Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Standard Training Approach
• Method 2 of 3: Developing the Right Traits for Effective Dog Training
• Method 3 of 3: Understanding the breed
• Tips
• Warnings

The Labrador Retriever is a fairly popular dog breed all over the world. Labradors are known for their friendliness, neatness, and easy learning curve. They have three types of color: black, brown (chocolate) and fawn. Labradors are very energetic as they were originally bred to work, hunt and run all day long. Due to their good trainability, Labradors are often used as guide dogs, rescue dogs and police sniffer dogs for detecting dangerous substances such as drugs. Plus, Labradors make great pets!

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Standard Training Approach

1. 1 Start training from an early age. Labrador retrievers grow quite large and can often be quite excitable dogs. Reward your pet with generous praise and love when it behaves well. It will be helpful for the subsequent training process if you establish a close relationship with the dog from the very beginning.
   • For young puppies (8 to 12 weeks old), lessons should be short but fun. For example, when you first bring your puppy to your home, take him to an outdoor toilet (for example, in the yard or in the garden) and praise when he uses it for its intended purpose. At first, the puppy’s actions will be just a coincidence with your desire, but nevertheless it is never too early to start accustoming him to the command "To the toilet!" - Say it every time the puppy sits down to urinate or empty. Always praise your pet generously afterwards. This will help him understand the relationship between the necessary behavior and the praise, which will make this behavior more likely in the future.
   • You can also start learning simple commands, such as the Sit! Command.With a small puppy, training comes down to simply waiting for the moment when he himself prepares to sit down. As soon as his back of the body touches the ground, say the command "Sit!" and praise your pet very generously. At first he will be puzzled, but he will soon understand the connection between your team and his own action.
2. 2 Never hit your dog. Physical punishment for unwanted behavior is not a useful means of training a Labrador Retriever. Instead of gaining something useful from the punishment, the dog will simply learn to be afraid of you, which will negatively affect the further training process, and this is by no means the result you are trying to achieve.
3. 3 Encourage the behavior you want to reinforce. Encouraging good behavior is considered a more useful and constructive approach to training than punishing bad behavior. Aim at giving commands and then immediately rewarding the dog when it takes action. This will strengthen the associative link between action and reward. Begin with a basic command, such as "Sit!"
   • When your dog starts to obey the command on a regular basis, make the dispensing of the treat less predictable. This is due to the fact that a dog, constantly receiving a treat, gradually begins to be lazy, since it becomes very easy to get it. When you periodically skip a treat, the dog begins to wonder if she was too slow and did everything well enough, so the next time he is more eager to please the owner. Eventually, you’ll start rewarding your dog for every fourth or fifth command you complete so that he remains focused on earning a treat, but does not despair that it is too difficult to get.
4. 4 Try clicker training. Clicker training develops the association between clicking the clicker (when you click on it) and rewards in your dog. The advantage of the clicker is that it allows you to mark the exact moment when the dog has performed the action you want, thereby creating a strong connection between the dog's action and the reward. Labradors are very trainable and extremely easy to motivate with food, making clicker training ideal for them.
   • Learn the basics of clicker training and get started. Eventually, your dog will learn that the clicker is always followed by a treat, which is a very important incentive for a Labrador retriever. Once the dog is aware of this relationship, the click can be used to immediately indicate the correct behavior, such as squatting on command. After a while, the pet will understand that for sitting down on command, he gets a treat.
5. 5 Find your way to the Labrador's heart through its stomach. Labrador Retrievers are very well motivated and food controlled. Reward the desired behavior with a treat, and the dog is more likely to repeat it later. Pieces of treats should be small, you can use ready-made commercial treats or frozen-dried liver. Boiled kidneys are also an inexpensive alternative to off-the-shelf treats and are easy to prepare and cut. What's more, many dogs are even willing to work for bits of regular dry food.
   • Using a treat as a reward for a dog's desired behavior should only be a starting point. Soon, you will need to substitute praise for treats, or your dog may gain weight or even become obese. Alternatively, you can weigh the dog's daily feed daily and set aside a portion for use as a treat. This will prevent the Labrador from gaining excess weight during training.
   • Some dog training instructors recommend encouraging your dog to earn every pellet of his dog food rather than giving it in large portions all at once. With this approach, the dog becomes extremely focused on the owner and the food, which makes it easy to explain that it "needs to learn to get food."
6. 6 Make the dispensing of treats less predictable. When your dog begins to regularly perform the necessary actions on command, make the dispensing of the treat less predictable. Add some variety. Often times, if a dog is constantly encouraged with a treat, it becomes lazy, as it becomes too easy to receive the treat. By periodically refusing to treat your dog, you make him think more actively and reflect on whether he was too slow or not accurate enough in executing the command. Therefore, from now on, she will try to work harder to please you. After all, it is necessary to move to rewarding the treat for only every fourth or fifth command so that the dog maintains concentration on receiving the treat, but does not despair that it is too difficult to earn.
7. 7 Expand your training. Test your Labrador Retriever's readiness to follow your commands in different situations and incorporate distractions into your training. Once your dog has learned the basic commands (for example, "Sit!" And "Place!") In the quiet of your yard or apartment, start exercising in distracting areas so that he knows that he always has to respond to your commands, and learns to maintain focus on you, regardless of distractions. Add noises, other people handling dogs, or even animals. When your dog is distracted and has trouble concentrating, you need to interrupt his train of thought with a conversation, command, or action (such as stamping his foot).
   • Start working on distractions at home and where there are fewer distractions by applying a treat. Obedience should always be followed by praise and goodies. As you become more confident in being able to control your dog, raise the difficulty level by walking around your neighborhood or near a dog walking area to develop obedience. Gradually move to more and more lively places, when your Labrador already begins to confidently respond to the commands "Drop it!" or "Look at me!"
   • Slowly increase the number of distractions, then you and your dog will increase your confidence that he will be able to behave calmly even in a crowd. This is a key approach to getting a well-mannered dog that behaves well in all situations in which other people and animals are involved.
8. 8 Sign up for official training courses. Sometimes, animal shelters, pet stores, and other organizations may offer inexpensive dog training courses. Try one of these before enrolling in a course to make sure you are comfortable with the training methods. You might want to train with a professional training instructor. A professional dog instructor has a fairly extensive knowledge of dogs, and his services can be very useful for you to learn the basic skills of handling your pet. In general, although the higher cost of training with a professional instructor, they will be especially beneficial in the long term, as they will help you and your very energetic dog to establish effective communication.
   • An important part of training is teaching your dog to behave well in the presence of other dogs, so you can try to sign up for special group lessons for puppies. Sometimes such classes can be organized at veterinary clinics. Only healthy puppies that have undergone the necessary vaccinations are allowed to classes.The advantage of these activities for the puppy is that he becomes more confident and develops social skills in contact with other dogs.

Method 2 of 3: Developing the Right Traits for Effective Dog Training

1. 1 Prepare yourself. Learn proper training methods before actually training your dog. Gather information online, at the library, and at local canine organizations. You can even ask your veterinarian for advice. Remember, the more knowledgeable you are, the better you will understand how you should respond to different circumstances.
   • Also make sure you have everything you need to effectively train your dog. Buy a clicker if you plan to use a clicker and a collar and leash suitable for general training. The leash should be no more than 1.5–1.8 m long. Leather leashes are considered the best leashes for training. Always check all equipment prior to exercising to ensure that it is in good condition and that there is no risk of unexpected breakage or release.
2. 2 Use reward-based training. This type of training is ideal for Labrador Retrievers. In doing so, you reward good behavior and ignore bad behavior. Punishments in this training method are not applied. The priority is to use exactly what motivates the Labrador to learn: edible rewards, as well as the attention and love of the owner.
   • The basic idea is that the Labrador begins to work harder and tries to repeat the behavior that earned him a treat or generous praise. And if you ignore the bad behavior in the dog's head, the understanding develops that this behavior does not bring any benefit at all, therefore it is a waste of energy and is not worth repeating.
3. 3 Choose the ideal time and place for training. Learning is most successful if you give it a couple of short lessons per day (lasting 10-15 minutes). Try to exercise when the dog is not yet tired, but not ready to explode from an excess of energy. For example, if you’ve been away all day and have just returned home, it’s probably best to first let the puppy run in the yard for about five minutes, or take the adult dog for a short walk before starting a focused lesson.
   • Try to practice where there are few distractions so that the Labrador Retriever can focus on you. It is a good idea to train your dog just before feeding, so that the dog is extremely interested in getting the tasty treat.
4. 4 Be precise and straightforward. Keep your commands simple, concise, and consistent. So, the commands "Fu!", "Drop it!", "Wait!", "Stop!" and "Aport!" are simple, clear and straightforward. Do not try to scold the Labrador, he is not a human, therefore he is not able to comprehend your speech like a human. Phrases such as "Stop doing this for heaven's sake!" or “Ah, stop gnawing the table!” just won't work because they're too complicated.
   • Experts believe that the dog perceives the first part of the vocal command as the most important, so longer commands, such as “Sit, Buddy, if you want a treat!” Tend to confuse the animal. Just use the "Sit!" Command in this case.
5. 5 Be firm and keep your composure. In general, yelling at any dog ​​is simply not effective. And this is especially true for Labrador Retrievers, who are naturally quite excitable. Use a firm, yet pleasant and encouraging tone of voice when giving commands to your pet. Don't scream or lose your temper. Dogs are highly intuitive, so they are quite capable of understanding and responding to your disorder.Your tone of voice is important, which again is due to the fact that dogs do not perceive speech in the same way as humans. Therefore, how what you say may be as important (if not more important) as what you are the one who speaks.
   • Positive, but at the same time firm and urgent commands will allow you to explain to the Labrador what he needs to do for you.
6. 6 Consider using gesture commands. Try using gesture commands along with your voice commands. For example, raise your hand when you say the command "Sit!" Behaviorists who specialize in the behavior of dogs believe that these animals seek many clues at once to what they want from them, including simultaneously paying attention to vocal commands, tone of voice and body language.
7. 7 Be timely with your reactions. It is ineffective to chastise a Labrador long after a blunder. If you need to scold the dog or correct its behavior, this should be done in the next few seconds after the action just taken. Dogs forget what they did after a few seconds. Therefore, the key to success is an immediate reaction to improper behavior of the dog, which will facilitate the process of correcting the unwanted behavior.
8. 8 Be consistent. Always be consistent in your commands and expectations from the dog. This will help the dog understand what is wanted from it. Remember to reinforce training between others on walks so that the dog doesn't think it should be following the "Sit!" and "Place!" only within the framework of classes at home or in the yard. By reinforcing commands in public places, you help the Labrador understand that he must obey you in all circumstances.
   • Consistency is the key to successfully making desired behaviors routine and perfectly normal. This is what helps turn a dog into a well-trained and well-behaved pet!
9. 9 Involve your entire family in the process. If you live with a family, then all family members should also take part in the training. Explain to your family members, as well as frequent guests of your home, what you do and do not allow your dog. For example, if you don't allow a Labrador Retriever meal at the dinner table, then others should be aware of this rule. If family members or guests do not know this rule, they can treat the dog from the table, which will confuse him and negatively affect the learning outcomes already achieved.
   • Also, make sure everyone in the household uses the same commands. Using different words for the same action will confuse the dog and delay learning progress.

Method 3 of 3: Understanding the breed

1. 1 Remember that a dog is not born perfectly trained. Be aware that a puppy is not born with an automatic understanding of all the rules of life in human society. When a pet does wrong, it’s not because it was originally born a bad dog, it’s just that it does what any Labrador retriever would do in its own way, and does it until you teach it to behave differently.
2. 2 Explore the breed information more deeply. Labrador retrievers are usually quick-witted, cheerful and energetic dogs. They need a lot of attention, as well as enough opportunities to get rid of excess energy. These dogs are native to Newfoundland, where they were often used by fishermen to return nets and lost fish. To this day, Labradors remain excellent workers and swimmers. They are also extremely well trained.
   • The versatility of Labradors allowed them to be used in many jobs, including search and rescue, police assistance, drug detection, service for the blind, and so on.
3. 3 Treat your Labrador Retriever with the proper treatment of the breed. To train successfully, you need to understand what your dog needs and wants. For example, it is extremely important to know that Labradors, as we have already repeated more than once, are easy to motivate with food, and they are ready to do almost anything for a treat. They also have a weakness for love and affection, so they strive to please the owner. This means that in the process of training you should use the above inborn traits of this breed to help you. In fact, by doing this, you guarantee yourself a successful training result.
   • Remember that the Labrador Retriever is a very energetic breed. If you do not give your Labrador the opportunity to release excess energy, then it will be difficult to train. Such a dog must walk and run a lot, and its training must be deliberately included in the walking process.
   • Remember that satisfying your dog's desires will help keep him from "doing bad things." For example, a Labrador Retriever needs games and long walks. Failure to meet these needs can lead to boredom and destructive behavior. Increased physical activity helps your pet stay healthy and releases its energy. Keep your dog active (avoiding destructive behavior) by playing fetch and taking long walks at least twice a day.

Tips

• Have fun with your Labrador Retriever. Labradors are wonderful dogs. Be fair with your pet, be consistent, and give commands as clearly as possible. Then he will answer you with love and affection!

Warnings

• Don't punish your Labrador Retriever by catching it in a misdemeanor. This will only confuse the dog, as it will not be able to make the connection between the wrong action and your punishment. As a result, the pet will only begin to beware of you, as you punish him for no apparent reason.
• Avoid using an electric collar. The use of such collars is controversial and is permissible only for professionals for a limited number of specific reasons and training purposes, for example, when teaching hunting and working with a dog at a distance, and so on. The electrical collar contacts can seriously injure your dog. Moreover, if used improperly, the electric collar can further confuse the dog and even make it aggressive. The Electric Collar should only be used as a last resort and under the supervision of a professional training instructor. Do not try to train your dog with this collar on your own.