kshutingkid

Labor day weekend I am going to pick up my puppy. She is a english setter. The breeder is a good family friend and has decided to give me the first pick fo the litter. I hunted with the mother last season and she has a great nose. I trained my last puppy by just playing fetch. She had a lot of natural instincts in her, to me is amazing because she is just a mut (Viszla and Golden Retriever mix). But now I am worried that my new puppy won't have those natural instincts in her. Any information on training her or any of that nature is very appreciated.

Mite

kshutingkid

Do you know the parents breeding? What registry are the parents listed? Field Dog Stud Book or AKC? Both? This will tell you alot concerning natural instincts. Even dogs without papers, if field bred, often make great hunters. Also,most oftenif the mother has a good nose, so will her puppies.

For training, there are several good books. I would recommend any Smith (Delmar, Rick, or Ronnie) book. They also have several DVD's out: www.ricksmithkennels.com .

Illinois hunter

I would agree with Mite, your probably best to start with a good beginners book. I highly reccomend you get Delmar Smiths ' Best Way to Train Your Bird Dog'. Its down to earth, easy reading and will cover everything youll want to know for beginning. Check it out and keep us posted.

kshutingkid

I do have the book Gun Dog. I have been told it is a very good book for training pups. I don't know the father of my pup, but i do know the mother is papered, and so will my puppy. I'm assuming she comes from a good line of dogs, but I'm not for sure. Either way, I am getting a free papered English Setter. I'll keep ya posted when I get her and how the training is going... thanks for everything