and 14 were full of new and exciting experiences for the pups. We spent the weekend at Cp Woodie with CRC working the Hunt Test. The first weekend in the dogbox without an accident. Way to go Chic and Skeet. Of course I walked them regularly but during the tests and at night they were perfect. On Saturday when I fininshed the Upland Test I ran both pups in the puppy test, 6 retrieves from 10 to 20 yards. Despite the trip to visit Gundogguru's pup and to get a snake from one of the kids that was watching, both pups made the retrieves well. It was the first full grown ducks for them and they handled them remarkably well. Skeet, the smaller and younger of the 2, did turn head over heals on the first retrieve as he tried to carry the duck by the neck and stepped on the body several times. The potential for great retrievers is in thier blood. After watching them at work on the test I'm filled with anticipation to see how far they can go. I guess that's why I enjoy this dog training so much.

[MRoss]

Huntlabs,
How long do you work with them each day? More than one session each day? Please keep the updates coming..

Thanks

[Huntlabs]

How long do I work with them? 10-15 minutes max. I take each one seperately and work on the obedience commands. Then we go have fun with a couple of retrieves. After the first pup is done I put it in the kennel and get the second one. Same thing. Then we go for a walk down by the lake or out in the woods. I usually spend another 10-15 minutes with them doing "adventure training". It has really paid off now and they are much more likely to go out on their own and hunt. Especially Skeet, who is always looking for something in the water or under a bush. I think the amount of time you spend with the dogs is critical to their development. I also bring them inside for at least an hour after supper and just play with them. Socialization Training, I guess. Hope that answers your question.

[Fish]

Yesterday Candor and I worked our dogs on marks and blinds. I garnered some pretty useful information from him during that session.

Today I worked Teak alone and we concentrated on "alignment" and "squaring up" while running blinds. He runs blinds with great enthusiasm but I have let him get away with too much lately and it showed yesterday. And so, today we run a total of six blinds from 50 to 150 yards long all set up in an array across a field. With proper alignment he will go in the right direction unless he starts thinking, which is a good way for him to test the new collar's range and intensity. Sometimes he would want to go back to where he picked up the last bumper so I worked against this by sending him on blinds that were seperated by a wide angle.

Anyway, with some persistence he was also squaring up when I stopped him. Overall he did really well today except for his line manners. When it comes to line manners he more resembles a goat than a retriever. That gives me tomorrows lesson plan.

[Huntlabs]

[Huntlabs]

[Huntlabs]

[Huntlabs]

[Huntlabs]

Chic is 9 weeks old and Skeet is almost 8 weeks old as they both made 6 retrieves of full grown ducks. The retrieves were from 10-20 yards. Their first ribbons in HRC competition. I'm sure they are the first of many to come.

[Huntlabs]

Day 15 was review day after the big weekend adventure to Cp Woodie. We went back over the obedience commands and spent a little more time on the heal and lead work. They did well. Skeet has only 2 more days before he goes off to his new home. Puppies grow on you and I'll miss him, but Chic will get more attention. Doc is pretty stressed with both pups after him all the time.

[Huntlabs]

Busy Weekend for Chic at SEWE. We demo'd her retrieveing ability yesterday at the Buist Academy. Doc got to make a few short retrieves and then she got to make one. The kids loved it as we asked them to throw the marks. A great time was had by all. Church and family visits today and back to training on Monday.

[Huntlabs]

The 3rd week of training began with a few more obedience commands and the beginning of longer marks. She continues to amaze me by her ability at such a young age. Sit, stay, come and down are coming along well. She has developed a bad habit of jumping on me when I call her, but that will be easily corrected later. I want her to come in excited and happy for a while. The marks yesterday were from the winger I set up for Doc to do his triples and she was just moved in closer. The first mark was about 10 yds from the winger to us and she picked it right up and brought it to me. The second was alittle farther at about 25 yds. No problem. The third was about 30 rds and she started to play with it on the way in. An excited whisle and walking away from her clapping and calling and she returned it to me. Stopped there and picked up the stuff for the day.

[Wing Nut]

That looks like the Guru crew observing there.