i would start intro to bird at about 3-4 months of age, and thats just planting the birds, and having the dog find them with no commands, or restrictions. to many people get there dog, and try way to fast, and hard to train them ASAP, and that never works. if anything, it actually hurts you and the dog. first you need to take training slow and steady. how old is the pup? for a pup that is about 7-10weeks old, you first need to have the dog getting use to its souroundings, and having fun. you should play with the dog, and bond with him. during this time he should also be going through crate training, and getting the pup to do is buisness on paper. you could start working the sit command, but remember to keep sessions short, and fun. soon after start teaching stay, heel and here or come. all of these commands should be started once the other is complete. remember to start playing fetch with a bumper and retrieve 3 or 4 times a day, keeping it fun. i would not do any type of force training, or force obiediance, until about 5-6 months of age. you might want to get the pup into a rod and wing method, thats always seems to work, but many people disapprove of the mehtod, its all personal preference. the best thing i can suggest, is renting, or buying as many books and movies you can find. every trainer uses there own techniques in training there dogs, some will work for you, and others wont. i would get about 2-3 of each, and watch and see how its done. also i would look into a local club or training group in the area, you can gets birds from there, and also train with others who may have more experience. just remember to take it slow, trainig wont take a few months it will take a good year or so depending on what you train for. good luck!
Introducing a pup to birds
