Their history never rarely demonstrates etc the first professional trainer of approaches I use based on the personality of the pup. You can actually train your dog to hunt using the following pointing bird dog instructions as a sort of along with video tips clips. You really can teach your dog how to whoa, how to retrieve, how to heel, how to back honor, how to come here. Be positive and have fun! both of the above mentioned articles you encounter references and links to other articles. Read those articles as you progress it all makes sense. Like what you 'like it' others enjoy it too! Brittanys 8 weeks to 8 months This first article is about What you should do! Stuff you should have done already First, the breeder should have done their work with the pups before delivery to the owner. Without digressing too far about the breeder responsibilities, we'll just say here that the breeder should have researched and planned a solid match between sire dam socialized the pups, learned their personalities, given vaccinations, done scent imprinting, early 'super dog' stimulation, and tested enhanced their birdiness with wings and live birds. Here are a couple pics of our 7 week old pups pointing a wing. Click the photos to enlarge. Did you notice that even at this age they already have their tails and heads up Our pups start chasing wings and sight pointing after they start to walk well. If your pup doesn't show signs of birdiness at early age, however, do not be discouraged as some mature later than others. I say that it is normal for our pups to start pointing early. When you receive your new pup, it is your responsibility to develop the pup properly. We feel that the way a pup turns out is 90 percent breeding and 50 percent environment The first thing you should do when you bring pup home is give it tons of unconditional and 't introduce forced formal bird dog training yet. I know that I say that if you have to have a book try Wolters' Gun Dog, and that Wolters wants you to start them early however, I 't necessarily agree with all of Wolters' time lines and philosophies. It is a very good basic book for beginners and I recommend it because I used it to train first decades ago however, please read others too. Some of Wolters suggestions are a bit archaic because it is old book but then some techniques just 't change and are timeless. The late Wolters wrote his book years ago and training philosophies have developed a good bit since then. I suspect that if he were alive today, he might just revise a few things. Wolters recommends picking on the 49th day. others believe this philosophy. While I submit to this philosophy if adoptive families it, I personally believe there is some degree of danger doing this. First, the seventh week is their 'fear' week. Anything that happens to them that is bad likely be imprinted on them for life. Also, socialization with the 'pack' is important during that week. We recommend picking up your pup around the 8th week. For those of you who want the pup on the 49th day, go for it, but proceed carefully. If your breeder offers you your pup prior to the 49th day, that's just absurd and unethical For those of you who must have something engraved stone the form of a book or video, beware what authors write their training books videos. Just because someone is published does not make it the best way for your puppy, including me! There are authors out there who have less bird dog experience than you but because they are a 'writer' they manage to produce a book. It takes money to produce a book and as of you know, there are a lot published dog trainers whose primary qualification is having money to produce a book or video. I prefer own methods but I understand if you question what you read here on the internet. You do have to be careful. Continue to scroll down to the next part. Widgets Please Note Environment is what you provide the pup. You can have the best bred pup the world and undo its potential with a terrible environment! Puppyhood should be fun yet instructional just like human childhood! No amount of praise is too much, however, what you do and when you do it is very important. Timing and consistency are paramount! Your pup's mind is like a timed lock. This lock can only be unlocked at specific times his early life. Certain behaviors instincts are triggered or 'turned on' at various times as he ages. IMHO, the 8 weeks to 8 months timeframe holds 90 percent of those moments. Know what keys to use that you unlock his full potential. 't fritter this time frame away! Limit 'lessons' to 10