Should I get a started dog or a puppy?

This choice comes down to how much of the training you want to do yourself and how soon you want to hunt. Neither path is wrong. Here is what each one asks of you.

What a puppy asks of you

A puppy is a blank slate and a long project. Ducks Unlimited quotes a trainer saying the younger they are, the faster they learn, and gives a basic skill order: recall, sit and stay, a memory retrieve, a whistle stop and delivery to hand. Its timeline suggests a pup that started sit at six or seven weeks and kept at it consistently could be ready for a memory retrieve at about 12 weeks.

After that come marks, blind retrieves, steadiness and the season-specific work. Every one of those takes repetition, and the early weeks of socialization and manners are on you. Our guide on when to start a hunting puppy covers the first months.

What a started dog gives you

A started dog has had the foundation taught by someone else. The exact skills differ, so ask. Richard's Basic Waterfowl Program covers the foundation, and started dog in the glossary defines the term.

Because the term has no single standard, one trainer's started dog can differ from another's. Ask to see the dog work: its recall, its sit and stay, its delivery and how it behaves at the line.

The part people forget: you still need training

A dog that works well for a trainer may not work for you. Commands, timing and tone all change with a new handler. Ducks Unlimited passes along advice to join a retriever club where you can train on actual birds, and an experienced mentor is just as valuable at a hunt test.

That is why Richard trains handlers alongside their dogs, one-on-one or in group lessons. See handler lessons.

A simple way to decide

If time is short and the season is close, a started dog fits. If you want to shape the dog from the beginning and can commit the hours, a puppy fits. Many owners combine them: they raise the puppy at home and send it to a trainer for the foundation. Weigh these questions:

• Time: how many hours a week can you train, every week, for a year?
• Calendar: do you need a dog for this season or the next?
• Experience: have you raised a gun dog before?
• Support: do you have a club, mentor or trainer to lean on?

Where board-and-train fits

Board-and-train lets a trainer work with your puppy or young dog daily while you handle the pieces that count most at home. Richard's own path for a pup is Puppy Camp at 5 to 7 months; program lengths and weekly rates are on the board-and-train page. See board-and-train.