Gave him the duck wing and he quickly started retrieving it like a bumper. Glad to see the progress. Although now he’s hesitant to retrieve his dummy dive that we’ve been using as a bumper, ha ha! Guess i May need to load up on birds this year!
Any advice on blind retrieved and getting him to use his nose?
As long as he likes birds you shouldn't have to worry much about using birds for a while. You want to make sure that he doesn't get into a habit of trying to eat them as some young dogs might be inclined to do.
You've got a while before you need to start thinking about blind retrieves.
As stated, just focus on giving the pup lots positive experiences in the outdoors and with people.
Teach him how to behave in the house and basic obedience, crate training, etc.
When he's got all his adult teeth at probably 7-8 months old, start teaching him more formal obedience and "hold".
Dogs don't typically just start running blind retrieves confidently. You really should follow a training progression that typically starts with formal obedience, force fetch, collar conditioning, simple casting, pile work, TT, swim by, pattern blinds.
If you had a lab I would suggest following a number of proven training progressions that will teach your dog to to confidently run blind retrieves.
While you can use the same progression, Boykins take some patience and more creative techniques at times. There are a few good trainers that specialize in Boykins out there you might see about contacting for advice.
Contact Huck118 on here for some advice.