Ready to see my dog work- Is it bird season yet?

I can't wait to see Buck in the field. 2 more months... and we'll start on dove and special teal. I elected not to hunt him last year, although I probably could have towards the end of the season. We've been through OB, Marks, FF, blinds, double marks, casting, water marks, triple marks, and just about every drill that I could research. Approximately 1 year and 2 months worth of nothing but training over and over, every day, 1-3 times a day. I knew it wouldn't be easy, and I was right. Not the dog's fault by any means, just my inexperience at training. I figured out the two keys to training, commitment and knowledge. We definetly got the commitment part down if nothing else. Soon we'll finally get to enjoy the fruits of all our hard work. I can tell he's ready. He's confident and knows what to do and what I expect of him. I think I'm going to have a superb hunting buddy for the next 10-12 years or longer. I'm sure he would have been an even better dog had I paid a professional trainer, but I can look at him with pride when he's retrieving and know that everything he does is a result of our work together or what was bred into him (or on the flip side, anything that he does wrong is my fault, lol). Our work is not finished by any means, but I can now say for certain I have a bon-a-fide gun dog on my hands. He literally eats, sleeps, and breathes retrieving. I am very proud of Buck. That is all.

You should be proud of Buck and yourself. Takes a huge commitment to do what you are doing and will continue to do. You will never stop training, keep him hydrated and enjoy each others company and make tons of memories together !!!

I'm starting down the same path starting on July 6th for OB training. My little girl (Poppy) will be 4mos old on July 1st. Then after that we'll be hanging out with Lone Star Hunter Retrievers.

I'm not sure that holding him back is a good idea. Birds make the dog. Mistakes are fine. You can't correct without them. Go tear them birds up. That being said, I am no trainer but I have a dog a trainer messed up that I have fixed, although it's a pointer.

It will be a good year for sure and I bet you are excited. You made a good call hanging back and getting your dog ready. Hunting a retriever too early can be frustrating to you, and form bad habits in your dog. Your hunts will be much more enjoyable, knowing what your dog can do.

Nice job!

nice....please be careful with the heat. You and Buck are going to be very excited both of you need to stay hydrated.

Very nice. Just out of ignorance asking but is this something you teach for trial purposes or for when you are hunting in timber with a platform for the dog that is away from you a bit?

I would imagine that is more for a hunting scenario passthru, to my knowledge most of the trial stuff is done from the line at standard heel. If you teach them the "place" command, it shouldn't matter and will work for either. I taught buck "place" on a platform, but it is interchangeable with pretty much any area, platform, or kennel that I want at this point. "Place" is basically an extension of sit. It comes in handy when training the dog without a helper because I can send him to his place while arranging bumpers for drills or any number of things really.