Can you teach an old dog new tricks??
 

I love dogs, i own a chocolate lab. I want to teach her to retrieve ducks, but the problem is she is 11 yrs old. I never had the time or place to teach her until now. Is it an impossibility?????????????

RE: Can you teach an old dog new tricks??
 

well i guess nothing is impossable if it were me i would just enjoy her as part of the family an look for a puppy out of good hunting stock an good geneticsIf this is something you just want to do take it slow give her lots of love during training time an keep it short she is 11 years old an this will be confusing to her an it will be out of her comfort zone. i would also haveyour vet check her out to see if she is sound an can handle working above all remember she has been your buddy not your hunting partner

Doc an a few others will have some good imput to good luck

RE: Can you teach an old dog new tricks??
 

Thanks for the tips. Its gonna be more of a hobby than anything, if she doesnt take to it it's no big deal. Ill def take it slow w/ her tho.

RE: Can you teach an old dog new tricks??
 

I bet she would enjoy being with you on hunts. My parents golden is a certified plate dog, and WBCSC (world begging champion... sporting class). He's shameless when it comes to hand outs. Only golden I've ever seen that didn't like to be in water when his feet don't touch the ground. Damn dog has a nose like a setter though. Dad hunts him on doves and he does very well. He's fat, slow and methodical. Has a very soft mouth too. He's surely no duck dog though he loves fishing with pop. My Golden on the other hand is a machine on anything bird wise ;) I started him young and worked with him a lot.

I can't say whether your choc would retrieve ducks for you or not. I'm sure that if you had a cripple run into some high grass she'd be a huge help finding it... even if you had to go pick it up... her nose would hunt it down. That in itself is worth bringing her. I'd rather shoot a box of shells and never cut a feather than lose a bird... there is nothing in this world that gets my goat worse.

I say go for it. If it works it does, thats great if not... nothing lost really. Just keep your expectations reasonable. With my Golden, Dutch, all I expected was to not have to go get the boat to get ducks... turns out with a lot of training on my part he piles them up for me... can't get enough of it. He's great, can't say enough good stuff about him... most dog owners are like that.;) Best of luck to you and your lab. Just remember that training is crawl, walk, run. If she is obedient and listens to you, and eager to please, thats over half the battle won.

RE: Can you teach an old dog new tricks??
 

If somethin was floppin around in the water she would def go get it, but im not sure how to go about getting her to understand the concept of when to retrieve. My lab, jenny, does the same thing as far as not wanting to swim out, but I think she just doesnt understand the water. when i was younger we lived by water and she swam everywhere, then we had to move away and she hasnt been around water for years. We just moved back and there is a pond a few hundred yards behind my house. now everytime it is warm she dives rite in, she just doesnt go out too far. when it is warm enough, im going to take a canoe out in the pond with her and let her swim around me. I think that will help. also, im kinduv a noob at duck hunting so if anyone has ne tips let me know

RE: Can you teach an old dog new tricks??
 

Duck hunting tips are for a whole different thread..... I'd ramble on for hours. I'll spare you.

In my experience with young dogs, water retreives are easier than land retreives. Sometimes dogs that aren't used to birds won't pick up a bird on land, espeically if its still alive. They tend to act a bit confused. In water, they don't have much of a choice, just grab it and bring it to shore. Sometimes they will spit it out when they get there... but you don't have to take the swim. Its not perfect, and its not finished, but its a start anyway. Training with birds is the best way around it... of course to train with birds, you need birds... which can be a whole different problem.