The other method requires attaching the leash to the collar. While the dog is in the sitting position, slip the top part of the leash from the collar to the ground under your boot. (about a foot to sixteen inches in length) Imply the hand signal with your palm out, extended toward the ground and command down, while you pull up on the leash, which forces the dog to comply. Either technique you feel comfortable with will work. All puppies have a short attention span. Training sessions with over-worked, uninterested pupils is a waste of time. Five or ten minutes in the morning and the same amount in the afternoon is all it takes to teach your retriever the basic grammar school lessons. Between seven and twelve weeks the pup should understand sit, stay and come. Its essential to build up a high confidence level with the canine before advancing on to the next stage of training. After you have gotten your retriever socialized and obeying your commands, you can proceed to the next level. By now the pup is accustomed to the surroundings around your house and yard. Kennel the canine up in a "Pet Porter" or dog box and take him to the field or a creek. This will be a new and rewarding experience for both the handler and the student. When you arrive let the dog out to run around, get acclimated, and take care of business. If possible bring an assistant (or gunner as their called on the field trial circuit) along to help out.

Work the dog in thick cover, heavy terrain and wetlands, this is where they are the happiest. I've witnessed my Labs lay in freezing cold water with ice sickles in it, they love the cold weather. Heat is one thing they can't tolerate in a dove field during early September. Make sure you keep your retriever in the shade and have plenty of fresh water on hand while on a blazing, Indian summer barrel burner. Bring along three or four canvas throwing dummy's, which can be injected with the scent of the wild fowl you intend to pursue. This will get the dog "birdie" and ready to hunt. While you handle the dog, have your assistant fire a scatter gun in the air before you send the retriever to fetch the dummy. A good investment is a "Retriev-R-Trainer" dummy launcher, which will shoot a dummy over the length of a football field. A few good on the job training sessions and your new pup should be well on its way for opening day.

Labs can be used in a wide variety of hunting situations. Kellogg's Kennels in South Dakota are breeding pointing Labs, cutting down on the number of dogs needed for upland bird hunting. The pointing Lab will locate the covey of quail or pheasants, stand at point until the hunters arrive, flush the birds and then retrieve them after the hunters make the shots. In the past decade, training Labs to track wounded deer has caught on like wildfire in the south. Deer hunters put the dog on a blood trail and keep it on a leash or teach the dog to speak (bark) when it finds the downed deer. Labs are astonishing animals, and their accomplishments never cease to amaze me. Whichever color or sex you decide on and whatever game species happens to be your prey, you should be satisfied with the temperamental disposition of a Labrador Retriever.