Intro to water

[NO FLY ZONE]

Took the pup out today and introduced him to the water. He did better than I thought he would.I need some advice. When should I start not allowing him to break? I don't want to start any bad habits, but I don't want to take away any of his drive.

http://s636.photobucket.com/albums/u...t=SANY0090.flv

[TealTapper]

Cool video, NFZ! How old is your pup?

I'll let the pros answer your question, but I bet they say not to worry about it just now.

[NO FLY ZONE]

Nov 9 he will be 3 months.

[Riggs]

Start now. I started from day one. I only allow him to break on fun bumpers.

[Riggs]

He swims great, way better than mine. Good looking pup.

[NO FLY ZONE]

thanks

[palmettogundogs]

I wouln't worry to much about being steady rite now, let him be a puppy. Teach your obiedience seperate from retrieving, for the next couple of months. Remember, several short training sessions is better than 1 long training session per day. Keep the pup wanting to retrieve.

[ECOPREDATOR]

Good advice. I'm no pro, but I did train my own dog and I started out with the same questions, concerns and I screwed up a lot. I was too demanding on my lab pup and he started dreading training sessions rather than looking forward to them. Don't worry about steady right now, but also read the bottom of this post.....

If (when) the tail stops wagging and his head drops its time to make it fun again. Don't be too heavy handed and keep it fun and positive for him. Consistency, teaching and repetition are the keys to obedience.

Also don't be the typical retriever trainer that throws 40 fun bumpers or 25 40 yard retrieves every day for your pup.

You already know he'll go get stuff and bring it back. Work on obedience, being a good citizen (no jumping, barking, being destructive, etc) and attitude right now. I personally throw 1 or 2 bumpers at the end of a good obedience session and that's it. Throwing too many repetitious marks at a young age does nothing but make you (the trainer) feel better. It unnecessarily makes the pup over excitable and doesn't focus on teamwork or obedience. Retrievers have the God given drive to retrieve, but it's your job to make them listen to you and do what you tell them to do.

If the pup stops bringing the bumper back to you, try to get him to hold it all the way back. If he insists on dropping the bumper or even worse running around and playing with it, STOP all retrieving until you go through Force-Fetch or a delivery to hand program. Allowing him to drop or play with the bumper teaches him that it is OK and you'll have a really tough time breaking that habit.....

Good luck with your pup. Go buy Charlie Jurney's book "Finished Dog".

[NO FLY ZONE]

thanks for all of the advice. I've never tried FF training, but I'm going to with this pup. From what I read it just sets a good foundation for later in training.