Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

Training Old Dog

Ttannahill14

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Joined
Jan 26, 2016
Messages
316
Location
Central Kansas
Here in my zone in Kansas, Duck season ended this past weekend. So it's time to start thinking of next season!

Does anybody have any experience or advice on training an older waterfowl dog. I'm marrying into a family with a good 4 year old lab. He comes from good hunting background just never been worked with because no one hunts in the family except me.

The dog is 5 years old. He's a great dog, lives outside. Has a naturally soft mouth. But he literally doesn't know the sit command, or anything at all.

My expectations are pretty realistic. I don't need him to win any awards. Mainly just field retrieves and from ponds that are too deep to wade.

I don't have much experience training dogs. Hunted with them a decent amount. But I'm just getting through school and starting out so owning a dog never made sense. Until now.

So bottom line. Can I turn a 5 year old farm dog who can't sit, into your solid, basic farm pond/field hunting retriever? Or should I not waste my time/money and put it towards an 8 week old puppy that will be ready in 2 seasons.
 
Old dog or new puppy same principles apply. Start with OB and stay with OB until its solid and then and only then slowly work up from there. Keep sessions short and fun for the dog.

No reason you cant have a working retriever by next season.
 
Yeah you can definitely get him ready, it'll take a lot of obedience first and not so much retrieving. Retrieving will come later once you teach sit, here, heel, and getting him steady.

Also is you get an 8wk old pup, he can be ready to hunt this fall with the proper exposure and training.
 
Turn dog into house dog and friend and companion I think it helps when you are. Around them more. They like to be near you. .John
 
Yes you can. Work on general obedience and gun conditioning. Then work on retrieving and work up the ladder from there.
 
Can't argue with anything mentioned above. I bought a Golden retriever out of the paper when I was in college, First dog and never worked with him on anything. 5 years later and out of college, I joined a retriever club and started training him to be a gun dog. I couldn't have asked for a better hunting partner for the next 8 years.

Foster their natural desire to retrieve, but obedience is key. Obedience training can be stressful, so until its solid its nice to separate obedience training from retrieving. Keep retrieving fun, and slowly merge it with Obedience once the obedience commands are fully taught.
 
You can have a lab ready in a year, but I would give him a shot.

YouTube Freddy King self taught series. 32 long videos for free that will get you goin.
 
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