I just got a puppy, she is a Border Collie lab mix. I am going to try to train her to be a bird dog. She is only a little over 7 weeks old. I am not sure when to start training her . Can anyone give me some help or advice. Drop me a n email At [email protected]Thanx.

Buddy You gonna heard sheep?

You can start training her right away. What you want to train her for at this age though, isn't hunting stuff. I would focus on the house breaking, come, heal, sit, etc. Remember she is very, very young and the attention span of a dog this young is almost non-existant. Keep whatever you are trying to teach in short sessions and keep it fun. Let your dog learn what to do with her nose and play. There will be plenty of time later to train her on the technical stuff. I try to keep it fun for about the first year and then really hit the training. One final thing. Do not be too tough on your dog regarding punishment at this age. When the training intensifies so should the punishment. My opinion, but it has worked for me. Good luck.

I don't know much about labs but simple OB trainning should suffice for simple yard work (as opposed to field work).

Here's what I would do for real basic stuff. Commands:

Come - the puppy should know it's name. Get a long leash (check cord) then call the pup. Get down low or kneel while calling. If he won't come, gently pull the puppy to you.

Retrieving - Same as come. Get a toy and toss it. Use something like 'fetch' or 'fetch up'. Or use a long hallway with all the doors closed.He can only go two ways.

Kennel - Make him get use to his kennel. Make it a safe place. Never punish him by putting him in his kennel. Pad the kennel down with a warm blanket or dog pad. Never more than 3 hours at a time.

Reward should be alot of praise. I don't like giving treats. They come to expect it later.

Housebreaking is also a requirement if keeping him indoors. Take him out every few hours. Be consistant. You can train him only if your consistant.

Another thing you can do, get a whistle if you want him to learn it quick. Just blow the whisle before feeding time. You can use the whistle to overlay the commands later.

Heeling command have differing opinions. I simply like to walk the dog. If the dog starts to pull the line, I gently pull the dog back with slight jerk. I like using the command lead (thick braided rope) but others have used the chain. Some use a choke collar but I won't. Then at a latter time, actually use the command Heel (or whatever) but he's already conditioned. Don't use too many commands at once.

'No' is tone of voice.

That's really all I know for a seven week old puppy. They will test your patience and your wallet. Couple of times a day will do for each command but BE CONSISTANT and HAVE PATIENCE. Good luck.

Looks like Mite pretty much covered it all! Newbie, i think it is best to always end your training session on a positive note!! And most of all Repitition!!!!

The odds are against you teaching the dog to become a dependable bird dog. The Border Collie is a wonderful, intelligent breed , but is not bred for hunting. The lab in him may carry enough genes for a suitable hunting dog, but it is doubtful anyone that allowed a mix breeding to occur would have a lab with a quality pedigree; possible, but not probable.