Im going to purchase an AKC registered Black Lab in about a month. I really want to train him/her for duck/dove hunting.
1st Question- Male or Female? Which one would yall perfer? Does that even matter?
2nd Question- How hard is it to train one? How Long does it typically take? Would I be better off paying someone trained to?
3rd Question- What age should I start training him/her at if I choose to do so?

I really would like to train him/her. I think it would be a good/fun experiance. I know someone who didnt have any experience doing so, just bought a couple of books and went at it.
Thanks in Advance!

Thanks alot FowlDreams! I look forward to the experience! Like you said, nothing better than seeing your hard work pay off! Im also getting a steal on the dog, 300$, because its a late graduation present!

I trained/am training my first bird dog. FD gave you some good advice in his post. One thing I would add is that in order to really get a full training experience you need access to a place where you can let the dog run big and a pond/river/lake to teach water retrieves. Luckily my dog loves the water and does better work when water is involved.

Waiting until 6 months to start the formal training can be tough, but it is definitely worth it. Find a plan that works for you and stick to it. Nothing makes bird hunting more rewarding than having your dog bring you back your bird and put it in your hand.

Good point. You can only do so much in your front yard.

Training your own dog can be very rewarding but it's not easy unless you have a solid plan to stick to. Since this will be your first dog to train, I would HIGHLY recommend the Fowl Dawgs DVDs. There is a 3 DVD set, but the first disc alone will take you through your dogs first year. It's a step by step system and he uses dogs who are actually in that phase of their own training, which helps you know how your dog can and will react.

Now for the real advice. AKC registration is one thing. Medical clearance is the only thing I would be concerned about. If you are going to buy a dog, get one that has been breed after the dam and sire are medically cleared. I can tell you from firsthand experience how heartsick you will be after training and bonding with an animal and it has to stop hunting because of one of the common Labrador diseases. All of these can be avoided by doing some research, paying a little more on the front end (which is a whole lot less than vet bills later). This advice is free but I assure you it is worth its weight in gold. Go over to the dog section and start researching diseases. EIC is rampant (Exercise Induced Collapse). Hips , eyes, elbows. I hope you read this and understand what I am telling you.

Another thing to think about. If at any point you have doubts that you won't be able to spend the time needed pay and have it trained. There is nothing worse than getting the dog started and letting it laps. This comes first hand from my first dog. It will get you frustrated and also the dog.

I like female dogs, males are more hard headed and like to piss on everything.
If you have the time and a place to do it I would train it yourself, at least the basic commands and force fetching and things like that. I think it helps with the dog bonding with you, which I think is very important. It wasn't to hard to train my lab, everything pretty much came with instinct. She wohld retrieve bird wings in the living room at only a few weeks old. I would start her off as soon as you can, save a few birds in the freezer this season to work with her. My dogs get birds put around them as soon as I can. I think of it like this, if you grow up your whole life and never eat a chicken fried steak and then one day when your 30 you try one, your either going to love it or hate it, but if you grow up eating them your whole life then your going to like it. if you wait till the dog is a year old it could go the same way. I've seen dogs come from a good bloodlinethat could just not give a chit about birds. Most importantly make it fun for the dog, you want it to be excited everytime it sees you pull that gun out of the case. Good luck, that dog will be your best friend, I know mine is.

I got Jack @ 7 1/2 wks in Feb this year. This pic is @ 12wks:



This pic was Veterans' Day and he's not quite 11 mos. Swam down a cripple and brought it back. I've been training him myself and couldn't be happier or prouder!

Training your dog, yourself, is the most rewarding thing you can do as a sportsman. I watched "Water Dog" DVD and read the book "Ten minute retriever". I worked my pup for about 10 minutes each day. Would take a day off every once in a while and when she was teething, we took a week off.

It is not difficult and don't be afraid to ask if you run into problems. Give as much detail as possible and you should get a good answer in the gun dog forum.

If you got a good dog with lots of drive and intelligence, they can be good hunting dogs at 6 months, but this takes dedication from you and your dog. And, don't be discouraged if you dog is doing great at 6 months, but relapses at 14 months. Just keep working with her.

My advice on getting a pup: Get a pup from a dog that you know hunts well. I would not take someone's word for it. If you got a buddy with a great dog, try to get a pup from it. You can't beat the "fetch" out of a lab, but just as you can't "coach speed", you can't train a dog to do something that it can't do. Lastly, there is a BIG difference between a dog that does trials only compared to a hunting dog.

Fuel dreams was all over it!

One more thing. If you decide to train him/her yourself go all the way through and make them the best dog in the field. There is no better thing than having a buddy with a vizsla ask if my Golden can come help find a bird for him. It will also get you invited on hunts more frequently. If people know your dog is well behaved and does good work they will bring you along just for the dog.

I am a proponent to training your own dog. With this statement I will also say if this is your first experience at training a steady retriever you will make mistakes(some may not be correctable). If you end up with a "hot" dog you WILL have your hands very full. An alternative/compromise is to have your pup "started" by a pro, and you finish the job. As to when to start training, that would be ASAP! You have to get the simple obedience first and solid before anything else, or everything else is for nothing. good luck.