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fabiomilitello

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Everything posted by fabiomilitello

  1. fabiomilitello
    Ring a few vets, tell them what you just told us and show them that you have a Shotgun Certificate. They should do it. Might take a few different types of vets to get one to do it though, as many don't like docking older dogs.
  2. fabiomilitello
    Hi there, do you wildfowl on salt water? Labrador Retrievers will do anything you want them to given the correct training. I am training a lab pup now, he's 12 weeks old so at the moment it's nothing formal, just some easy retrieves, recalls and sit and stays. But, I want him to work on the beating line. What I do, is I hide the bright pink tennis ball I play retrieve with him in very dense cover. Then, I walk over to the start of the cover and direct him with my hands where roughly I want him to hunt. He goes in the cover, sniffs it out and brings the ball back to me. This is a method used wh
  3. fabiomilitello
    Also used by beaters on shoots, when they need to clamber up a slippery bank, hit trees when they are trying to flush game birds from their hiding spots, or nudging through crops to try and make them fly towards the waiting guns!
  4. fabiomilitello
    What do you want her to do? Drop it at your feet? Jump up on you and give you the dummy in your hands? Every dog is different mate, and if she is dropping the dummy a foot in front of you I really wouldn't worry. It's not that far at all. If she was dropping it a meter or two away then I'd try get something done about it, but honestly a foot is fine.
  5. fabiomilitello
    You may have been better off with a spaniel or a labrador by the sounds of what you're wanting with your HPR. But, you have him now. As previously said: He's a puppy. He's going to want to sniff everything. Lick everything. Mount everything. Eat everything. Run everywhere. That's what ALL puppies do. Once he's older, and he's experienced everything in the area, then he'll be more attentive. He'll realise that what you want him to do is actually WAY more interesting and exciting then going to smell that bush over there. Just give him time. In regards to giving him the snip, that's your choice.
  6. fabiomilitello
    This is a quick video showing Asher, my 10 week old lab recalling when I pip my whistle twice, and stopping when I pip it once.
  7. fabiomilitello
    If I was you I would crate him at night in your house, get him used to being in enclosed spaces. I have a labrador pup who is left in his crate at night, and he loves it. Like Casso said, plenty of food and treats when he's in his crate and being a good boy.
  8. fabiomilitello
    I'm looking for a spot in a beating team - I'm based in Surrey but can travel around (Berkshire, Bucks, Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Essex, Oxfordshire). It will be my first time beating, but I want to get some experience under my belt. Pay is not an issue, as I'm just looking to get my foot in the door. Saturdays are ideal, but any offers are welcome. Also have a lab pup in training, and will be ready for the 2016 season next year. Best regards! Fabio
  9. fabiomilitello
    Just an update for you all, I took Asher home on Sunday. He's been chewing anything and everything in sight, so I've got him a few chew toys. He has a string of rubber sausages which I play keep-away with, to keep him interested in chewing that and not my Dad's antique furniture! He also has a rubber kong bone, which I stuff teething treats (they have menthol and eucalyptis in it to soothe his pain), and leave it in his crate overnight. He also has a couple of rope toys which he loves as well. The other day I got him two bones from the village butcher, which were free, they only asked for
  10. fabiomilitello
    Labrador, English Springer spaniel or a cocker spaniel. Depends on how much tone you have to train the dog, also your previous experience with dog training. Labradors are amazing retrievers and relatively easy to train, but spaniels are better at working in cover. It's a very much emotional choice. I myself have a Labrador, I chose a lab because I do waterfowling as well and Labradors are better than spaniels at water (because of webbed feet, double coat and a thick otter tail). It really depends on you as a person, and what you'll be using it for. Will it just be retrieving rabbits?
  11. fabiomilitello
    From what I've read, a lot of people agree that toys with a squeaker are in fact no good. You don't want the dog to figure out if it bites down hard on something, it'll get a pleasurable noise! Which is a good thing too, because I didn't buy any toys with squeakers. But, I do have a Kong and a rubber bone, plus a few rope toys for the dogs dental health, which after a bit of research, all seem fine. Also, I've read that tug of war with these toys are a big no no as well.
  12. fabiomilitello
    But when they are teething as pups, if you don't give them a chew toy to chew on, won't they just chew everything else? Door frames, furniture, dummies etc...
  13. fabiomilitello
    I've heard some say playing tug of war with a dog using a chew toy can make it hard mouthed, as it learns to clamp down onto items in it's mouth. I've heard others say that using chew-toys altogether with dogs make it hard mouthed. What do you guys think?
  14. fabiomilitello
    I have some pheasant wings in the freezer from a cock I got last year in December, and was wondering what the best way to dry them out is? I am getting a labrador on Sunday so they'll be attached to a dummy.
  15. fabiomilitello
    Give Jeremy Hunt's book a go, "Training the Working Labrador" - it covers training it as a pup right up until management when it's an adult. A few things in there I disagree with (for example he doesn't play fetch with his gundogs until they are 8 months old and undergo formal training), but you dont have to take it as gospel. Give it a read! ATB
  16. fabiomilitello
    Hello, I have a raw rabbit hide which I skinned the other evening, I want to tan it so I can keep it to train my labrador retriever. I've read lots of different ways of tanning the hide, such as using salt and alum, however, I was curious to know, is this safe for the dog? I'm not entirely sure about the health aspects of having a dog with a hide tanned with alum in its mouth.
  17. fabiomilitello
    I'm getting a lab pup in a few weeks and have read a book by the Fenway breeder Jeremy Hunt, who says to use a 210.5 whistle. Introduce it to them asap, as a way of recalling them and making them sit.
  18. fabiomilitello
    Thank you for the sound advice. I'm going to feed him Skinner's Puppy food until about 6 months, then give RAW a go. atb
  19. fabiomilitello
    Great stuff mate, if my lab can do that at 5.5 months old I'll be a happy man! Keep up the great work. atb
  20. fabiomilitello
    In no circumstances should you try and breed a mother and a son. Have you looked into getting a stud to help you out? A decent FtCH stud go for about £250 which is money well spent if you'll get a great litter out of it. An interbred litter will never be as good.
  21. fabiomilitello
    The book in reading at the moment basically says the exact same thing as what you've just said. Play times should be always productive and fun, nothing more. I had a brief look for that Adrian Slater DVD, but I've not found it anywhere. Where abouts did you get yours from? Sounds like a good DVD to go by!
  22. fabiomilitello
    Thanks everybody for your great input and feedback. All comments are very much appreciated.
  23. fabiomilitello
    I was thinking about it! It has a few good points in it, like how puppy's really need to form a bond with you before you start to make them heel or anything else, that way when you train it to heel once it has formed that bond with you, it'll go a lot smoother. But not making my labrador retriever actually retreieve? What a joke!
  24. fabiomilitello
    Hello everyone, I've just brought a black lab dog who's currently 2 weeks old. It's going to be my first dog, and I'm eager to train him as a gun dog. I've looked up numerous videos, DVD's, and recently brought a great book about training the working lab. However, what I'm reading in the book is very different to what I've heard elsewhere, and was wondering about what people here who have had previous experience with training working labs think. A few point's I'm not entirely sure on are: Formal training begins at 8 months old Only put a lead on the dog when it's at least 5 months old Do
  25. fabiomilitello
    Of course, my grandparents always kept them. They point out game as good as an English Pointer, and they have an amazing nose on them. They are bred from a GSP and a Bloodhound. They are very versatile as gun dogs. I'm sure you could train it to do anything.
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