Well, I am not an expert at training dogs, this is my first dog. I am sorry if my question is "dumb". I have taken the time to read a couple of training books for lab training, and also talked to many lab owners. I thought I was doing things right by researching this, and they all said to use a collar to reinforce training when they are difficult, and what not. I can't afford to send him to a pro trainer, so I have to train him myself. He is a very smart dog. He was retreiving on his own, no training prior to me picking him up, on the day I got him. In the first 2 days I had him (7 weeks old) I had him trained to sit.He picks stuff up quick, but he gets distracted easy. I don't want to rely on the collar, I'd rather not use one, but everyone I have talked to so far have mentioned using one, so I figured I would ask here. I'd rather not spend the money on one, cause they don't usually give tham away. If you have any good ideas to help me, let me know. I'm new to dog training, let alone a hunting dog.