Hello ya`ll,
I've posted about my pup before, but in short, his name is "Nice", he's a chocolate lab (male), he's 6 months old, and I have been training him since he was two months old. Most of the training has been obedience, so, Come, Here, Heel, Set, Stay and Fitch. He has been doing amazing with retrieving bumper. And I took him by the pond the other day to test him in water, he did amazing, i.e. he hesitated first, not like my other dogs (that jumped in without fear), but with a few retrieves he was gaining boldness (not worried about it all, I'm a very patient trainer).
Anyways, so today, I got a hold of two farm raised quails. This would be his first time associating training with live-birds. My only fear was lack of interest etc. But no, I got shocked. I had never seen Nice in such energy before. I let him sniff around the box (that had the quails) for a little bit, once he got familiar with the smell and recognized they were birds. I took one out, and boy! the minute I took it off the cage, he got into this shivering-mod (that most hunters know about crazy enthusiastic dogs), it's that whine and shivers that come as a result of high energy/excitement. Anyways, the quail had it's wings disabled so they couldn't fly. I would throw the quail about 30-40 yards and let it hide in the bush (yes he did great with obedience) I didn't have to use a leash today, and he would wait until I would give him the command for fitch. Gosh! the way he quartered the area, the energy, his style, was just beautiful. Today is when I fully realized I've got the right dog for both upland and waterfowl hunting. I think he is going to be a monster full of energy. I have never seen him this hyper and out of it. Anyways we repeated the drills. He wouldn't move a muscle without my command, and once he would get the command he'd sprint as hard as he could towards where we threw the bird, and retrieve (with care, not damaging the bird or playing with it).
Just wanted to share this with fellow hunters, or those that are training currently (or will get into it in the future). Patience and hard work will pay off. My advice is obedience, obedience, and obedience. It makes a different. The rest is instinct, i.e. what the breed was bred for, and we cant change that.
Here are some photos of him:
Thanks,

Good looking pup.

X2

Awesome. Sounds like you turned on his switch with the quail.

Sounds like everyone had a good time, great looking dog you got there too. I'm curious when you were looking for a puppy, were your intentions for upland and waterfowl hunting? If so, what due diligence was made on your part to find a pup for both types of hunting?

I was looking over the pics again of Nice. By chance does he have any Sir Hershey of Surrey in his bloodline?

Thanks guys! Yes John the switch is on. And it shall stay on.
Labman:
Yes. It's rare when I've had a bird dog, that was only upland or only waterfowl. Therefore, my goal was also to get a dog that can do both, and that is exactly because I like upland hunting, as much as I like waterfowl hunting. To me, I knew with confidence that you have breads that can do both comfortably. And of course Labs are on the top of the list for the dual-purpose. But, I had a feeling that, due to genetics (or maybe even other factors) a dog can get confused/or and grab onto one, but another the other type of hunting. I don't know what the precise science (or statistics) behind that would be. I almost got a GSP, but changed my mind last minute to switch to a lab, given that I will be moving to Colorado in the future, and waterfowling (low temperature/dry air etc) can be too much for a GSP (light coat). Plus, I have assisted with training other labs (that we've had) while growing up. Yes, I thought, if get a bird dog, why not something that can cover most types of bird hunting. If I get a chance, I will upload a video of Nice quartering the field. Just beautiful.

That's awesome. My pup is coming along as well, great with bumpers and some of those fowl dummies as well. He's only four months old, but going to introduce him to quail soon. Keep us posted please.

Just saw the edited version. No it does not have his bloodline.

Here is a pic of my lab Boo, his grandfather was Sir Hershey of Surrey C.P. M.P.R. G.M.P.R. Curiosity got to me so I had to ask. In the process of getting another pup with same bloodline.

Beautiful looking pup!

Thanks man. That is awesome. Good luck on the new pup!

Congratulations for getting a good dog and being a good trainer

Thats awesome your going to use your dog for both retrieving and pointing. Your dog will thank you in the end because it gives your dog more opportunity to be with you hunting.

I also run one dog, drathaar, for all types of hunting and couldn't be happier. Keep us up to date on the training and progress.