You’ve decided what breed you want, found a breeder you like, found a litter with parents that have all the health clearances, decided on the color and sex that you want, and now have a 7-8 week old ball of fur. Now what do you do next? You notice I didn’t say first, because choosing the breed, finding an experienced breeder who breeds quality healthy dogs should be the first steps in getting your puppy the right start. Now that we have a pup where do we go from here.
I think about puppy training from 2 different perspectives: 1)learning to be a good companion and 2) building retrieving desire. Building balance between both these is what makes a great all-around retriever. Let’s look in more detail how we accomplish this balance.
Learning to be a good companion
I bring all our pups into the house and make them part of the family. This gives me more time to build a strong bond with my newest hunting buddy. Introduce your pup to his plastic crate. This will be his new home and where he will spend time when you can’t give direct supervision. The crate will also help with house breaking. Get pup into a good routine and house breaking should go rather smoothly. If pup eats, drinks, or wakes up, take him outside. Use a command like “HURRY” or TAKE A BREAK” every time pup relieves himself. Over time this command will make airing your pup easier before going to the duck blind or when it’s late and cold outside.
Also while inside pup gets a chance to learn what to chew on, ie toys, and what not to chew on, ie phone cord, furniture, shoes, etc. Now is also the time when we start some simple obedience using treats. Yes, I said treats. I like pepperoni and so do my pups. A piece of pepperoni is easy to swallow, tastes good, and will last just about as long as a young pup’s attention span. Work on “SIT”, “HERE”, and “HEEL” using these treats. Your pup is learning how to learn and you’ll be surprised how quick he learns these early lessons. This early work also makes formal obedience easier down the road. Take pup for walks, on and off leash, and expose him to as many different sights and sounds as possible.
The bottomline…Teach pup some manners while making him as bold and comfortable as possible when facing new situations.
Building retrieving desire
This may be the most important part of puppy training. It is easier to rein in a wild retrieving maniac than to get a pup excited about retrieving later in life. Therefore, we start building retrieving desire early in pup’s life. Start in a hallway with all the doors closed. A balled up white sock or a small paint roller work great for these early retrieves. Get down at pup’s level and get him excited with lots of “HUP HUP HUP” while getting pup to chase the bumper in your hand. Toss it down the hallway a short distance and allow pup to chase it. If he brings it back, great! If not, no big deal. Just keep trying and keep these early lessons short. 2-3 retrieves is plenty for any one session, but multiple sessions throughout the day are great. Build desire by quitting when pup wants one more! Build good retrieving habits in the house before you start throwing retrieves outside.
Once you move to the outside you might attach a short checkcord for pup to drag around while chasing bumpers. This gives you a handle that will allow you to “reel in” pup if he decides to go somewhere other than straight back. Shorter retrieves that build good habits are better than long retrieves that pup may or may not do right. Success is the name of the game. Use lots of puppy sized white or black and white bumpers or Avery True Bird Flasher Teal. They are puppy sized and easy to see fly through the air.
Remember, the success you have training your pup to be a great retriever and companion depends entirely on what you do from 6 weeks to 6 months. Have fun and you’ll be off to a great start!
