Billy, it only takes 4-6 weeks as a general rule of thumb to break in a dog!! Then you want to get him back, Worm him out, get him checked over for injuries give him a good bath etc etc!! By this time say he is about 13-14 months old (Depending on when he is actually booked in to be broken), Then you could spell him for another 6 weeks on a rearing farm which would make him around the 15-16 mths old which is prime time to start trialling at race tracks, field trialling etc. I agree with Nick its pure boredom as to why he is playing up, you need to get him a mate and have them in side by side kennels so they can interact during the day. Try leaving a radio going during the day so they have something to listen too or every now and then or a Marrow bone to chew on?? If you want to get the best out of him then you need to cross all the T's and dot all the i's!! It's no use looking back in 6-8 months and saying I didn't do enough when he was young. All the best mate hope he's a winner!!