Never to early to start training

[Hunter1990]

He is 11 weeks old to day, and already his favorite thing to fetch is an old black tail shed. lol hoping it will help with shed hunting next year

[kodiak 907]

I recogonize that antler. You still owe me $25.

[bowhunterforever]

 

[Don Fischer]

Funny thing I recall. I knew a guy up in Montana around 1972 that figured he would train his dog to retrieve using duck decoy's. Hunting season came around and he went out duck hunting. Put out his decoys and waited. Soon a duck came in and he shot it and sent his dog. Before the dog was done every decoy was in the blind and the shot duck was laying on the water!

Another friend of mine up there taught his dog to retrieve with sticks. Dog was h*ll on sticks. First bird he shot landed on aa small island on the Flathead River. He sent Pete but Pete wouldn't go. So he picked up aa stick and threw it and Pete did a great job of retrieving the stick. He did it several time's with the same result and finally the stick landed really close to the duck. Pete went right to it and and actually sniffed the duck on the way by. Left the duck and brought the stick in again. Funniest thing I ever saw. He was so proud of Pete up until then!

[bracer40]

 

[Happy Gilmore]

like any animal, you have to train them for the desired response. Some come easier than others. There are some specific training you must do for shed hunting. There is a video out there on how to teach dogs to hunt sheds. Can't think of the name. One thing I do know, most guys start off hiding sheds etc. Typically, they are teaching their dog to track their own scent trail to an object which smells like the owner. (shed they've handled)

I had a guy come out and I watched him go plant sheds. He'd leave his dog in the truck and walk around the field putting sheds in grass cover. Dog found every shed. He was so happy about the progress he thought he was making. I talked to him about a few things he'd missed along the way in his shed hunting training. I asked if he had a buddy who had some sheds. He said yes. I had him call his buddy. Tell his buddy to put on gloves and put his sheds(buddy's sheds) in a plastic garbage bag and seal it tight. He then brought his dog, the bag of sheds he had not touched over. I took the sheds, put on plastic gloves and hopped on the quad. I then stashed the sheds via quad and placed a survey ribbon at the location.

Unfortunately, the guys' dog didn't find a single shed or, even want to pick up the sheds when taken right to them. The game he's learned is follow dads foot tracks, find the toy that dad has me chew on/play with at home.

I think you'd need to take baby steps. Having them recognize a shed is good as pup. You'll then probably need to turn finding sheds into a game of scenting. Importantly, not scenting you but, the object you desire.(sheds) Start easy with one around the house in the back yard in plain sight. Lots of praise. Make the game progressively more difficult over 6 months. Key importance. Try to keep the sheds smelling like sheds and not you. handle them with gloves, wash them, keep them in plastic garbage bags etc.

[Stilly bay]

  One thing I do know, most guys start off hiding sheds etc. Typically, they are teaching their dog to track their own scent trail to an object which smells like the owner.

This also applies to gun dogs and planting birds too.

Key importance. Try to keep the sheds smelling like sheds and not you. handle them with gloves, wash them, keep them in plastic garbage bags etc.

Don't keep the sheds in plastic bags, this teaches your dog to only key in on the fresher sheds or worse, sheds that smell like plastic bags.  Keep them out in the weather if you can. Let mice chew on them and moss grow on them just like how your dog will find them in wild.  when it comes time to handle them use metal tongs, leather gloves and bare hands leave lots of the wrong kind of scent 

[pens fan]

Never.
My wifes new pup, Persi. 50 days old and a retrieving fool of a girl. Sorry for the blurred pic....she doesnt stay still!