My brother and i have labs that we would like to hunt together but we are worried that once one finds the bird that the other one will want it and fight for it. They have both shown it in the past and are a little worried and i dont want to take any retrieves from my dog since this is his second year hunting. My idea would be to start with dummies and work our way up to birds but any suggestions would be great. Thanks

The only thing I can suggest is what I have done. I use an e-collar when hunting so when one dog finds the bird I will call my dog back to heel so there is no problem. I still praise my dog even if he did not find the bird. They should catch on fast. If they dont want to heel and your dog is properly trained on commands use the e-collar.

Train the dog to sit on command no matter what. Then when a dog is sent for the retrieve the other should be commanded to sit.

A lot of guys I train with use a box - a 3x3 piece of plywood raised with a 2x2. They make their dog sit on that box - their command is "place" - if I recall correctly. Then they make them sit (hup) and start tossing bumpers, dead pigeons, pheasants over them - making them stay put. They will move all over, from the side, back and front doing the tosses. It's training for steadying to the shot - but also training for honoring another dog's retrieve.

I hope I explained that correctly. I am by no means an expert, but just trying to share some of the things I see the experienced guys do in my training group. Hope this helps!