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Labrador Training Tips

Naomi Sarah
These Labrador training tips will serve you well when training your puppy to become a well behaved, and well trained grown up dog. Find out here on how to train your puppy in simple, easy steps, to get him/her do what you want in no time...
The Labrador Retriever originated from the island Newfoundland, and was previously known as the Great Newfoundland dog, getting its name from Portuguese fishermen who bought the St. John's dog breed to the island.
The ancestors of the Labrador were a likely mix of Portuguese, English and Irish breeds. These Labradors were commonly used to escort fishermen on fishing escapades, with a strong desire that is inherent from back in the day, to present day breeds, that is, to swim.
Known by many names, some of which were, as previously mentioned, St. John's dog or the Black Water dog, these days it is known as either a Labrador dog or in short a 'Lab'. The colors that these dogs come in range from, yellow, chocolate and black to a fox red shade, or a light cream color coat.
They serve a lot of purposes today besides being household pets, like guiding the blind, for police work or drug searches, as service dogs and so on.
This breed of dogs are intelligent, friendly, work well with people and are easy to bond with, because of their good-natured ways. Let's take a look at the techniques involved while training a Labrador.

Labrador Training Techniques
Here's how you can get started on different areas of the Labrador Retriever training tips process, that you need to put your dog into and strictly follow yourself, in order to take advantage of successful training sessions.

Potty Training

It is important to train your dog when he first enters your home, about how it is not okay to take a dump or a leak on your furniture or anywhere around your home.
The different times of the day that your puppy will want to let out his waste, are.
  • When he's overly excited.
  • First thing in the morning.
  • Every hour (puppies find it difficult to control a full bladder for long).
  • After he/she is done with playtime.
  • Take him/her out five minutes after they're done drinking/eating.
  • Before bedtime.

Discipline

It is important to immediately point out your puppy's fault by stopping him in the act, and firmly saying 'no' while maintaining eye contact. Make this an everyday habit to stop him by repeating the process, so that he/she can let it sink in about the things you don't want them to do.
Give your puppy a doggy treat every time you correct him/her so that they know by not doing it, they get rewarded. Over time your puppy will understand what is okay and what isn't, and accordingly will behave in a certain fashion when you follow this tip.

Teething

When dogs are teething, they immediately need something chewy to gnaw at to kill the uncomfortable throbbing sensation in their gums. Stop and correct them when they start to chew on your personal items. Supply him/her with different kinds of chew toys, preferably rubbery textured items.

How to Stop Nipping and Biting

A puppy is bound to nip and bite at his/her owner and you need to point it out like the previously mentioned command, with an affirmative 'no'. Level your gaze with your dog's and make sure he/she understands that.
He/she could also have been playful when it comes to these acts, but you need to stop them since teeth can be sharp, and nips and bites can hurt and lead to small teeth indentations, or bloody spots. Ending this kind of behavior initially is important, in order to put a stop to it before they get older.

Socializing

Making your dog socialize with other people and dogs, is important. It makes him/her approachable, as well as friendly and less aggressive to strangers. 12 weeks into his/her age is a good start.
Make people approach them, by taking him/her for walks where other dog walkers are, like the beach or park. In this way your dog won't be fearful and speculative about other people or dogs. Let friends/family/dog owners use your doggy treats to feed the Lab, so that he feels safe around them.

Barking Antics

Dogs are known to bark constantly, with neighbors often complaining about it. You need to find out the root cause of your dog's behavior and quell his urge to bark non stop.
Give him a good supply of dog treats and other distractions like toys, that will help keep him/her quiet until you return home. Dogs get lonely and don't like being left all alone in the house.
Anything can trigger a dog's need to bark - like teasing, strangers, a new environment and so on. Snuff this behavior by pampering your dog to keep him happy at all times, especially when alone or subjected to new surroundings.

Praising Your Dog

Every time your pup does the right thing when you command him/her, give them a doggy treat and tell him/her how good he/she is, and they will immediately associate good acts, with treats and will play out their behavior accordingly when you need them to respond in a certain way.
With these Labrador training tips, hope you enjoy time with your puppy, and help him/her grow into well-behaved dogs. Just remember that as puppies, their attention spans are limited, so you'll have to cut down sessions to five minutes each, during different parts of the day. This way the lesson sinks in, and is remembered.