i have a youg dog here waiting to be started,i know its the end of the season now and the bunnies are like rockets so to prevent sickening my young dog i will leave him until september time and let him catch the young easy ones 2/3 runs twice a week depending on how he comes on he is 8 month now when i start him he will be 14 month the longer you wait the better dog you will end up with imo, i did rush my other dog and it didnt pay off obedience and retrieve is more important than just rushing out for a catch