Young dog development for those wanting a well-trained hunting dog and family companion has been and continues to be an important part of the training going on at Dynamic Retrievers. We ourselves are hunters and understand the importance of having a well behaved yet stylish retriever afield. We generally take in young dogs at around 6 months of age, and like owners to commit to a minimum of three months of training. This allows us to take the time and do things right, without unnecessarily rushing or pushing a dog too much. Solid basics, although not very exciting, are very important to a young hunting dog’s entire career. Your dog will learn obedience, formal hold and fetch training, bird and gun training, water and land marks, upland hunting, and exposure to decoys and other hunting scenarios.
For those wanting a finished waterfowl dog, it is highly recommended to continue training to include hand signal and blind retrieve training. This is often 2-4 months more of training, depending on the natural skill level of the dog and the amount of training desired.