I want a puppy!!! As a child growing up this statement crossed my lips many times. Normally followed by me sticking my lip out and quite possibly stomping my feet and pouting. The continuous answer was NO, we can’t afford it. That wasn’t enough to stop me from asking or the fact that two of my uncles were supreme dog trainers. One trained walker coon hounds that would blow your mind every time you turned them loose in the woods. The other could train anything with four legs and a wagging tail. But it was his Labrador retrievers that I really got stuck on. Needless to say, every time I spent the night with my cousins I begged to run the dogs and they always obliged. Which my parents (God bless them) thought would satisfy my desire. Wrong. It only fueled the fire.
Finally after long last, my dad caved and I got a puppy. I would love to tell you my pup was a master hunter at six months old and would collect every duck we shot but that’s not true at all. His name was Jessie and he was about a 90 pound black lab that loved kids. He had a mile long tongue, great for licking you from chin to forehead, and a bull whip tale, which was great for knocking glasses of the table and busting shins even though he was glad to see you. The best part of all, he was mine.
Jessie was awesome all the way up to the end. He did occupy me for a time but my desire to train hunting dogs still burned inside me. After Jessie had passed, I asked my uncle why didn’t we train him to hunt? His response was “Well, he was a lab but he wasn’t a hunting dog”.
What? (in major defiance mode). Protecting the honor of my best friend and most faithful companion, “How was he any different from the dogs in your kennel right now?”
“He was your teacher.”
Huh?
“He taught you some of the most valuable lessons you need to know,” my uncle said. 1. How to pick the right breed for you. 2. You don’t pick the puppy they pick you. 3. One word commands. 4. Don’t start bad habits. 5. Consistency is the key. “You can’t train any dog with out learning these lessons first,” my uncle continued. “That was Jessie’s purpose and he did a fine job.”
Needless to say all these years later that desire still burns in me. I have trained many good gun dogs, some even good enough to competition hunt. I can’t help but give advice on it to anyone in the store. Now I get to share it world wide, so to speak, and I plan on it, from start to finish. Truth be told it also gives me a reason to get a new puppy that my wife can’t say no to! Hahaha. So this is a win-win for me. I hope you find it educational and as always God bless.
