Sat morning got up late and thought I would take my 5 month old pup out to the goose blind to get a customed to the surroundings and get him use to live fire. Called up a friend to help me out with training and met him at our pond around 10 o'clock. Get there and there are birds on the water. We tried to seek in and get busted. We get set up and 1 lone bird flies back. My buddy nails it and down it goes. I spend the next 1.6 hours convincing a young pup that we are not at the beach and his job is to retrieve the bird. After 2 failed attempts we take a break. Then I came up with the idea to play fetch like home. I grab a stick and throw it in the water towards the goose. He retreives it . I throw it closer. He retreives it. Finally I throw it within a foot of the goose , he swims towards it retreives the stick., then looks back at the bird. I cast him back out and he goes towards the goose latches on to and that is my 5 moth old pups first water retreiver. Added bonus was it was my buddies first bird and it was banded. Great day out with the little fella. Now to work on blind manners .