Young pups can learn from the old dogs.

I haven't done any bird dog training. My dad has trained our Brittany and I have spent a lot of time at dog day cares. Brittanys are very smart (yet can be complete knuckleheads) and I think they will learn from older dogs. One big issue is that they will also learn the bad habits. So I would only want to train a pup with a very experienced well trained older dog.

Young dogs can definitely learn from older dogs. However, they also need their own time to shine. I took my 9 month old Weimaraner out with my buddy and his 3 year old Vizsla. Once a covey broke up we went our separate ways and both dogs got to chase their own birds. My 9 month old dog worked those singles like i've seen 5 year old dogs do. It was a truly impressive sight and I was unbelievably pround with 5 birds in my bag at the end of the day.

I don't know about bird dogs, but with coon dogs that is almost the only way to do it.

Of course they can good and bad habits.

I have two black labs who were essentially trained separate from each other. Two years ago I took a job in Montana while the family stayed here in Canada. After my mother died of cancer there I was getting blue so decided to get a lab pup. My wife had a fit and wanted to send our 3 year-old lab out instead. But that was out of the question as it would have distressed our autistic son. I humorously threatened to seek companionship in the local bars and she quickly capitulated. The pup was gangbusters for uplands even from three months old. We had a great season before I returned to Canada. The older dog took to the pup like she was her own. Last fall was their first season hunting together and I just played it by ear. Pearl had been raised on goose hunting and Opal at first deferred to her. Suprisingly, Pearl (older dog) allowed Opal to "help" with the retrieves. Pearl did the real work while Opal would assist carrying the honker's head or wing. Opal was used to breaking at the shot when upland hunting and Pearl quickly fell into the bad habit by example. It didn't take much to get them straightened out - they're good dogs. Phesant hunting in Montana later in the season was an interesting turn of events. Opal remembered our old haunts and was very excited but immediately deferred to Pearl, staying mostly on the older dog's track as she worked the field with her nose. I simply could not get them to break up. Several of us were hunting and they refused to separate. About half way through the second day, they switched roles and Pearl let Opal take the lead. It went on that way through the entire week, shifting from one to the other. When a bird went down they'd both go for it, but curiously, if Pearl got to them first she would give the birds up to Opal! With one exception: a rooster fell in a slough and Pearl had to swim for it. She would not give that one up. However, she let Opal hang on till I had it in hand, still alive and undamaged. Anyway, in this case it is difficult to say who has been learning what from who.

You bet- I have been fortunate with my Labs- for me, the most important learning is how a pup absorbs manners and in-home behaviors from an older dog. My first dog, Woody, was put to sleep in 2004- but not before he "taught" my then-pup Crosby the house manners....lie on your dog beds (which we have in most rooms of the house)- stay off the furniture- stay out of any kind of food or garbage- barking is at a minimum- and fetching and chasing the tennis ball and gun dog training is the 2nd most fun thing a dog can do...second only to working the cattails of the Dakotas in late season for hunkered-down roosters.

I've seen younger dogs become lazy and be dependent on the older dogs finding the birds and then they'll just come in to honor the older dog's point and/or fight for the retrieving rights. When I hunted a young Springer with my older Brittany, the Springer learned to listen for the beeper, signaling that there's a bird nearby. When hunted alone, the Springer performs well but when hunted with the Brittany, the Brittany found the birds 90% of the time.