newbie with new dog

[sachel.45]

ok i just got a dog its a female golden lab that seemd to be about 1.5 years old. she doesn't seem gunshy will kinda fetch great personality loves water. so i would like to turn this dog into a hunting dog pheasants,quail,grouse a pointer would be nice but i heard a flushing dog is easier to train. i have no desire to do competions. so what should i do first enroll in a class read some books. please help also what equimpent do i need?

[myronman3]

enrole in basic obedience.   this will make owning a dog 100 times more fun; and you will learn some vital info to make both your lives better.  

keep up with the retreiving.   but ensure you quit before the dog loses interest.  maybe 3 or 4 times and that is it; depends largely on your dog's personality.  

after the first two,  try to get your dog on some birds, whether they be wild or pen raised,  the more birds your dog sees the better.   do some reading, there is alot of good info out there.   also a book called "gun dog" might be a great source of info concerning proper training.  good luck and check back to keep us up to date.

[pintaildrake]

save your money on going to school.....join your local Hunting Retriever Club. ours provides free training every week, one on one, and they will answer all your questions you may have.  my bro and i have been training dogs for years, but we decided we would like to show our dogs in Hunt test just to help keep them up on their skills in the off season. they aslo provide help to those who want to make a retriever into a upland hunter......just thought i would let ya know.....and its a lot cheaper too. Pintail