fetch up. Wading out in the water with the dummy is also a good approach to coax the pup into the pond. Start out with short retrieves and work up to longer ones. Eventually the pup will come around and you won't be able to keep it out of the lake. I also recommend that you get the new pup acquainted with a boat at an early age to prevent problems down the road while waterfowl hunting. Scientific research has determined that a puppy should be taken from its litter mates at the exact age of 49 days. At this time you should begin the training process, and start socializing your new companion. If you decide to take on the rigorous training task, the five basic commands are: sit, stay, come, heel and down. In extreme hunting situations its a good practice to teach the dog whistle commands as well as hand signals. When a dog is out a hundred yards in gnarly, wet, winter weather making a blind retrieve, a whistle comes in handy. A Roy Gonia dog whistle is one of the best on the market, and can be purchased from the Fall, Redhead hunting catalog. Sit - one whistle blast. Stay - two whistle blasts. Come - Three or four whistle trill. Sit, stay and come are self explanatory and work hand in hand: Command sit, blow the whistle once and position the pup hunched on its hind legs. Put the palm of your hand

out, command stay with two whistle blasts, while stepping backwards. As soon as the pup bolts in the opposite direction, go after it commanding come and trill on the whistle. It definitely won't happen overnight, so don't blow your top and throw a temper tantrum. Within two or three weeks the pup will master this lesson and your off to the races. While training your hunting dog you'll need to discipline and scold it continuously to get the message across. Labs love affection and praise, when the pup completes a task successfully, shower it with affection and reward it with a treat. Typically, a working dog strides at heel. While training your retriever to heel, employ a choke chain. Not if, but when the dog decides to break you can tug back on the chain and remedy the problem, then release the pressure promptly. Constantly command HEEL! as you walk the dog on leash. Speak in a firm tone, so the dog will know who's the boss. As the dog gets older, in the same manner as a kid, it will try you to see what it can get away with. Don't walk in a straight line, turn right and left to simulate hunting situations. Well established communication skills with the puppy at an early age will make for less frustration in the long run. Determine which side of your body you want the dog to heel on and don't switch. Changing from one

side to the other will only confuse the pup. A good handler can make or break the dog. Once the juvenile learns to walk at heel, you can take the leash off. The command down has two definitions: It is all to often misunderstood by the average pot licker owner, implying to lie down and roll over. That's fine and dandy for Rover, on Dave Letterman, not in a duck blind, though. In the retriever world down is the term associated with staying flat on the ground. For example; if your in a Jon boat, wing-shooting low-flying, Green Wing Teal over decoys, you want your dog to "down" in the bottom of the boat. This practice will avoid getting his head blown off when an incoming flight approaches. There are two training techniques involved in DOWN! The easiest is to command sit, as soon as the dog obeys, bend over and grab the front paws, command down at the same time as you pull them toward you. When the dog is flat on the ground, press your hand behind the neck and keep saying down.