 |
Kim's Tips and Articles |
 |
|
Kim's Tips and Articles |
|
These are published articles written by Kim Moses, Hunters Marsh Retrievers.
New article on teaching your pup to be a good house citizen. See below!
Kim's Tips: I welcome your retriever training questions and will select 10 retriever training questions periodically and print the questions and answers below. Click here for answers to questions I have recently received.
Click buttons to view articles!
| Article I | Raising, Training, and Trialing - Part I - "My First Lab" |
| Article II | Raising, Training, and Trialing - Part II - "Starting Your Puppy Out on the Right Paw" |
| Article II | Raising, Training, and Trialing - Part III - "The A to Z's of Buying a Puppy" |
| Article IV | Raising, Training, and Trialing - Part IV - "Drills to Improve Marking Ability" |
| Article V | "The A to Z's of Selecting a Trainer for your Retriever" |
| Article VI | "What do I Need to Start Training My New Pup?" |
| Article VII | Teaching Your Pup to be a Good House Citizen |
Questions & Answers--Tips from Kim
Q. I have just gotten a new Lab puppy. I plan to use it as a hunting dog and a family companion. What books do you recommend? This is the first dog I have ever trained.
A. You have your work cut out for you, but training your dog yourself is very rewarding. There are lots of good books out there. The easiest book to use that gives you step-by-step pictures and instructions is Gun Dog if you plan to do upland hunting and Water Dog for water fowl hunting--author is Wolters. They can be purchased at any bookstore. The only thing I would change when using Wolters training methods is I would not use the whistle to release my dog. I would release the dog for marks using his name and release him for blind retrieves using the word "back." I would use one whistle for sit and three whistles for "here" or "come." I find this is easier to do and less confusing to the dog if you are hunting in an area where other hunters are also working dogs.
Q. I have a 17-week-old Lab puppy and he is not really interested in retrieving dummies. Will he eventually develop an interest in the dummy or what can I do to get him interested in it? CL
A. Does your pup like to chase balls or thrown toys? Is he out of working parents? Just because a dog is a Lab does not guarantee that he will be a retriever. He may turn on after you force-fetch him, but I would want to see some natural retrieving desire such as chasing balls or toys. What were his parents like--were they working dogs? Go and read my article the "A to Z's of Buying a Pup." Read about the golden litter in the first part of the article. Your pup sounds a lot like this litter. If you are a hunter, you may need to make this pup into a family dog and get another dog for hunting.
Q. I have a 3-part question I need an answer for:
I took a six-week-old black Lab that is blind in one eye from birth. He is a great dog. with his disability, is it worth trying to teach him to hunt?
A. If he is blind in one eye, he should still make a hunting dog--he should make a good upland dog. Here he will use his nose more than his eyes. If the dog has the desire, work with him.
Will having the dog fixed affect its ability to hunt?
A. No, having a dog fixed will not hurt his ability to hunt. In fact, hunting will help to keep his weight down. The one problem that happens after a dog is fixed is they have a tendency to gain weight if they are not exercised.
I have a 5-month old puppy Lab puppy that loves to retriever but always wants to turn it into a game of keep away. AK
A. Start obedience. Whenever you run the pup, use a long rope. Run away from the dog after you throw the bumper. Do not run at the pup. If the pup will not come to you, resort to pulling him in to you using the rope. Give lots of praise; you may also give dog treats. I like to take a pup on a walk with treats in my pocket and a couple of bumpers. I throw the bumper and turn and walk in the other direction; then call the pup to me and reward the pup with praise and a treat.
Q. My son has a female chocolate Lab that showed great promise as a hunting dog from 8 to 16 weeks of age. She is now 8 months old and will run out and smell the dummy but will not pick it up or bring it back. What can I do to fix this problem? KJ
A. The dog is telling you it is time to start force fetch. This will correct your problem.
Q. Can you recommend a book that is easy to understand for dog training? DH
A. For a first time trainer, two books with lots of pictures taking you step-by-step through the process with the pup starting at 7 weeks are: Water Dog for Duck Hunters and Gun dog for Upland Hunters. Both books are written by Richard Wolters. Also good is: Speed Training Your Retriever by Larry Muller. Good luck, you are going to have a lot of fun, just remember to be patient and consistent
E-mail me with any Kim |
 |
E-mail: hmwantalab@aol.com
1997 Teacher's Pets/Gator Designs
Contact: mhext@accessky.net
Copyright © 1997
All rights reserved
Revised: May 21, 2005
