rob shooter Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Hi Chaps i have trained sprinders (2) but my next task is a lab hes 13weeks old and ime just building his new kennel i collect him week friday.i think trainning a lab will will require some help so, can anyone reccomend a book or video that will help me with his trainning, cheers rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dann boy Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Hi there john helstead from drakehead gundogs has some good DVD out Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felly100 Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 The gun dog club books are very good. You can buy the Right Start and Grade 1 Retriever as a package. I have found them excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGD Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 If you've trained a couple of springers a lab will be easy, it's only heel work, steadiness and retrieving! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbird Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Agree with WGD - after springers a lab should be easy peasy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labstaff Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 I like Joe Irvings book Gundogs,Their learning chain. Its not a dedicated lab book but an excellent allrounder. Personally though, I think lessons (group or one to one) are a better investment as the problems can be seen and addressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 A labstaff (heeling stick) is a good investment too - read that in Sporting Gun, I think it was, so it must be true! Agree with poster labstaff on the better investment though - get thee to a trainer. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Make sure you make the kennel chew proof or it will have eaten it in a week , I speak from experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daany Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 You have to laff at the lads saying a lab should be easy have you ever tryed putting a lab in a strait line out to 200 + yards ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PERCE Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 You have to laff at the lads saying a lab should be easy have you ever tryed putting a lab in a strait line out to 200 + yards ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longy0710 Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 You have to laff at the lads saying a lab should be easy have you ever tryed putting a lab in a strait line out to 200 + yards ? Agree completely, different horses for different courses!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felly100 Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Hi there john helstead from drakehead gundogs has some good DVD out Dan As a stand alone training aid,I couldn't fathom it out. I found there was no structure to it,as far as what to do and when. Everybody I have spoken to,talks about letting the dog be a pup,so it would be good for the DVD to give some indication of what age roughly each exercise should be started. That's why I got the gundog club books and they compliment each other well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 The whole thing of labs are born half trained etc leads only to one thing the fact that many also die half trained. There is no easy gundog breed to train because the dogs still vary as individuals within any breed and some owners find it easier to understand a particular breed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 (edited) As a stand alone training aid,I couldn't fathom it out. I found there was no structure to it,as far as what to do and when. Everybody I have spoken to,talks about letting the dog be a pup,so it would be good for the DVD to give some indication of what age roughly each exercise should be started. That's why I got the gundog club books and they compliment each other well. There is no age to start something only stage, its not how soon you get there its what you end up with. Dogs even within the same litter can mature at different rates, the brighter and or more sensitive dog seems to mature later in my experience but no guarantees you might get a dumb *** that never actually matures. That wasn't swearing but still Edited February 18, 2014 by kent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felly100 Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 I'm sure you are spot on kent,it is certainly a learning curve going from terriers to a Lab. Mine at 5 months, is doing so well, I am scared she's going to start getting bored,so I have backed off a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGD Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 You have to laff at the lads saying a lab should be easy have you ever tryed putting a lab in a strait line out to 200 + yards ? Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 I personally found my Cocker easier to train, he was my first attempt and did not turn out too bad at all. I then got a Lab , everyone said you will find that easy , well i did not , it was a nightmare so much so he is now away at a pro trainer for a while. With no disrespect to those who offered me advice , the biggest difference in the training of the two dogs was that the cocker was trained without the advice of online forums etc I took too much advice from too many people , most of whom could not even agree with each other ! , odd how people including myself are willing to listen to advice from people we have never even met , for all I know they may have had as much idea about dog training as I have about brain surgery yet I was listening to them . So the best advice I can give and the only advice I got that was truly useful is if you find it hard going find a good trainer who will give both you and the dog lessons . It may cost a few quid but it will be money well spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGD Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Sound advice fenboy. The problem is people use different methods, and decent trainers use different methods depending on the dog in front of them and it's specific behaviour (an absolute unknown on a forum, no matter what is described). Drills to achieve 1 + 1 = 2 can be described on a forum but all too often it ends up 0.9 + 1.3 = 16… nobody can agree on the formula or the answer and the OP's left wondering whether they need to be a rocket scientist to train a dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted February 18, 2014 Report Share Posted February 18, 2014 Sound advice fenboy. The problem is people use different methods, and decent trainers use different methods depending on the dog in front of them and it's specific behaviour (an absolute unknown on a forum, no matter what is described). Drills to achieve 1 + 1 = 2 can be described on a forum but all too often it ends up 0.9 + 1.3 = 16… nobody can agree on the formula or the answer and the OP's left wondering whether they need to be a rocket scientist to train a dog. Yep I agree. The trouble is for a comparative novice like myself is knowing which advice to take and which to disregard , I was following seemingly good advice yet still not getting anywhere near where I felt the dog should be , most of the advice I was given when things went pear shaped was it was a bonding issue with me and the dog . I felt the dog was just too stubborn and I was losing the battle , that's when I got help . The dog has just been away a month and I went to see him for the first time at the kennel yesterday , I was actually quite relieved when the trainers almost first word to me was "god your dog is pig headed" even he was having problems , the difference being he also had lots of the answers , I did not . So sometimes it really can be the dog and that will make no difference if its a Lab or a spaniel . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Actionpigeons Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 If you've trained a couple of springers a lab will be easy, it's only heel work, steadiness and retrieving! Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Yes, forums fall down on the fact that you don't ever see the dog and handler interacting. As such a dog might be thought be its owner as bold and hard when in fact its a sensitive whimp. The owner might think him or herself a strong confident type yet be in fact a laid back softy with the dog. Most of all the fault they are reporting might not be a suggested and more often as not it is a case of the wheels off the waggon because of earlier work which is claimed to be well done being totally missing. In all matters forum (dog related or not) one should know the answer before the question is asked, not as dumb as it sounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 I'm sure you are spot on kent,it is certainly a learning curve going from terriers to a Lab. Mine at 5 months, is doing so well, I am scared she's going to start getting bored,so I have backed off a bit. Hey there are three border terriers from the same litter at surrounding farms. One is a complete nervy chicken of a dog that wont come near any bloke and takes much encouragement to come near even my youngest daughter (I get visited by this bitch weekly). Another will readily come and greet people and I once opened my car door when it was wandering and it jumped readily straight in. The other seems aggressive when I visit but its a big noisy front and it fetches you a toy once you dare open the gate. Don't get into the breed thing its a trap look only towards the dog in front of you IMO. All these three have only two things in common their looks and their burning desire to be elsewhere (they all wander something terrible) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Yes, forums fall down on the fact that you don't ever see the dog and handler interacting. As such a dog might be thought be its owner as bold and hard when in fact its a sensitive whimp. The owner might think him or herself a strong confident type yet be in fact a laid back softy with the dog. Most of all the fault they are reporting might not be a suggested and more often as not it is a case of the wheels off the waggon because of earlier work which is claimed to be well done being totally missing. In all matters forum (dog related or not) one should know the answer before the question is asked, not as dumb as it sounds Please elaborate because I am afraid that is just as dumb as it sounds to me , I am sure you were asking questions about a small bores the other day , why waste every bodies time if you "already know the answer" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayDT10 Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Training dogs can be easy if you can be bothered to actually think about what your doing and how your going to do it, people are to quick to ask advice before having a good think and trying to resolve any problems they may come across themselves . forums and google can be a god send but I do think that some people just can't be bothered to think for themselves anymore. if you look at your training from your dogs point of view you won't go far wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Please elaborate because I am afraid that is just as dumb as it sounds to me , I am sure you were asking questions about a small bores the other day , why waste every bodies time if you "already know the answer"Err, coz you seek affirmation perhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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