gun dog question

Alright so I lost my dog last year. She grew up with me, I got her when I was 9 years old. Its time for another dog I think. So I've grown up to be a huge waterfowl hunter and I would like a Lab puppy. Here is my question for y'all, my brothers dog lives with us currently and he isn't a well behaved dog at all. He's scared of guns, noises, other people, and is very timid and shy. He is a mutt about 3 years old and 50lbs. What I don't want is the lab pup to learn nad behaviors and traits because it will be around my brothers dog. I would like my dog to be gun broke and good with other people and dogs.
I don't know anything about this and would rather wait until it wouldn't have to be around his dog if y'all think it will learn negative behavior from the older dog.
Thanks for all your help!
Adam

You will probably have a better chance buying a started dog to avoid your concerns.

Get rid of your brother. Or his dog. Or both.

If the dog is not contained, supervised, or controlled by the handler (you) the dog will learn bad habits whether or not your brothers dog is present.

Well my plan was to keep it crated away from the other dog while I was gone. I would work with it often with obedience training and gun training. I just wouldn't want to pay for a dog and have to live with myself if it got disobedient from my brothers dogs actions.
I can't get rid of my brother or his dog(even though sometimes I wish I could lol) we both live with my mom while im finishing up school.
Thanks for the advice guys and keep the advice coming

As long as you are solid and consistent on your obedience training from the get go, the other dog should not be a concern. Make sure you train him away from distractions at first, until his OB foundation is solid. Then you can actually use your brother's dog as a distraction tool once you get more advanced.

I take both my dogs around other dogs and people as much as I can. Well socialized dogs behave better around distraction because they don't get as excited around new places or things. They tend to "act like they've been somewhere."

A word of caution though. You have to be consistent on your obedience training (as with any training) or this will backfire. If you aren't dead-set on sticking to your training regimen and/or you don't have time, I'd go the route suggested above and get a started dog.

Well I did it, yall. Got a 6 week old AKC Chocolate lab male from a breeder in Princeton, Tx. Right now I'm working on crate training and simple come commands because he is so young. I will start obedience and retrieving training within a couple weeks. I can't socialize him much as of right now because he still needo his second round of shotsfor me to not worry about him getting sick. But he's a great little dog so far.

What kind of breeder sells their pups at 6wks old when they still need to learn from their mother until they're at least 8wks of age? Gives them a better start with their socializing and immune system. Hope you have a good vet.

Jeez now I'm scared for the little guy, she said it was early but no big deal cause he's eating great and had his last of the first round of shots at 5 weeks. I called my local vet and she said I shouldn't need to bring him in for 2 more weeks when he gets his second round.

Usually 7-8 weeks is best. It allows the dog time to interact with their siblings, socialize, and develop some of their identity. You're pup will be fine. Just make sure you socialize it... that is one of the most important parts of early training and pretty much any training program you go with stresses socialization of your pup to new sounds, sights, and smells.

If you socialize your pup properly, your dog will respond to formal training much better.

Don't worry. Your pup will be fine. There's a lot of experts on here that have never raised a litter of pups.

Didn't mean for my comment to come off heavy handed. I've got a new pup that turned 16wks today and I got her a almost 8wks. There are a lot of puppy mills out there that will sell you a dog at 4wks if your not careful. Congrats on the pup by the way and good luck with it. Living in the metromess my vet said that parvo is really bad this year and they have lost several dogs to it just at their clinic over by White Rock Lack. Wait till your pup has had all it's shots before letting her socialize too much. Mine told me no dog parks and no strut your mutts parades or any place where there are a lot of dogs that your not sure of.

Thanks yall, I'll take all the advice I can get. I only take him to places I know the dogs are vaccinated as of right now. So close friends and relatives. But I plan on socializing him as much as possible when he's a little older. I just got a retrieving kit with the dummy, lead, whistle, and duck scent. I want to do all his retrieving training myself and have read and read about it. Can anyone recommend a guide or system that's proven good because I'm getting different info on how to train a duck dog from different people and online.
Thanks

Adam,

There are a number of good training materials out there. Think about how far you want to take your dog, or what your goals are, and then look over some of the materials out there to see what fits you best. I really like www.gundogsupply.com for resources. The selection there is great and most everything is in stock.

Some options:

Evan Graham
http://www.gundogsupply.com/evan-graham-smartwork-smartfetch.html

Mike Lardy
http://www.gundogsupply.com/milatremavia.html

Tom Dokken
http://www.gundogsupply.com/dokken-gun-dog-retriever-dvds.html

There are many more. Have fun with your new puppy.

Agree with the above. Don't forget about Hillman or Mertens for a good start at a young age. I have a feeling you will be chomping at the bit.

I agree w/Jay and Tony, also may want to check out http://www.cowtownhrc.com/
I've met some great folks, gotten a lot more out of my pup and started playing the hunt test games.

That's exactly what I was looking for, thanks yall! We're definitely having some fun! When can I introduce him to water? I definitely want him to love the water and be a strong swimmer

Get after it! This is my boy at around 8-10 weeks. I just took it slow and made everything fun and exciting. No pressure and no expectations...

If you are living with your Mom, and in school,,, just remember when you finish school and move out it will be VERY DIFFICULT to rent an apt or house if you have a dog. Just something to think about.

Hopefully your breeder already introduced him to water but you can as soon as you get him