Puppies first day shooing- advice?!

Grey_Showjumper

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so im taking our 2 year old labrador out tommorow beating... her 1st time. i have taken my old dog out before many times, but he was very well behaved.
we are beating at a very good friends house, and they are aware that she has not been out before.
I am thinking i should just keep her on the lead? but as i have never taken a dog out for their first time im not really sure whether this is the right thing to do?
she will be going out again on the 4th at the same place so could let her off then if she is well behaved tommorow.
She is trained, sits, heals, comes back, is a natural gun dog- she was half trained when we got her as a puppy! she heals better off the lead than on, but if she sees a deer im worried that will be that! She is very well behaved, but i don't want her to do something wrong!
suggestions as to how i should go about introducing her to it all!
Many thanks!
 
I'd keep her lead on for now and let her have a look around and get used to the whole goings on, including, as HR says, guns, before you try to do anything too taxing with her, you will still have a great day.
 
yes, brother has taken her lamping and other such things.. pigeon shooting, clay shooting etc. so is used to all the noise etc. etc. just never been to the real thing!

the other problem is she is too small to pick up the big birds.. she can pick up girl pheasants and partridge but not the bigger birds... is this something we should accept? she is a small lab. but then you get the small spaniels who manage fine... will it come with age?
 
My lab is tiny and has only ever lifted one pheasant (we go pigeon shooting usually) and she was grand once she figured out how to carry it
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Propbably couldn't take her shooting for geese though, she'd never manage those
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maybe it will come with age/experience then... she just sort of drags it and tries to pick it up, but her head ends up on the ground as its too heavy- bless her!
will report back about how she is tommorow
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Could you try getting her to practise picking up larger and heavier dummies? I'm sure she will get better as she has more practise.
Have a great day out with her beating!
 
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