Absolutley not!
Teach the hands on basic commands without the collar using praise and rewards - The collar is not a short cut - never has been.
Commands I start with are Here or Come and Stay at an early age. I actually give the dog a hunting season before I teach Fetch. I teach Fetch to all my dogs whether a natural retriever or not. The Commands used is Fecth (go get it - hold it and bring it back to hand) then Leave it.
I do not use many commands such as Hold, Dead bird, etc. IMO is a waste of time.
The list I use is Here, Stay, Down, Sit, Whoa, Easy, Fetch, Leave it, No, Heel, & Kennel.
Many ot the commands are backed up using a whistle such as Whoa (1 sharp blast) and Here (a dobule blast of the whistle.)
Because I also duck hunt this dog I am going to teach hand commands of Back, Left, and Right this winter.
The Collar is a great tool however. But the use comes way after the dog has a good understanding of the command used and is basicaly disobeying the command. The collar is a great tool for trash breaking too such as running deer, skunks, porkies, snakes, etc.
Others may disagree but I have helped untrain far too many collar sensitve dogs. Do your hands on basics first and use lots of praise and or treats and short sessions several times a day. You will see greater results.
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Turkey Hunting! ~ One Turkey Calling Another!
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