Picked up my first lab last Thursday. He is a 12 week old male Black lab. Named him Samson, Sam for short.

So far gets excited for a tennis ball or small stuffed goose toy and will retrieve and bring it back to me or around me. Seemed to pick up the sit command very quickly by day 2 using kernels of dog food as treats.

Interested in beginning a retriever training program. Any suggestions of videos or booksto look for?

I used youtube video's by Bill Hillmann, they helped me more than anything else I found, and he sells more in video series. I got to were I'm happy with him (really me) by the youtube stuff. I read a few books that were not much help at all. I hope you have a great time with your puppy! And good luck.

Fowl Dawgs by Rick Stawski is really good. If you want something more technical and advanced, Evan Graham's smart works or Mike Lardys Total Retriever Trainer is excellent as well.

check out Freddy King on youtube. Has a whole series with tank from obedience all the way to finished retriever. walks you step by step and shows tank struggling and how to fix it. Not just teaching with a dog that knows what it is doing.

Congratulations on your new pup! There's nothin like em.....I like Hillmann and Lardy also, take a look at Lardy's Total Retriever Flow Chart and find a local HRC (Hunter Retriever Club) club you can join. Lots of good people to learn from. Good Luck.


http://www.huntingretrieverclub.org/

The wild rose way and duck dog basics is what I referenced

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For a puppy I would get Bill Hillman's Training a Retriever Puppy. http://www.hawkeyemedia.net/
It is a low force method that ensures a steady retriever and seems easy for new trainers to follow.

Later I would consider either Lardy's Total Retriever Training, Graham's Smartwork for Retrievers or Stawski's Fowl Dogs.

Probably the most helpful thing is to join a local retriever club and get around knowledgeable people.

Buck

How has nobody heard of "the wild rose way". That's like the oldest tried and true retriever training reference. Mike Stewart is one of the greats and has been in the game as long as tom dokken if not longer.

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Heard of it, yes. Fan of it, No.

IMO there are better programs and techniques out there. Hillman, Graham, Lardy... I'll even through in Dennis Voigt's training retrievers alone as some good info in it.

My dog could do 3 way blind retrieves at 6 months old. I don't think it's coincidence. I'm of the belief that rating a dog on hunt test field trials is retarted. The only thing that matters is effectiveness when hunting and the dog being a good family dog.

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To the OP. Search this forum and you will finds a lot of info and opinions on the different training programs. Have fun with your pup! I just sent my 6mo to my pro. Hope springs eternal! LOL

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/index.php

Buck