New puppy

Well my family got a new puppy this weekend (Chocolate male), he’s a lab (mother) and English cocker spaniel (Father) cross.

We had them each open a present Saturday morning (one had a collar and the other a small kong toy) then asked them what we would use those presents for, it took a couple of guesses but they eventually figured it out. Then asked if they wanted to go pick up the new puppy.

He will mainly be a family dog but I also would like him to pheasant hunt, he’s 8 weeks old and named Hank. My plan is to start working with him on crate training, house training and basic commands, I do have a pheasant wing that I tied onto a long ice fishing rod to get him used to feathers and something moving away from him. He really likes licking on it and catching the wing most of the time he’ll pick it up and bring it back to me (not working on any commands, just something he likes to do and is praised a lot when he does) I only use it for a short time right now. I have this book “Tom Dokken’s Retriever Training: The Complete Guide to Developing Your Hunting”, that I’m going to be following for my training.

The biggest thing now for the family is to have fun with him and work on basics, I also told the kids that we have 3 rules for our new puppy, 1: we don’t play tug of war with him, 2: Don’t chase after him and finally when he’s in his crate we leave him be (It’s his house) my kids are 8 and 6 years old and so far are doing great with him.

If any of you have tips for me that would be great.

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broth82 wrote:

I have this book “Tom Dokken’s Retriever Training: The Complete Guide to Developing Your Hunting”, that I’m going to be following for my training.

As I was reading your post and thinking about commenting, this was going to be what I was going to add. However, you’ve already got it! While there’s much more advanced training programs out there, this one is very easy to read and follow and does a great job, especially for the price. I recommend it to everyone. Just simply follow the book, build on each thing there is, move on when ready. And right now, just let the puppy be a puppy and incorporate a little here and there while trying to avoid bad habits before they become a habit.

Cute pup! Sounds like you have a good plan. Master the basics before you worry about hunting. There is no need to rush a young pup. At this young age, one of the most important things you can do is to expose a pup to as many new things as possible. As many different people, other animals, feels, sights, sounds, smells, situations–it’ll all help mold him into a well-adjusted dog. Don’t put it off; the younger, the better. Always be in control, though (i.e. don’t let him be unsupervised with other dogs or strangers). Take him wherever you can, get him used to being touched all over (paws, face, etc). Stick your hands in his food dish while he eats (but don’t let your kids do this!). Puppies are like sponges. Anything you get them used to now will be normal to them throughout their lives.

Oh, and stick with the crate training. 100% worth it.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

get him used to being touched all over (paws, face, etc

That is definitely one I wish I did more of, specifically the paws. It’s a bit of a pain to trim his nails now. Also I wish I never let them on furniture or my lap when they were a cute young little puppy.

Thanks guys, they definitely are little sponges he already knows that he gets a treat for going potty outside and hops around like crazy wagging his tail. We have a 13 year old lab and 2 outside cats that he’s been getting to know, we plan on taking him for car rides and getting him exposed to as many things as possible right now. He doesn’t mind having his paws, ears, mouth touched or handled. I’m working on feeding him in his crate and only letting him eat his food when I let him go, but I’ll have to work on putting my hand close to him and eventually be able to take the food away and not have him get mad. I did this with my other dog and it worked out very good, the kids could tell her to sit while they put her food dish down then tell her “Ok” then she could eat.

A great looking pup. The kids are gonna have a special time helping raise Hank. I believe you have the right approach, plenty of fun ahead.

mnrabbit wrote:

That is definitely one I wish I did more of, specifically the paws. It’s a bit of a pain to trim his nails now.

I did plenty of it with Ripley, and he still doesn’t like having his nails trimmed. He tolerates it, but he hates it. Our last dog, though, would literally fall asleep while I’d grind away on his nails with a Dremel.

They’ve all got their own personalities!

Never encourage whining or barking.

Never scold a dog for running away or not coming when you call. ALWAYS ALWAYS praise when they come back. ALWAYS!

Congrats on the new pup.

Sit, here, and heel. Those three commands need to be close to being mastered before you should move onto more technical training. After 6-7 months (once he has lost his baby teeth), then start force fetching him. Force fetch and sit/here/heel are essentials.

I’m not sure where you are located but in Duluth, I joined the Duluth retriever club and did a summer long, one night per week training program called “T3”, or train the trainer, which essentially teaches the trainer (and the dog) the foundational tools for training a good hunting dog. You don’t need to be going into hunt/field tests to get benefits from these types of programs. You likely have a similar club in your area that I’d recommend at least kicking the tires on. Reading books and watching videos are both good resources but nothing is better than first hand training with you and your dog and a good trainer in my opinion. Plus being around other dogs is great for socializing a young pup and it was pretty cheap (only like $65 for the entire summer if I remember right). Plus you can learn a lot just by watching more experienced trainers work with their dog in the field.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

Force fetch and sit/here/heel are essentials.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that force fetch is essential. Depends on the dog and the owner (i.e. what you expect out of the dog).

I agree that training with others can be helpful. Obedience classes can be a big help. For hunting, I used a pro with Ripley and then joined a NAVHDA training group. Honestly, I probably learned as much about what not to do (or what I didn’t agree with), but it’s a good experience.

I agree with Ralph 100% on the food bowl and touching of feet, I do not want to have to worry about my dog getting testy around it’s food or feet with anyone (especially kids) and I made a point of petting my dog and putting hands in the food bowl while she ate as a pup, as well as handled her feet on a daily for quite awhile. It helped with knowing that my dog is well adjusted and will tolerate kids to an extreme extent.

All good advice! I’d just add to make sure Mom, kids and anyone else commonly around the puppy should be on the same page. Your obedience training works great until mom/grandma/kids let the puppy walk all over them. Consistency is key!

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Jake wrote:</div>
Force fetch and sit/here/heel are essentials.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that force fetch is essential. Depends on the dog and the owner (i.e. what you expect out of the dog).

I agree that training with others can be helpful. Obedience classes can be a big help. For hunting, I used a pro with Ripley and then joined a NAVHDA training group. Honestly, I probably learned as much about what not to do (or what I didn’t agree with), but it’s a good experience.

You’re right, force fetch is definitely not essential. However, it is a very useful tool in cleaning up unwanted behavior. Every dog is different and some need to be force fetched more than others. Without being force fetched, it is much more difficult to correct unwanted behaviors in terms of retrieving. Now that I’ve first hand seen the benefits of force fetching, I’d never not force fetch a future dog of mine. The benefits are simply far too great.

Ralph, I’m curious why you chose to send your dog to a trainer rather than doing it yourself? I’ve always believed the journey is just as important as the destination in terms of training. Very rewarding when you’re the one that does it.

I’m not Ralph but would like to put my 2 cents in.
I got a female yellow lab at 7 weeks. I’ve trained numerous labs on my own in the past. Never perfect but good.
The new pup was perfect…outside. But she’s a house dog and inside, far from even acceptable. She was wild, jumped on us, always needed attention and chewed on us. More to that but you get the point.
I flat out couldn’t get her trained.
I just got her back after 5 weeks at a local professional trainer.
Worth every penny I paid!
I’m still working with her and will continue…it doesn’t end there and it’s up to me to do it.
She’s now 11 months and I can’t tell you how happy we are letting a pro help me.
Maybe not for everyone or every dog but a choice I made and it was a winner!
Good luck with your new pup whatever path ypu decide!!!!

The basic commands are an important foundation. Sit, heel, and here. Work with him once or twice a day (morning and evening if possible) for short 5 min sessions as puppies have a short attention span. You will be surprised how fast he picks it up. Once the dog gets those down then it is time to introduce other drills from the book and slightly longer training sessions, but still continue to work on basics every training session.

Take him to a park about a half mile away from the gun range and play with him every now and then. That is a great way to introduce gun fire to a young dog. It won’t be as loud and he will be playing so that noise will become a nonissue. Eventually you can work into some short training sessions in the parking lot at the range for closer exposure to gun fire.

Trust your dog, he knows how to hunt innately. Training sessions are just introducing him to his natural ability.

Bullheadfinder wrote:

Take him to a park about a half mile away from the gun range and play with him every now and then. That is a great way to introduce gun fire to a young dog. It won’t be as loud and he will be playing so that noise will become a nonissue. Eventually you can work into some short training sessions in the parking lot at the range for closer exposure to gun fire.

I’ve got mixed reviews on this one… Probably will work 99% of the time though. But I want gunfire to mean a retrieve. Dog hears the gun, knows a retrieve is needed ASAP. I don’t just want the dog to be comfortable around loud noises, I want him to have a positive association to them and his job.

haleysgold – that makes sense. Some dogs are definitely a lot more hard headed than others. I can certainly understand the need for incorporating a professional to get basic obedience down with a young pup and get them under control. I was more referring to the guys who spend the big $$ to send their dogs somewhere for a few months and when they get it back, its a fully trained hunting dog that can run blind retrieves, take casts, etc and has also been force fetched. Its funny because those are often the guys who are bragging about how good their dog is and they didn’t lift a finger when it comes to training. Different strokes for different folks I guess!

mnrabbit wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bullheadfinder wrote:</div>
Take him to a park about a half mile away from the gun range and play with him every now and then. That is a great way to introduce gun fire to a young dog. It won’t be as loud and he will be playing so that noise will become a nonissue. Eventually you can work into some short training sessions in the parking lot at the range for closer exposure to gun fire.

I’ve got mixed reviews on this one… Probably will work 99% of the time though. But I want gunfire to mean a retrieve. Dog hears the gun, knows a retrieve is needed ASAP. I don’t just want the dog to be comfortable around loud noises, I want him to have a positive association to them and his job.

Agreed. I do this to only introduce gun fire. Once the dog is comfortable with it, then comes the conditioning drills. Throw a bumper, have a friend standing about 50 yards away fire a round into the air as bumper is going out, dog retrieves bumper. Person firing the gun gets a little closer to dog and repeat drill. The dog will become conditioned to what the gun fire is associated with. Fortunately but unfortunately, when you are in a real hunting situation and you miss the bird, your dog will turn and look at you similar to the dog in the video game Duck Hunt. Bittersweet in a way and has happened to me many times.

Thanks for all of the feedback I really appreciate it, for now I’m going to be training him myself and following Tom Dokken’s book very closely. He’s getting better at crate training and has only had 2 accidents in his crate, house training stinks this time of year when it’s cold and windy out, but he’s getting the hang of it we just have to remember to take him out every hour or so.

I’ve been working with him a couple times a day for very short sessions (maybe 2-3mins only, if that) on the basic commands (Come, Sit and Kennel). I think he’s picking them up nicely and can do “Come” and “Sit” most of the time without help for both my wife and I, Kennel we’re working on. I’m not trying to push anything, just getting a feel for how he is to train.

Don’t say a command if you don’t have a way of enforcing it if the dog doesn’t listen, would also be some advice I’d pass along. Keep the dog on a check cord or leash, and only say “come” if you can reel or nudge the dog to come to you if he doesn’t listen. Left up on the cord generally teaches them to sit. Don’t want to develop the bad habit where they learn they don’t always have to listen to what you say.

mnrabbit wrote:

Don’t say a command if you don’t have a way of enforcing it

x100!

COME means something very specific in our household–it means get over here and sit in front of me. The way to get to that point, like mnrabbit mentioned, is to only use that command if you can enforce it. Otherwise, use something like “c’mere”, “here”, or “let’s go”. (the commands themselves are inconsequential, as long as you, your family, and your dog are on the same page)

I will third the being able to enforce a command. I trained my dog myself and did not understand that idea and it made training frustrating for me and I am sure very confusing for the dog.

Sounds good thanks, guys I’ll remember that tip