16 month old pup

[bighit1985]

Hi all,

Well I just got a 16 month old pup from a friend of a friend. As he could no longer keep the dog as his ex wouldn't let him have the son at the same time as having the dog. So unfortunately for him he had to give the dog away.

So I have a staff. dog we have had for 6/7 years. at the minute they are getting on fine.

The pup has had basic obedience training and seems to walk on lead well although a little pulling going on. But he doesn't have kc papers and doesn't come from working dog parents as far as I know. It will be fine if he just stays a family let but would be far better if I can get him to be a gun dog for me. Can anyone suggest books/ DVDs or ways at which best to start. I've trained dogs as pets before but never a gun dog. So all help will be greatly appreciated. Cheers

[fenboy]

You do not say what sort of dog it is ?

 

16 months is not too old to start training for the gun , it may help but is not always important that it comes from working parents.

[hedd-wyn]

Not too old at all, my brother in law has started training his lab to the gun a 6 years old and he's coming along nicely.

 

What breed is the dog in question?

[bighit1985]

Sorry it's a male golden lab.

[fenboy]

Then its well worth a go , mine is now about 15 months and is still immature so yours is the ideal age for some serious training.

[bighit1985]

Any recommendations for DVDs or YouTube videos for the best way to start the training with the dog.

The main thing that concerns me is that obviously I've just got him and so the usual bond between dog and handler is not there yet and where his not from working parents is that going to make it harder/impossible to train???

[fenboy]

It may make it harder yes , but more will depend on the parents bloodline , they may have a show pedigree right through or they could be from working lines, not all working line dogs end up working , many end up as pets .

 

Even at his age there is no great rush , so spend sometime getting to know each other and get the obedience 100 % as that will be the building block for future training.

 

I would recommend finding a local trainer who does 1-1 or group lessons rather than relying on books and dvds.

[bighit1985]

Ok great cheers for the advice.

[Bazooka]

The fact the dog is not from working parents is immaterial so long as there is a good working dog pedigree behind it. Some show bred dogs have made the grade in various disciplines on the working/trialling scene and have gone on to produce decent offspring, normally when coupled with a working/trialing, dog though. I've said on here before that IMO a strong trialling pedigree guarantees (as much as possible in most cases) that what you will have is a decent blank canvas to work with. Something that has been bred from a line of proven performers that had no serious faults as such.Of course there's always the exception to the rule but in many cases, a well bred dog or bitch will make the grade as a gun dog providing the early training has been tailored carefully to the specific animal.....and there/here, sits your problem.

 

What others have failed to mention is that you have acquired the dog at an almost adult age. As sure as the sun will go down tonight you can bet your bottom dollar that the dog will have many...MANY, bad habits, and possibly some that might even be almost impossible to re-train. If she/he came from someone competent in the training of gun dogs then you might stand a chance with it. Any dog can be taught to retrieve, no matter what the past has dealt. However, if the dog has had any bad experiences whilst retrieving or carrying, you might find a problem or two that will never be ironed out. It's all very well folk saying " mines the same age and he's doing fine" the difference being, these folk normally have the dog under their watchful gaze for the time leading up to x age, and some will have differing ideas on what makes a good gun dog and what is expected of any working dog in a shooting environment.