If you could give just one tip for a puppy owner....

[Springfield Pointers]

Many a great dog has been made in the UK using tennis ball

And you even finally got a Wimbledon Champ too... except I can't help noticing that when he loses the English refer to him as "Scottish"

[Gundogguy]

Many a great dog has been made in the UK using tennis ball

And you even finally got a Wimbledon Champ too... except I can't help noticing that when he loses the English refer to him as "Scottish"

Well good I suppose. Do not follow the game much. though years ago did enjoy watching the antics John McInroy!

[Matt]

Take it slow. There is absolutely no need to rush with him (especially as he sounds like your first gundog).

I'm not sure I agree with some of the advice above to a new owner - I think getting dogs onto game as quickly as possible is an awful idea if you don't know how to do it and don't introduce it correctly. You could end up setting him back a long way.

[Springfield Pointers]

I think getting dogs onto game as quickly as possible is an awful idea

[Gundogguy]

Take it slow. There is absolutely no need to rush with him (especially as he sounds like your first gundog).

I'm not sure I agree with some of the advice above to a new owner - I think getting dogs onto game as quickly as possible is an awful idea if you don't know how to do it and don't introduce it correctly. You could end up setting him back a long way.

+1 Without basics one will never know how a good a dog could have been! Take time to train the basics properly!!

[Springfield Pointers]

Take it slow. There is absolutely no need to rush with him (especially as he sounds like your first gundog).

I'm not sure I agree with some of the advice above to a new owner - I think getting dogs onto game as quickly as possible is an awful idea if you don't know how to do it and don't introduce it correctly. You could end up setting him back a long way.

+1 Without basics one will never know how a good a dog could have been! Take time to train the basics properly!!

At the risk of repeating myself: Take this advice with consideration. Although I agree that basics should be covered carefully. Introducing a dog to game is best done as early as possible. By this I don't mean taking the dog out and letting it try and catch anything that has a pulse. Have a look through this forum, there are always countless posts about people wondering why their dogs are bored and not making progress. Too much obedience work can wash out enthusiasm.

[Matt]

At the risk of repeating myself: Take this advice with consideration. Although I agree that basics should be covered carefully. Introducing a dog to game is best done as early as possible. By this I don't mean taking the dog out and letting it try and catch anything that has a pulse. Have a look through this forum, there are always countless posts about people wondering why their dogs are bored and not making progress. Too much obedience work can wash out enthusiasm.

I'm still pretty new at this - but the opposite of getting dogs onto game early isn't spending hours and hours doing boring obedience and sapping all their enthusiasm... I can't speak for pointers, but I want my labs to have a great retrieve, which means I focus on their recall and distance work. I think I can do this just as well with dummies and balls as with bunnies and birds. My young dog is 14 months old and I still have no intention of moving him onto even a dummy with a pair of wings tied on just yet. I have no problems with his enthusiasm.

For those with lots of experience and a ready access to lots of game and gamey ground - then I'm sure starting early is a breeze and often the right thing to do, but I don't think it makes good blanket advice to first time owners. I may make you bang your head against the wall - but i think training needs to suit the handler and the dog. I'm not disagreeing that dogs need to work on the real thing, but if I was asked for a single piece of advice for a new labrador puppy owner "get him onto game as soon as possible" wouldn't be what I said.

[Judy]

Its different habits for different Countries, if I had a Pointer and had to hunt for my birds I would likely introduce a pup much earlier than I do Spaniels and Retievers where my only contact with game is on a driven shoot where birds are more than plentiful.

I do agree that most retrieving problems can stem from boredom, in my not so humble opinion! However, I wouldn't want to alleviate that boredom by taking a youngster onto a shoot here, too much stimulation before the brakes have been applied is equally as bad as dumbing down the dog with too much obedience. Its about knowing the dog too, this is where experience is invaluable, I have taken a 9 month old to and end of season day but I have had doubts about whether a 2.5 yr old was ready to see the real thing (she wasn't!) .

And what Matt said!

[trekmoor]

I'm a bit wary about adding to this thread . I do let my pups loose on game just as early as I can manage to but it may not be a good idea for a beginner dog trainer. I like the extra "go" game puts into pups but I know from past experience that training the brakes and steering can be made a good bit more difficult once a pup "knows" game.

I try to get around this by shutting my mouth and giving no commands in the presence of game to begin with while, at the same time, training little bits of obedience on game free ground. Then I begin to very gradually and very tentatively, to put little bits of the obedience taught into practice when the pup is on gamey ground or in the presence of game. To begin with I do this only when the pup is most likely to obey me ....like when it is returning after a chase , I would blow the recall whistle. It takes me many months to put the obedience into a game crazy pup.

It is the way I like to do things but I have been taking gundog training classes for about 35 -40 years now and I know doing things "my way" can spell disaster for a beginner.

Wullie

[Springfield Pointers]

but if I was asked for a single piece of advice for a new labrador puppy owner "get him onto game as soon as possible" wouldn't be what I said.

Fair enough, and I understand your view. However, there are many people who will not train bird dogs like this. There is no good reason to keep game from dogs at an early age. There are people reading this and thinking game for a young dog is not a good idea, and this is not the case.