put a down payment on this cute little fella here yesterday. did some calling around to different breeders and at the end of the day, this is the guy I went with. he's a boykin from Draco Kennels. he'll be flying in from Hardinsburg, Kentucky on 4-20-15! couldn't be more excited, this being my first dog to train. I'm all ears to any advice for first timers.

Try not to rush things or get frustrated because it will happen. Find a good training video or book and stick to it. Most of all enjoy your time together and have fun. Beautiful pup!

Help me out a bit here. It seems a lot of you guys hunt with these dogs down south. Is there any reason to get one of them over a lab for hunting? I know no one who hunts with one and I assuming it's because they are no good in the cold weather. Or is this just a choice guys make?

Ok thanks for the input guys. As to the question on why I chose a boykin over a lab, I like the versatility as said above. They will hunt for you and be able to turn it off and be a great friend as well. I also like the size of them. I'm not a fan of an 80lb lab in the boat with me. I have Also heard everyone talk about the awesome mentality and attitude of a boykin when it comes to learning and wanting to please the owner. Hope this helps some.

Nice pup...never heard of gettin one in the mail though

bahaha me neither till I started calling around! it seemed to be an every day thing to them. when they gave me the pricing the said "oh and shipping is 350$ if you don't want to drive over here" it took me by surprise, just kinda like wtf did she just say???

little update: Moose is now 9.5 weeks old. I got him later than expected on the 25th. he was pretty freaked out from the flight when I got him. pissed all over himself in his crate lol. but he's pretty settled in now and made best friends with a weiner dog next door he's starting to not cry as much in his crate at night but still whimpers. he's doing great on his potty training. he's only had 4 accidents in the house. lets me know pretty well when he needs to go. he seems like he's gonna be super smart, but he might make a liar out of me... probably gonna start learning sit and stay a little bit today. really excited about this guy!

They are very pretty dogs. They are not a lab. But both have very big personalities. A Boykin not all of them can take the intense training a lab can but there also labs that can't handle it. But he is a very good looking pup

thanks man. I appreciate it.

They tend to be very hard headed. There are several trainers that specialize in them, and I know a few that won't take them.

My old mans 4 month old lab is the first bird dog we have had (he is going to a professional trainer in June for 3 months) but we have started him until he leaves for training. Bought a Sportdog e-collar and the little 30 page training booklet it came with is pretty great for a start. The first half is training with no e-collar so still valuable for a younger pup. Gives a lot of insight into dog psychology and helps you understand why youre doing what you are to train.

awesome thanks mike!

Great looking dog, you will get much advise on dog training so I will give some also. Boykins are very sensitive so if you you feel like you are getting mad or impatient stop the training and continue the next day. There is a Boykin spaniel training book called "Retriever training for spaniels" by Pam Kadlec. I used this method with success. Good luck.