Teaching gundog to be steady

Can anyone give me some starter tips for teaching a gundog to be "steady"? (I think that's the right term?) I mean, sitting still while an object is thrown and waiting for the release word. She is a lab pup and will be used to retrieve.
...
Currently I think he is planning to throw a dummy and smack the dog saying "No" when she goes to chase it.

Chuffy, here is what worked for my dog. First, I taught him the STAY command. I asked him to STAY then I started moving. My movement is a tease of sorts, and he has to stay still and control himself. If he starts moving after me I'd say "hey" quietly... Then I increased the distraction by me moving and walking funky. Again, he has to be in stay until I release with OK. Then, it's me and the ball. Then it's me playing with the ball, then it's just the ball. So, I was increasing level of distractions for him... He is pretty good at holding himself back now when told. Special thanks to my cat, who once in a while raises past... that ads to distraction, and is a good exercise for him.
I wouldn't use NO. How would a dog know which part of his actions is a No-no. Chasing? Chasing that particular object? There are just too many variables, and I think the dog wouldn't know what NO is in reference to. []

I dont know if this makes sence, but our old lab, when training her (I did the obedience and agility, other half did most of the retriever training) we used the 'wait' cue... meaning that something FUN was about to happen.  It seemed to work with her.  Id use it when starting an agility course.... so I could get into position, and then started using it when we were working with the launcher... knowing that once we got into the blind, there would have to be something to keep her from jumping after birds before we were ready for her to go after them. 
Still used Stay working in Obediance, and working around the house stuff.
Hope this makes sence to you. 

Thanks guys.... what you've said does make sense.  And it tallies with my gut feeling which was to teach "stay" or "wait" with increasing distractions, maybe also practising it at mealtimes, building up the time expected to stay gradually and rewarding and praising for staying still.... sometimes with hte added reward of release.  I don't think he has the patience for this approach but I can suggest it.
 
Any other suggestions still appreciated.... especially specific tips and techniques from people with lots of experience in this field.... eg. things he should do before other things to make it easier etc etc.

no real experience with hunting dogs, but this is no different than the obedience fetch exercise-- the dog holds a stay while you throw the dumbell, and only goes to get it when sent. It's just a rock-solid stay you've proofed with toys and understanding of being sent to fetch.

I have been round to visit... they had a house full of guests and the pup was getting restless (no supervision or crate or anything) so I took her outside for a wee.  (Which she obviously needed and was very grateful for).  While we were out there I asked if they had a toy she could play with.... nothing to hand.  They told me just to use a bit of hard white plastic that was lying on the ground.  I always thought you had to use soft and lightweight stuff with gundogs to encourage them to be "soft mouthed" with the stuff they retrieve?  Or is that just an old wives tale?  They told me she did have a soft toy, it's also a squeaky one.... again wouldn't this encourage her to bite down on it rather than be soft mouthed with it?  Does that matter?  Just curious.
 
I was instructed not to let her bound after it the moment it was thrown.... she has to wait to be told "Seek".  She didn't even need to be told, she knew exactly how to play the "fetch game".  The stuff they have been doing with her seems to have worked in that area.... just a shame that they felt the need to be so harsh on a puppy []  She is so tractable and willing to please I am almost positive a kinder approach woud have worked just as well.
 
They do plan on breeding from this dog, which I don't agree with since they are inexperienced in this field and have no intention of getting a mentor.  I also suspect it is purely for monetary gain, which I abhor. Having said that, this does not seem to me to be "pet quality" (although I'll hold my hands up and admit that I know very little about this breed - plus she was only £400 which is a red flag in my book).  The pup is gorgeous - and this from a person who really doesn't like Labs at all (sorry lab fans)..... she oozes quality, she is very clearly from working stock and she has a beautiful head.  Perhaps she will be a good dog to breed from.... but it is stilll very much "perhaps" at this stage, so much could change as she develops.... it all depends on that, how she does in trials and the quality of the stud they find to pair her with... and IF they can find get a waiting list of homes!!!!!!!  But I don't think they see these as "ifs"..... I suspect this dog will be bred regardless. []

OK, first of all, I'm rather inexperienced training dogs, so take this with a grain of salt. 

My uncle's got a lab that he uses as a work companion and hunting so we're always working on her retrieving.  When we started, he had her able to SIT and STAY until he tossed the duck and then she'd go after it.  I wanted her to STAY until I said she could retrieve.  We taught her to retrieve off the dock which I think inadvertently helped because how we got her to hold her STAY was we'd say STAY at the beginning of the dock, then move towards the end, reminding her to stay a few times.  Then we throw the duck and if she takes off, we can block her from going off the end of the dock, grab her collar, and walk her back to the beginning where she will have to sit and stay again.  My uncle's dog is very hyper and high strung, mostly because his training is very confusing for her, so I was amazed at how quickly she learned to hold her stay.  Now, when she sees the duck come out she will usually sit at the beginning of the dock on her own and wait for it to be thrown.  Pretty good for a dog that otherwise has serious issues pulling on the leash until she barfs or chokes, lunging constantly, and nipping everyone. 

Our next big obstacle is that she takes the duck and won't release it.  You have to pry her mouth open IF she lets you anywhere near her.  She turns retrieving into a chase game.  It's got so bad that we actually wade out and put a lead back on her before she reaches shore b/c all our times trying to catch her and get her to release the duck just reinforced her idea that it's a chase game.

Thanks for your input....
 
If it had been me I would have tried to train a back chained retrieve (starting with the dog taking an item from me and giving it back - the end bhvr always being spitting the item out at my feet or into my hand) while working on a really SOLID stay with increasing distractions. 
I'd have worked up to expecting the dog to STAY while I PUT the item at some distance and walk back, then tell her to "seek".  Then getting her to "stay" while a throw the item a little way... just a few feet, hopefully not enough to stimulate her to jump up and go after it.... and build up that way.
I'd have also used something soft and very light and definately NOT squeaky, because of what I have heard about this encouraging soft-mouthed-ness..... still not sure how much truth there is in that though.
 
She's never heard a gun shot - and at this rate it looks like he is unlikely to until he takes her to work in the field.  Is this going to be harmful to her training in the long run?  Will she become "gun-shy"?  She seems fairly OK about noise in general - but she's never experienced anything LIKE a gun going off by her ear..... will that be a problem?

I have some books on training hunting dogs, and they talk a lot about "building the desire to retrieve" and using "fun bumpers" to reward the dog. Meaning the dog should spend a lot of time just doing fun retrieves to build drive, without always having to wait to be sent. They seem to use bird dog bumpers and bird dog dummies exclusively as the dog's toys.  The part on introducing gunshots suggests taking the pup out and just watching trained dogs act happy when the guns go off.
I wouldn't recommend these books to your friend because they are a very weird mix of positive reinforcement, ecollar training, and some really brutal things like toe-hitches and ear pinches.

That makes sense to me... the dog has to enjoy working doesn't it??  Well I think so anyway.  I suppose for some people that isn't important as long as they do the job.  I just think a dog with a high drive to work who enjoys what he is doing will do better.... but maybe I am wrong.
 
Are there any books you could suggest that I could suggest to them?
 
And what are toe hitches?  Sounds painful!

I believe a "purely positive" book on training hunting dogs has been recently published but I haven't seen it. Look on Amazon or Dogwise.

I think you're thinking of Positive Gundogs and I've dismissed that one already - far too removed from what they are doing already, I can guarantee it will go right over their heads and they wiull just dismiss it completely as a load of rubbish without even giving it a chance

They should teach a stay command to start.
This can be taught very young.  Smacking the dog with a bumper will just teach the dog to dislike the bumper and worst case to fear it.
When working on the retrieve they can lightly hold the pup back as they throw the bumper/bird then release the dog with the dog's name.  Slowly wait a bit longer each time before releasing.  Eventually they should be able to let go briefly before sending the dog on its name then let go for longer periods then release. 
Deb

well, ok, I guess anything is better than what they are doing. Look here for a long list of books and DVDs on how to properly train hunting dogs.
[linkhttp://www.gundogsupply.com/trainingbooks.html]http://www.gundogsupply.com/trainingbooks.html[/link]
I'd suggest offering one or two as a friendly gift instead of mentioning you don't approve of their current training methods. The ones about puppy retriever training look pretty safe as far as not containing the more unpleasant training methods.

These are all good tips. I'm currently trainingmy black Lab puppy for duck hunting so learning to hold "steady" is a necessity. One book you might want to check out is the Ten-Minute Retriever. It's a good positive book which is based on training sessions lasting ten minutes. Also if when you throw the toy or bumper the puppy goes and gets it, but on the way back to you starts slinging his head with it in his mouth or growling its little puppy growl that's fine. Don't correct him because you think that might be to rough for a duck. He's showing his enthusiasm for retrieving.