So i have a 15 yr old BML who will be passing soon I'm sure (though I have said that for the past 4yrs) I also have a 2 yr old YML that I am working with to hunt, (I'm training him myself and we are both getting better every day). Since we are a two dog home and my old guy will be with us not much longer we have gone ahead and decided on a puppy (YML). My wife will be picking him up Mid Feb.
So my plan is to either 1. have the puppy trained or 2. if my budget won't let me to really train the puppy all year, since I will be working the 2 yr old too.
As the puppy comes along I would like it to be my son's hunting dog. (Son is 12 so take some time to get him to handle the dog well too.)
If any of you have multiple dogs how do you hunt them?
Let them honor? Only hunt one at a time? Who ever downs the bird?

We hunt with multiple dogs often. Dogs should remain steady till released. Typically we take turns or if one dog decides to creep bad or break the other dog gets the retrieve. Most of the time you have multiple birds down. With my dog I can send her for whichever bird I want her to get so we let the other dog go to which ever he marked and I'll send my dog for the other/others

As Buck says, you need at least one dog that is trained good enough to retrieve whatever bird you need. Nothing worse than 2 dogs going after the same bird, that is a cluster.

For ducks I hunt with one of my dogs at a time. Only reason is because I'm too lazy to give both dogs a bath. During dove season I hunt with both at the same time. They hold steady until released.

haha. that's a good answer. I make the kids do it.

I get home and do couple retrieves in the swimming pool, that is a bath for my dog.

I don't like to hunt my dog with another. Why? Because her intensity is normally about a 9, you add another dog and it goes to 18. It's just to big of a pain and makes the hunt not as fun.

Yeah my 2 yr old is super intense. Still has some bad habits too. Talking when excited, will break if not put in check, ect. So I don't want to multiply that either.
I'm hoping to have him fully ready for next season. The pup can train all the way through next year and I'll be happy with two years from now him being solid.