I had my first dog running her own about 6 months (got her at 5 months) and she is now a stud. her pups took a good while longer to get going but they are now up to snuff. Each dog is different and if you have a good dog to go with it will definetly help with the progress. Now with that being said my "pups" aren't worth a damn on their own because they have only ran with their mom. Good pack dogs though. A good trainer dog is great to get them going but i would recommend taking them out on their own also to learn how to pound the brush and get their own jumps.