--- title: Started Dog or Puppy: Which Fits You? | Royal Gun Dogs url: https://royalgundogs.com/guides/started-dog-or-puppy/ business: Royal Gun Dogs trainer: Richard Gebhart (professional gun dog trainer since 2002) phone: (530) 341-4496 email: royalgundogs@yahoo.com trains_at: Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, 7758 Hastings Island Rd, Rio Vista, CA 94571 (Solano County) booking: call or text Richard directly --- - [Home](https://royalgundogs.com/) - [Guides](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/) - Started dog or puppy: which fits you? # Should I get a started dog or a puppy? A puppy gives you the longest partnership and the most say in how the dog is raised, but it needs the most time. A started dog has foundation work in place and gets you hunting sooner, though you still have to learn to handle it. Key points - A puppy needs months of steady work before it hunts; a started dog already has basics - Either way, you must learn the commands as well as the dog does - Handler time, not the dog's age, usually decides how fast you progress - A trainer can assess a dog before you commit 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](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/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](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/basic-waterfowl/) covers the foundation, and [started dog](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/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](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/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](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/puppy-camp/) at 5 to 7 months; program lengths and weekly rates are on the [board-and-train page](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/). See [board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/). ### Sources (3) - Ducks Unlimited : [ducks.org/hunting/retriever-training/basic-training](https://www.ducks.org/hunting/retriever-training/basic-training) (checked October 27, 2026) - Ducks Unlimited : [ducks.org/hunting/retriever-training/10-retriever-tips-for-waterfowlers](https://www.ducks.org/hunting/retriever-training/10-retriever-tips-for-waterfowlers) (checked October 27, 2026) - Hastings Island Hunting Preserve : [hihp.com/royal-gun-dogs-dog-training/](https://hihp.com/royal-gun-dogs-dog-training/) (checked October 27, 2026) ### Your trainer Richard Gebhart has trained dogs professionally since 2002, learned the Rex Carr method for Retriever Basics under Billy Sargenti, and has run and qualified at an AKC Master National. [Meet Richard](https://royalgundogs.com/richard-gebhart/) ### Keep reading - [Basic Waterfowl Program](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/basic-waterfowl/) - [Puppy Camp](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/puppy-camp/) - [When should a hunting puppy start training?](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/when-to-start-a-hunting-puppy/) - [Private and group lessons](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/lessons/) - [Started dog](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/started-dog/) ## Questions owners ask [All questions](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/) ### Is a started dog ready to hunt right away? It depends on what the trainer taught and what your hunting demands. Ask what the dog has been exposed to, including water, gunfire and birds. ### Is it too late to start an older dog? No. Older dogs can learn basics too; the plan just starts in a different place. ### How do I know if a puppy has potential? Parentage, health testing and temperament all matter. A trainer can assess a dog in person; Richard is the person to ask about your specific puppy. ### Can I send a puppy to a trainer? Many owners do, once the pup is ready to focus. Call and ask what makes sense for your dog.