I just got a six month old female chocolate lab. IS she too old to start training to be a retreiver?

You have a Labrador Retriever - She was bred to retrieve and 6 months is a good time to introduce her.

They are never too old. Just focus on obedience first and play fetch for fun. Teach her to sit, stay and come. When she gets that work on combining the retrieve with that. You have her sit, trow the bumber with hand on her chest, command stay then quickly excitedly say fetch it up and point the arm holding her back directly at the bumper. Use come here when she gets it then sit when she gets to you then release when she sits. When she get's all of that increase the time between throwing and the fetch command over time. Then work on heel and lay down.

By that time you will have here conditioned to you being the boss and you can work on tougher things to compliment what ever fashion you want to use to hunt. Just be patient, shower her with praise when she does even the simplest commands at first and make every training session fun. When she fully understands and you are just going through drills to keep her accustomed to the basics a simple pat on the shoulders and good girl will do. Watch her throat, when she swallows that means acceptance and comfort in the situation.
If she gets bored or unresponsive because of excitement just end the session and go about your business. When she is just learning the basics. She will learn that training time is the best time to bet praise and have fun, she will be eager to learn anything to get your praise. Labs are so eager to please obedience is very easy with them and they generally wont challenge your role as the leader. They do get wound up and side tracked. That's when the firm sit command is given to get them back into a calm submissive state after they fully know the basics.
Blessings

Thanks a ton.
I never tried to see if she would swim. Mostly cause its way to cold, but whats the best way to intruduce her to water?

It needs to be a fun time just like training. And yes wait until it warms up. I really have never encountered a lab that didn't like water except for bath time. I don't pressure them into it. First thing you need the dog to be obedient enough so he will not run wild. I would recommend when he get's a little bit older, now that it's cold, just take him on outings to a field or the woods and walk around with him. This will get him used to new areas and all the different smells so he won't be wide open running around from excitement later on from never experiencing new places besides the yard. Once he has settled down start doing fetch drills with him in the new areas.

When the water warms up I just go to a place where there isn't anyone else to distract them and walk a shoreline. Most of the time they will smell the water and get a drink at first. Then maybe walk in it. After 10 or 15 minutes of just walking I will start a training session of fetch. After a few minutes I start throwing the bumper near the water. Then a foot or two out where they have to step into it. Then gradually further and further. Making a big fuss over him each time he completes the retreive. Pretty soon they are swimming and having a ball.

I have never encountered it. But if that doesn't work they say to walk in the water yourself and do the fetch drills with you getting further back each time so he has to eventually start swimming to bring it back. Everything I've read advises not to throw them in the water. The experts recommend if all else fails to tie a 20 ft lead on them. Get chest deep and slowly pull him towards you until he is swimming.

With chesapeaks I don't go through anything, just throw the bumper out into the water and watch them run, jump and swim. But most of them try to swim in the 20 gal muck buckets I use for their water with just their front feet. They have a much stronger desire for the water than a lab.

You can also buy a plastic kiddy pool and throw the bumper in there, but it's not deep enough for them to swim. It will warm up faster than the river though and get him used to jumping into water. A month or so before you can take him to the river.

Blessings

Thanks Bugflipper. You have no idea how much this is gunna help.

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