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Is it possible?
I just adopted a 2 yr old male black lab. Hes a great dog, well mannered, and has basic OB.
Is it too late to get him on birds?
He likes to retrieve, but wouldn't touch a duck I threw for him......just to see.
Where do I start?
I know I will have a lot of work, but is it doable?
S.
Absolutely not too late! Your best bet may be to see if there is a retriever club close to you (possibly the Lake Ontario HRC) and see if they have training days coming up. Clubs welcome new members and are more than willing to help!
Wake up his retrieving desire with fun retrieves of chasing tennis balls & such.
Wake up his desire for birds with clipped winged pigeons.
Oh he'll retrieve a ball all day long.....and then some.
I have a bumper that I only use for training time, with duck wings taped to it. He doesn't mind that, but was still a little hesitant to pick it up. My last lab wasn't a trained retreiver, but he would bring back anything you threw.....and I mean anything. This guy doesn't have as much drive to pick new things up, but a ball he will go all day long for.
S.
Congrats on the new addition Sinker! I'm sure you can transfer some of your passion for birds into the pup! any pics?
Yup, here he is. He's a 2yr old male black lab named Coby. Hes a firecracker compared to my last one, who was a 100lb chocolate. He's only 50-60lbs, So much easier to handle, and a lot more willingness to please. My chocolate was hard headed, and always looking to challenge me. This guy wants to please, but has no idea what a duck is. He has a good prey drive, and will chase, but won't pick up a duck lol......my chocolate would pick up anything......and I mean anything, sometimes things I did't want him to touch! lol. I've only had this guy for a week, so we're still working on his manners, boundary's and getting to know each other, but he is a lot easier to handle than the chocolate I had.
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S.
Was he a rescue? He's sure happy to be there. :)
Yep, you could call it a rescue. A friend of a friend had him, and couldn't handle him with two young children in the house. He's kinda hyper, but getting better every day with us. Between my son and I, we keep him busy....that's all he needed I think. He is a very happy little fella.
S.
Nice size between 50lb to 60lb with less joint issues later in life because of it. He's a beauty ! :)
Great lookin pup sinker! probably right, just wasn't getting the energy burned off he needed to.
Most dogs don't like the feathers in their mouth for the first few times...
You can increase the amount of feathered object like a couple of wings tied together and a whole pigeon later on.
Have dog food on you and give him one or 2 every time he retrieves something.
He'll be keener each time he associates retrieving with a reward specially after he delivers it to you.
Do this on a long rope so there is always a sense of control even if he is actually just dragging the rope around.
As for scenting game try to drag a dead pigeon on your yard at night and let him follow the scent while on a long leash.
Again reward him with some dog food every time he succeeds.
To avoid gun shyness introduce him to a lot of noise like banging things around just before feeding time.
After a long time like this when he gets really excited try a 22 but make sure you are not too close to him which may require an assistant. Later you can do it while he is really enjoying himself like retrieving or chasing something....all done cautiously and gradually. Remember a shotgun gives a much loader report. Don,t forget dog food in your jacket they will always look for it and associates you as the God of dry dog food...better than the man with the stick...which sometimes you have to be depending on the dog.
It can be done! My first lab was 1.5 yrs old when I got him and he had never hunted before. Stay positive, make it fun and repeat....use the advice given by the posters before me.
Great info, thanks. I've already been doing the kibble rewards, and he will do anything for it. The bumper with wings is his new favourite thing now, so I think he will come along just fine. He's a great dog, just loves to please!!
S.
Sinker
Get out and spend some time with a club or someone who has firsthand experience. Lots of videos and books that will take you through the process. Be cautious with some of recommendations posted, they could lead you and your dog to frustration, bad habits and extra work to correct problems.
I still have work to to on basic OB. I was more looking for tips on how to get him "birdy". The bumper with the wings is working so far. I'll keep that going daily for now.
S.
I don't have any experience with labs, but with adult or mature versatile dogs I find it pretty easy to get them interested in retrieving ducks buy starting very small and making it fun before trying to polish their retrieving.
You basically want to jack up their drive and desire for birds, start with just a wing, make a game out of it and throw it only a foot or so until he is trying to get to the wing before you. If that doesn't get his interest, you can put the wing on a string and just jerk it around in the yard to get his attention. Work up to dragging a duck around in front him until he is trying to pounce on it and take it from you. Once you get his desire for birds where you want it, then you can work on refining his retrieving manners.
I have also heard of people having success by releasing pigeons in front of the dog and allowing him to give chase, you can attach a junk of garden hose to the pigeons legs so that it comes down after only a few feet allowing the dog to get its mouth on it. One concern with this method is, if the dog is already pretty shy or soft, a pigeons wing to the face might be too much and turn the dog off birds completely.
Bill hillmans website has lots of free video clips that can give you some good ideas but it won't be thorough.
Good puppy program that he has.
Congrates on your decision Sinker. Come on over whenever you want, you know I'm no pro but have lots of room and can help you with what ever comes up.
I know Jed could use some socializing for sure.
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Originally Posted by Sinker
Speaking from current experience....and a picture being worth a thousand words....
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YES. It can be done! I got this little girl at a year and a half, and she knew SQUAT. She didn't even know any basic obedience - no come, sit, heel, nada. It's an uphill battle on some of the finer points, but if you have a willing partner, you can achieve some fantastic things. I agree with Dakota Creek -- get in touch with the guys at Lake Ontario Hunting Retriever Club. They have a wealth of knowledge and can give you a hand where you're needing it. I have no idea where I would be without my training group -- they're my support system, my library of knowledge, and my gallery that laughs when it's the best response to whatever has come up. Get some reliable and experienced dog people to give you a hand, and you should head in the right direction.
You betcha this can be done bud . If not gunshy and is driven to please it should not take much . You might even have a kicker there lad . To tell the truth I prefer a bit older dog .
TD
Ive had him 2 weeks today, and im sure he will too. He loves to retrieve, thats for sure.
S.
Ive spoken to onelessarrow sometime ago about getting together for a training session...I have all the birds and equipment we need if your interested you guys seem to already know each other your more than welcome to come over and we can go over some stuff and give him some bumpers dokkens ducks and live pigeons...not all in one session we dont want to overwhelm him...just say the word and we can set something up and maybe do a shoot at one of my fields or skeet in the afternoon.
camo
Sink
anytime you want to get out and train just shoot me a message bud. I've got all the gear here at home plus a bunch of training birds.
Just spend LOTS of time with him and you'll be surprised how fast he will start to read your mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinker
There's absolutely no reason why he could not learn what a pup can. The fairytale that you need a puppy to develop a good hunter is spread by “high volume breeders” and some “pros” who have an oversimplified training recipe that works really fast on 80% of pups, but they are often unable/unwilling to adjust themselves and their training to the dog.
Any halfway decent bred dog is trainable, but often trainers don’t want to invest the time. Having said that, detraining bad habits takes both time and strategy (so you don’t end up ruining good habits).
It doesn’t sound that you have that problem, and you certainly get a healthy 2 year old excited about birds! All you need is birds…
As others said before, wings are great for the yard, clipped wing domestic birds even better. Just keep watching him and don’t be afraid to adjust the training if you feel it’s going to help him.
Wow....thanks! thats a great offer! I might have to take you up on that once I get his OB tuned up a little better!
S.Quote:
Originally Posted by CamoIsMyColour
Anytime brother I have two guys coming this weekend with started (just started pups) Im always training and another pup is always welcome...we will chat..Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinker