carl-finnegan Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 Hey all., Just need a bit of advice with my pooch Harley, been training him since 6 weeks old and hes now 7 months old. He is the most obedient 7 month old dog i have ever seen, dont use any voice commands with him all point & click unless hes a distance then its whistle instead of click (his ears are good not that good lol) anywho....he stays low and will stay til u tell him otherwise and retrieve etc, (you can so tell i love this dog lol). so my question is, what age does everyone receommend i take him out into the field, he trains in a huge field (yes by slinging a pigeon through the air which got me some funny looks but it worked) and does have the odd slip up but not many maybe one on every outing.. i just cant wait to take him out lol Cheers Carl & Harley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 Taking him out before he is totally steady to all game may be the ruining of him, is he OK with gunshot, other dogs and lots of scent from gamebirds ? I`m presuming that you mean at driven shoots/walked up ? If I were you I would wait until this time next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 yup wait till next year apart from anything else particularly with a lab you need to be very careful with the amount of exercise they get up to a year old. That said walking in areas with lots of game birds helps to steady them up and can be done fairly early on just not off the lead and with sensible length walks. I'd begin at 14 months or so on the odd rough shooting forray once he's accustomed to gun shots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl-finnegan Posted October 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 Yeah, i have been offered a great opportunity to go out and be taught by a local legend lol. this is why i cant wait but will obv, my dog comes before anything. he has been around a fire or two and didnt really react at all, but i dont wanna push him too hard, ive had a few people see him and have gone crazy over him, shame he cant breed (he only has one nut bless lol) the other thing regarding that that does worry my slightly is cos he only has the one, the vet has strongly advised that at age 1 he should be castrated and investigate the location of the "wondering one" is this gonna effect his abilities long term??? and finally lol.... should put all this in the 1st post but its just occured to me... i did want him to be handled by other people too, mainly cos my mates dog listens to him and him alone which is cool but my dads dog can be handled by anyone but will only listen to the handler! the mind boggles. think i will hold back until next year and keep on with his training. just pray his nut problem dont spoil him Cheers henry sorry for the war and peace version lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWD Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 (edited) I would hold back on him out working proper but you could lead walk him through a shoot , so you make sure he dosent make a mistake or get stressed by shot , then maybe around end Jan Feb when the bird count is low give him some more slack ..but really he should be a cracker for next season ...He has his adolescent stage to go through yet ..so it may go a little boobs up at that point to ..prepare in hase repent at leasure ...so dont go spoiling a good job to soon , takes a lot of undoing and some faults can be ingrained for ever ...sounds like you have got it right so far though so well done mate Have a lab I started to soon ...has her uses but shes just to edgy to enjoy properly ...wish I had held back till the following season and she was 1, best of luck though with a nice dog Re the ball or missing one has he only got one or has only one droped ..if its the later I have a cracking vet who recomends taking it of when he,s 2+ as its easier to find by then and his testosterone has done its job ...but its got to come off or it will turn nasty in time ...unsure if you can leave the good one on, but I belive mono testicular may be a hereditary problem...so best not to breed , outside of that no problems Edited October 22, 2009 by PWD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 go with the vets advice it will also help you as uncastrated dogs can be more dominant and prone to thinking they are boss. Odds are the second one is retained higher up and hasn't dropped which can lead to serious issues so well worth having them removed when he's advised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl-finnegan Posted October 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 yeah defo gonna have him done al4x, his health comes before any sport. i was just worried that having it done will spoil his temperment... just have to watch the space between now and next year i think Thanx for all the quality advice, new i joined this place for some reason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl-finnegan Posted October 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 no he has one undecended which aparently could be anywhere from his lower abdomen to behind his kidneys.. i read it was hereditary PWD which has really got my back up.. surley his breeder knew cos he had his bloodline for the last 15+ generations, reg papers etc. arrrggghhh gets my back up. i get the feeling the op wont be cheap too lol, will call my vets and ask about the 2 year old thing and try a couple of others see what they advise, why put ya eggs in one basket. cheers all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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