[huntducksordietrying]

This will be the first year I have hunted ducks with a dog. He is 5 years old and a good dog. A yellow labrador. He loves the gun and to hunt and swim. I have been in the marsh before and heard guys yelling at thier dogs. It kinda annoys me, even though I understand what they are doing. I know that a wistel is a good way to not have to yell at your dog when he is way off track or not doing what he should. The question that I have is...Do you think it is rude or out of place to get your dogs attention by yelling while your hunting? Im kinda a shy guy and if my dog is out of line I will probably just go get him and the bird and bring him back to the blind if he is not doing what I want. The next question I have is...Do you think he is too old to wistle train? I bought a wistle to train him on, I just haven't started. He is a very fast learner. When I got him he had some bad habits, they were easy to fix. Wistle trainning seems like a difficult process to me. Any pointers would be appreciated.

Here is a pic of him...

 

[Ironman]

Old dogs CAN and DO learn new tricks. The easiest training I ever did was with my 10yr old Yellow Lab. It appears that yours picks things up quickly too, so the whistle should be very doable.

I'm kinda a shy guy and if my dog is out of line I will probably just go get him and the bird and bring him back to the blind if he is not doing what I want.

I'd suggest that you don't do this. This only teaches your dog that it doesn't have to get the bird if something else is more interesting (though I couldn't imagine what would be more interesting in the marsh to a dog than a bird) and your dog will learn if it messes around out there then sooner or later his master(you) will come and "play" with him. None of this is why we hunt with dogs. They are there to work for us, not the other way around. If you really don't want to holler at your dog when he needs it you could use your whistle...but the dog has got to understand exactly what it means every time...or you'll likely be hollering. Another option is the e-collar. If conditioned properly, you won't need to say a word. Whistle, if the dog does not respond appropriately, zap it until it does. (takes a lot of training prior to the marsh to use this properly, you don't want to create a negative association between hunting and getting zapped.) The dog needs to understand being zapped is a result of an incorrect behavior, not his environment.
Good luck.