How to Train a Lab Puppy to Hunt

Put a flat buckle collar on the Lab puppy and attach a 30-foot training lead to the D ring on the collar. The 30-foot lead allows the puppy to venture away from you as it works, but keeps the puppy under control. Lab puppies have a very strong sense of smell and will often wader away while following a strong scent, so the lead keeps the puppy within reach.

Train the puppy in basic obedience skills. Sit, heel, lie down, and come are essential skills that every hunting Lab must know to properly retrieve a bird. Hold a treat between the finger and thumb of one hand, asking the puppy to sit and holding the treat above its head. The puppy will automatically sit as it reaches for the treat. Give the treat as a reward and then repeat, moving on to more challenging commands when the Lab is responding to your commands.

Introduce the puppy to water as early in your training as possible. Labs are frequently asked to retrieve birds from the water, so the puppy must not be afraid to swim. Walk the puppy along the shore of a shallow lake or pond, letting it get used to the water slowly. Move deeper into the water when the puppy is comfortable in the shallows, praising the puppy when it ventures in far enough to swim on its own.

Familiarize the puppy with an old bird wing. Add a spray of duck scent to the underside of the wing and toss the wing on the floor in front of the puppy. Point to the wing and guide the puppy to it, shaking it along the ground with your fingers to entice the puppy to chase it. Tell the puppy to fetch the wing, and when the puppy picks up the wing in its mouth, reward it with a treat.

Take the puppy to the lake and toss the wing in the water. Ask the puppy to retrieve the wing, throwing it 10 to 15 feet into the water. Hold the leash and guide the puppy toward the wing, repeating the retrieval command and pointing out the wing. Let the puppy pick it up, then guide the puppy back to shore. Take the wing from the puppy's mouth once you are back on land, petting the puppy and offering a treat as praise.

Ask a helper to stand 25 feet from the edge of the water and fire a shotgun into the air. Talk to the puppy and pet it as the gun is fired, tossing the wing into the water and asking the puppy to go get it. Wait until the puppy picks up the wing, and then call the dog back to you. Repeat the process, having the helper move 5 feet closer to the shore between each round until the puppy is retrieving the wing with the helper firing from the shoreline. Labrador Retrievers are steady and not easily spooked, and most Labs learn to accept the gun with little hesitation.

Perform an actual hunt to fine-tune the Lab puppy's hunting skills. Find an area with numerous birds, and hunt slowly, giving the puppy plenty of time to retrieve the first bird before dropping another. If the puppy loses track of the bird, wade into the water and point it out so the puppy learns to be persistent until all birds have been retrieved.