i have a 2 year old lab that i trained as a pup she's really game she's never lost a bird.she was 8mths old on her first teal hunt and retrieved every one.the problem is when i trained her i didn't worry about making her sit still or hand signals.the reason i never worked with her on sitting is because our blind has a top so she couldn't get out.we just picked up a new lease in the marsh so she'll be hunting off a platform so i need to work with her on that.but the real thing that i'm wanting to know is if ya'll think a trainer could get her going on hand signals or is she too old
i don't want to waste my money for nothing.she's a good dog and pretty smart too

She is not too old. Once a dog is trained how to learn, you can allway train new things.

Definitely not too old to learn.

if u wanted to save money u could train her urself

THANKS FOR THE INPUT
I WOULD LOVE TO TRAIN HER MYSELF JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START ANY TIPS

The first thing I suggest is working on obedience. I read Water Dog twice & reread some chapters a couple more times when training my 1st. There are a lot of good videos also. Get her listening & paying attention to you & then start the hand signals. There are some knowledgeable people on here so if you do it yourself make use of them. Good luck.

There is no question a 2 year old "birdie" dog can be taught to handle. The key components are patience, time and a sequential program to follow. If you want it done correctly, there are no short cuts. For a first timer, I'd recommend buying Evan Graham's SmartWork (look over link below). You don't have to buy the whole program to get started. He always responds to questions which make his program invaluable to the new trainer.

If you look at the training sequence, it will give you a good idea of how to do it correctly. It's May and by September you could be doing some simple handling......if you train everyday. If you want an effective dog, in my book they should be forced. Whether you have a Pro do it depends on how deep your pockets are. Doing it yourself can be very rewarding and make it much easier for your next dog. Learning together is really a joy.

Personally, I'd say if you want a dog handling well by the end of September that probably would be a bit unrealistic. In my book, there is only one way.....be thorough and fair.

To teach the dog to work off a platform, build one at home. Use it alot. Mine stay on them when we are out in the yard. They will stay up there for hours. I do not call my dogs off the platform, I always go get them. Works good for baths too.

Get a training book/DVD and follow it.

She can do it for sure.
You can likely train her as well.
Patience and time and your there IMO.

thanks for all the help i'll keep ya'll posted on her progress
thanks for the tip on the platform looks like i have a new weekend project