Lab pup not real interested in retrieving... Thoughts?

[cougforester]

She's getting better, almost 8 months old now, still not crazy excited about it but she'll get up for a few throws every now and then and will return items to hand. She's good for about 4-5, maybe 6-7 tosess on a good day, and she's just done - drops the item and just moves on. I've had her out on a couple duck trips this year, just to let her see the other dogs work and hear the guns, and she is interested in carrying the ducks around in her mouth but not crazy about jumping in the water to get one. She did go really nuts over a covey of quail, though, just sniffing and rooting around where they had been sitting, so maybe she's telling me she's going to be an upland dog...

I would think 4-5 good retrieves is all that's necessary in order to encourage good habits. My lab is 7.5 months old, and he could do more but I want to keep enforcing good habits! I usually do two fetching sessions a day so he still gets a decent amount of work in, but doesn't get bored and start chewing the dummy/dropping it short/ not running a direct line.

[Happy Gilmore]

Items? Dog needs birds. Find them. Buy them. $20 in pigeons can make or break a bird dog. You hopefully have the dog for 12+ years. Get em some birds and have some fun.

[ribka]

x2 on the prey drive using live birds at a young age.You'll have some hiccups with most dogs when they are developing. Most dogs seem to go through a stubborn or defiance  phase the first few years of life. Give it a few days or a week break and start with basics. I train first thing in the morning before dog is fed. I I used a combo of live birds and incorporated a small food reward when she was experiencing loss of interest in retrieving and/or hunting. I keep a few frozen quail or ducks  for the off season if I cant get live birds. And keep the training sessions short. Maybe 4 to 6 retrieves and end session.

When session was done she went back into the crate for a few hours and when she came out a quick training session.

After a month or so no need for crate. Then can incorporate blind retrieves and water training . And don't forget to train year round

[JDHasty]

I would not give up. 

I had one that just flat out wasn't interested, and then when she turned on she was unstoppable . 

At one time there were five FC/FTC chocolate labs in the US and Canada and four of them were either out of my kennel or one dog removed.  I have been around a lot of good dogs and this one was one of the most the most turned on retrieving fools I have ever seen. 

FC Abby;'s Little Cooper - only ran one Qual and won it, after she aged out of Derby won the first Open she ran and IIRC won the following weekend and was FC  at just over two years
FTC Chocline's Cigar & Choclines Spitfire
I forget the other dog's name

All have Hasty's Annie Oakley in the front end of their pedigree.  Unfortunately the pedigree of Bower Lake Ben is screwed up all over the internet.  He is out of Hasty's Annie Oakley and Barracuda Blue.  Not Trieven Anne Teak x Barracuda Blue

http://www.huntinglabpedigree.com/pedigree.asp?id=10592

[Happy Gilmore]

I would not give up. 

I had one that just flat out wasn't interested, and then when she turned on she was unstoppable . 

At one time there were five FC/FTC chocolate labs in the US and Canada and four of them were either out of my kennel or one dog removed.  I have been around a lot of good dogs and this one was one of the most the most turned on retrieving fools I have ever seen. 

FC Abby;'s Little Cooper - only ran one Qual and won it, after she aged out of Derby won the first Open she ran and IIRC won the following weekend and was FC  at just over two years
FTC Chocline's Cigar & Choclines Spitfire
I forget the other dog's name

All have Hasty's Annie Oakley in the front end of their pedigree.  Unfortunately the pedigree of Bower Lake Ben is screwed up all over the internet.  He is out of Hasty's Annie Oakley and Barracuda Blue.  Not Trieven Anne Teak x Barracuda Blue

http://www.huntinglabpedigree.com/pedigree.asp?id=10592

You're talking about Mark Clarks chocolate who sired abbey?

[JDHasty]

I would not give up. 

I had one that just flat out wasn't interested, and then when she turned on she was unstoppable . 

At one time there were five FC/FTC chocolate labs in the US and Canada and four of them were either out of my kennel or one dog removed.  I have been around a lot of good dogs and this one was one of the most the most turned on retrieving fools I have ever seen. 

FC Abby;'s Little Cooper - only ran one Qual and won it, after she aged out of Derby won the first Open she ran and IIRC won the following weekend and was FC  at just over two years
FTC Chocline's Cigar & Choclines Spitfire
I forget the other dog's name

All have Hasty's Annie Oakley in the front end of their pedigree.  Unfortunately the pedigree of Bower Lake Ben is screwed up all over the internet.  He is out of Hasty's Annie Oakley and Barracuda Blue.  Not Trieven Anne Teak x Barracuda Blue

http://www.huntinglabpedigree.com/pedigree.asp?id=10592

You're talking about Mark Clarks chocolate who sired abbey?

Yes, Mark and I did more than a few breedings with that dog.  I was the first to recognize him as a power stud and breed to him. 

Abbey was out of my Annie X Cosmo breeding and was a pup I kept for myself.  Gave her as a replacement for the only pup I ever sold that has bad hips.

I sold most of my pups to hunters that wanted bird hunting maniacs with POWER to spare.  They could eat you alive if you didn't respect that dynamic.  There was a time that I hunted behind six or seven of them in a pack and not one was out of control, but if they got on a bird... you better be ready for a run.  Cold nosed as they come, fast and smart as all get out.  I had a couple that would break away and run in front then circle back once they knew the bird was close and put the trap on it. 

I was an A Class trap shooter, with a State shoot buckle on my belt and my reflexes were lightning fast back then.  I shoot a little Ithaca 37 20 ga choked as tight as heck and shoot Federal P256 #6 and back in the 1980's and 90's I rarely missed bringing in a pheasant that the dogs got on. 

 

[Happy Gilmore]

Can't get mark to shoot anymore..lol. I shoot left handed and throw right so my 870 and I are lethal on wings. The old guys here in Niland are loving someone who cam throw and shoot and the coots are scared.