Capt. Mark;
Can we have a sticky thread with a compiled list of these items that have been recommended in previous posts? Here is my previous contribution, slightly modified:
Recommended for a new retriever pup:
Lots of money. Between food, vet bills, training equipment, ruined shoes, hats, and other stuff, this dog, before it dies, is going to conservatively cost you anywhere from $4,000.00-?
Video:
Sound Beginnings by Jackie Mertens, http://www.puppyvideo.com
Books:
1. The 10-Minute Retriever by John and Amy Dahl
2. Training Retrievers for Marshes and Meadows, by James Spencer
3. Finished Dog by Charles Jurney
4. The Working Retrievers by Tom Quinn
You would do well to read every retriever book you can get you hands on. You can get a surprising number from the Ohio Library system:
http://winslo.state.oh.us/publib/libtable.html
http://www.ohiolink.edu/
Equipment:
Collar
Puppy bumper or clean paint roller
Hot dog slices ("pennies")
Whistle
A little later:
Lead
Heeling Stick
Shotshells loaded with 209 primers; NOTE: do not shoot any gun, whether primers or full loads, over or near pup.
Small Dokken (Teal, Quail, Grouse, etc.)
Always: Lots of love, lots of praise. And oh yeah, join a performance-based retriever club!