I have a 5 mo chocolate lab that i am now thinking about taking duck hunting this year. I'm new to the sport and i'am not sure how to go about getting hem ready for this. some people tell me to just take him and see how he dose,(that instint will take over).

Do us all a favor...skip hunting with your dog this year and get em' ready for next year. Waterfowl season starts in less than a month,and there's absolutly no way your dog will be ready this year. If you train hard maybe the end of the season,will be o.k.,but you don't want to rush a dog thru training.

My dog was the same age as yours when I took her out...what a hassle. She had a good grasp of her commands,but her attention span was way to short. I spent all day chasing her around,along with yelling and blowing a whistle trying to get her to listen . I didn't make any friends with the other hunters that day! I didn't understand why they were so mad. The next year was awesome,she listened way better and I saw how frustrating it was to have an untrained dog on the loose,when another dog came running to our blind wanting to fight.

I hate to burst your bubble,but I'd wait till next year,it'll be more fun for everyone.

I agree with hbp, take your time and do it right.I believe in properly introducing your dog to the gun as well as the environment. Natural instinct won't kick in till about two years old,give or take. You want to take the time and adjust his or her instinct to suit your style.
It is true they're born with it but sometimes you have to pull it out of them. Just my 2cents, good luck to ya.

Thank you very mutch for your input. this is my first dog so i dont realy know where to start,but i want to do it right, can you recomend a good book or two, or possibly a good prograhm in the area?

Head to your local libary, and look for vidio's called gun dog and bird dog. that will give you a good idea of what those dogs are capable of.

You can also find out all the things you should have been doing, and should not have done.

Good luck on trying to get your dog to watch the vidio.

Man...where do I start? The first thing I would do is buy whatever books you'll need.I went to the library and checked out books at first,but I went and bought them later. I found myself re-reading sections of the books and it helped having them at home,whenever I needed them.

If your plan is mostly waterfowl,get the book "Water Dog" by Richard Wolters. It was the book I found most helpful,and a couple friends have used the book since. It's also on video.
He also has a book called "Gun Dog" if your interested in upland training.

I "cross trained" my dog for both waterfowl and upland hunting,she is mainly a duck dog,but hunts pheasants very well also.

The next thing I would do is to join "Ducks Unlimited". The basic membership is $25 per year,the best part is you also get their magazine. There is a section dedicated for all sorts of waterfowl related issues,from shotguns to dog training to product reviews and recipes.
Another great magazine is called "Wildfowl" it's dedicated to duck and goose hunting,I've learned alot from reading it.

Your vet can probably point you to a labrador club,in your area.They are usually full of info and training tips. If you have any other questions E-mail me anytime.

jayjos

My recommendation to you is get the book " Training The Retriever" by James Lamb Free.
There are many good books but this one will help train you which is most important. A friend who is a very active retriever judge here in the northwest told me there are man made dogs and god made dogs. You don't know what you have yet and you can screw one up in a hurry if YOU don't know what needs to be done and how. LOL

Go out and buy the book by Allis and Richard Dobbs. It's something like "The Complete Retriever Journal" . It talks about raising your dog from start to finish. Also, pick yourself up a Dogtra E-collar. It is about a three week process to train them on e-collar stimulation, but once you do and you do it right, you'll love it. No more, yelling and not listening. They respond very quickly assuming you introduce the collar right to them.

For the first six months, you should just love your dog... Pet it, play fetch with it, whatever.
Dont even bring your dog out till its at least a year old.
Good luck
Curtis

Bird Dog and Gun Dog by R. Wolters are excellent reads.. I started my pup at 6 weeks, real slow and playful. It's amazing how fast they learn and want to please you. When you train your dog with consistency, the bond between you and the dog is immeasurable. Wolters stresses training without severe discipline. You can get your dog to work for you and make it fun for both of you.
If you dont have the time, Call Brad Turner at Stillmotion Kennels.360-629-3111 . He'll work with you on a daily basis or if you want to leave your dog he'll do that too. His rates are around $16 a day.
I take my lab to him for a couple of sessions before pheasant season and he'll spin some live birds and we'll get the dog and me back in tune. He's up around Stanwood. Hope this helps.
I also think next year would be good for your dog. I took my lab with me when he was about 6 months old on a pheasant hunt at a release site during the middle of the week. No other hunters . We had a good walk. Guess what. the pup flushed a hen and we got her!

I recommend Training your Retriever or something like that by Jim Dobbs. I was at a training clinic he did quite a few years ago and used his book on my latest lab and it is awesome. Also anything by Wolters is a good bet. But the basics should already be taught and reinforced all the time, sit, stay, come. This year take your dog out on a lead and sit in the marsh letting it watch ducks and geese fly and land, just talk quietly to her and keep her calm. She'll get the hang of it. Make sure she isn't gun shy before ever taking her hunting or she won't hunt with you very long.

I am going to disagree w/ you all on this. Take your pup out early. Just do it bu yourself and make it kinda low.IE. jumpshooting ducks or put and take phesants.. He'll love it, you'll like it too. Still work on the basics but give him a little time to expirience a few birds.
I took my chessie out for the first time when he was 7 mos to a put and take phesant place and killed 10 birds over him. It took him a while to get the hang of finding the birds but he had it pretty much ironed out by #5. I took him dove hunting the nextweek, and he got to retrieve a few more.. By the time he was 9 mos we were killing 20+ ducks over him a day out on the bay. W/ no major issues, except he wasn't real steady yet. Were getting ready to start our second season duck together this year and I can't wait. Espically after watching him wack crippled early geese this year. Bottom line, Training is great, but it is nothing w/out real world expirience.
Also, NEVER NEVER NEVER, play fetch w/ anything but a bumper or you'll create a fetching monster who raids neighbors yards insearch of fetch toys.

Find an AKC retriever club near you. The Northwest has many. You will meet people that love their dogs and know how to train their dogs. You will skip all the B.S. Voodoo that is out there.

Find an AKC retriever club near you. The Northwest has many. You will meet people that love their dogs and know how to train their dogs. You will skip all the B.S. Voodoo that is out there.