# Too early?



## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

I know, I know, lots of threads from me today!  

This pup I am planning on getting will be coming home with us around late March/early April. He'll be 8 weeks old at that time. I have been talking with my dad, and I think 2010 will be the year we make our first trip out to South Dakota for some pheasant hunting. I would REALLY like to take my dog out there with me, but I am concerned that this might be too early in his development. I understand that I won't be able to expect a lot from him, but this will be a do-it-yourself hunt, and I would like the advantage of having a dog with us. At 10 months old, is it too early to take the pup out on a big hunting trip like this?


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

I'd take the dog! You'll need to have an e-collar for sure to control such a young dog on all those birds. Make certain you've done a good job of conditioning him to the collar so he knows why he's being buzzed when he tries to run off on you, which _he will do_ at some point. Temper your expectations of him (Don't expect what you would from a seasoned dog). He'll get out of range and bump birds at some point. Don't shoot at those ones. Make sure he's retrieved plenty of birds before you take him so he knows what that's all about. You can shoot birds for him at Lee Kay or at Willard Bay all year long.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

I was hoping to avoid the e-collar thing. The breeder was right, this is going to cost me a fortune. I guess I need to get him first and see how he does in different situations before I start to even think about all these issues, but is there any other way to control the dog than with an e-collar? Can I set up a situation to train him to stay relatively close to me, and correct him without an e-collar?


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## katorade (Sep 23, 2007)

I would get an e-collar think, what if you your dog is doing something that could kill him. And he can't hear you or he just isn't listening. Get one there under 200 bucks and you can find some on ksl. GOod luck.


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## littlebuck (Mar 16, 2008)

Try a check cord. All depends on how much you want to shoot and how much you want to train. It’s hard to handle a dog on a cord and a gun at the same time. I would take the dog. You could kennel the dog and hunt at times and you could work the dog other times. If you get a collar make sure you collar condition the dog prior to the Hunt. In the big picture a $200 collar is a very small investment when you compare it to 13 years of dog food and hundreds of hrs training time. I sold a 2.5-year-old lab once for $1000 I think I made about 2 bucks an hour on that deal.


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

The Sportdog SD-400 is only 159.99 at Sportsmans, and you can find them cheaper other places sometimes, and works GREAT, at least for me.
I would take the time and trouble to go with the collar, if he is headed over the horizon and decides that what he is doing is more interesting than what YOU want him to do, then he will be gone like the wind, if you cannot stop him.

I saved my dogs life with mine. He was chasing another dog, playing, and they were headed full speed towards the road, they couldn't see that there was some dumbass in a truck flying into the parking area like 40+, and were headed out right into his path.
I cranked up the power and lit my dog up and rolled him just in time to keep him from entering the roadway. The other dog was not so lucky, he got rolled by the front axel of the truck. He lived, but was not in the best of shape. MY dog would have been right about where the tire was. I am doubtful that he would have survived it.

We had a "nice" little conversation with the driver, which I am sure left him shaking for the next three or four weeks, and the other guy took his dog to the vet. I kicked my dog in the butt and put him in the kennel.

The collar could literally be worth as much or more than the dog.
Good luck and YES take him on the hunt. They say that the best training method involves LOTS of birds, and if you can't get him into LOTS of birds in South Dakota, then you won't get them anywhere. I am jealous in advance. :mrgreen:


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

I have heard that the first year you take a dog hunting, you want to develop his natural talent as much as possible and to avoid using an e-collar. Let him hunt and get the basic idea of things. If you are out there and it is his first time out and he is constantly punished by the collar, he might not be so excited to hunt in the future. Then after he has been on a few trips start with the e-collar. I read this from a book and it is what I have done. Don't take it as the final say, because I have very little experience training dogs but this method has worked for me and my GSP very well.


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

You can't just throw an e-collar on and expect anything but a confused or negative response. Of course the pup must learn by check cord first. By 10 months a Labrador should be collar conditioned and force fetched. He is more than mature enough to handle the stimulation of the e-collar at that age, but it must be introduced properly.
Pups- Don't use the e-collar when he's on birds. DO USE the e-collar as a safety measure. The sheer numbers of birds in South Dakota is enough to make any dog go a little haywire, let alone a young pup. Coming when called is non-negotiable. It's an absolute must. Collar condition the dog at a young age and you'll have a dog that will respond to you every time you call. As has been said, the e-collar is the only way to control that pup at a distance unless you're going to try to hunt with a check cord. How much fun would that be? :? I picked up my first Sportdog collar for under $100 on EBAY.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

I took my dog at about the same age to a hunting club on black Friday last year when the place was packed; big mistake, too much going on. I would try him on some of the areas around here first just to get a better sense of his abilities as the date draws nearer.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Thanks for the advice guys. Sounds like I will just need to bite the bullet and buy an e-collar around the end of the summer, then get him trained for it. 

I am thinking that I will probably have him chasing pigeons from the time he's a small pup until I can start hunting game birds in September. Then I'll just try to get him on as many wild birds as I can until we make the trip east. Maybe we'll hit up a game farm a couple times in the last month before the trip just to condition him to pheasants specifically. I know I can't expect much at that young age, but I want him as prepared as possible for the trip. A guy can only shoot 3 birds in a day anyway, right? I'll just take my time and let my dad and the others do most of the shooting. I'M EXCITED!!!


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## TAK (Sep 9, 2007)

Train up to that point and TAKE the dog! Y own it if not????

JUST be seletive when you hunt it. I would be mostly concerned about the gun fire over a young dog like that. Not just a gun or two, but if oyu have a big party with 5-6 guns "bringin the rain" might spook a youngster! Other than that hunt his a$$ off! Hunt him til he can't walk!


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## Royal Retrievers (Nov 24, 2009)

It won't be to early for him, and don't expect to much. A dog that is socialized with everything when young will turn out to be a great retriever. being on the hunt will socialize the dog in a positive way. Don't use the collar to correct an action in the field, but use it to train the dog on his responses at home.


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

I bought the collar when my pup was almost a year old. Best investment ever for the dog. She is very well mannered anyway. She's a pretty obedient dog without the collar. But I tell you what, that collar on her makes it so she listens the first time. I haven't had to even tick her this year for obedience issues. She's jumped a bird or two wild on me, but that was because I didn't follow her when I should have. 

Get the collar-if you do it right, you won't even have to touch the shock button.


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## Steve Shaver (Mar 9, 2008)

TRAIN THE DOG as much as possible before you go. Be VERY careful with the collar. If you cant train without the collar dont even try to train with it.
The collar is a great tool but if not done properly it will cause way more harm than good.


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