Archive for October 2009
Training a labrador to do even the simplest of commands such as “sit” can be frustrating. Try to remain calm throughout the duration of your training sessions. If you start getting angry and shouting you Lab will pick up on this and be less interested than when you started.
One of the most frustrating traits with Poppy was her recall. She would rush off at the sight of another dog or human just to say hello. As you can imagine this was so embarrassing and it looks like you have an unruly and disobedient dog. We conquered this with a series of training sessions which I found and followed. Please feel free to have a look here if you are interested.
Now I let Poppy go off and play but it’s on my terms. She will not leave me until I say she can go and play. This is a really nice piece of obedience that Poppy has mastered – especially when it’s dark during walks.
Labradors continually amaze their owners with what they can do. On average, they are very easy to train especially when you understand their character a little more.
Even though they have a tremendous capability for learning, it’s always best to start out with some good Labrador training techniques. Starting with some basics will help you on your Labrador understand each other. The more your dog knows and learns, the more they will become a fine member of the family.
First, use patience when ever dealing with your Labrador. I’m not only talking about those times of formal training sessions with your dog but anytime and anywhere. Your Labrador will respond better if you remain calm during your training. Probably the most important factor providing this result will be a continuous use of patience. Your Labrador will do almost anything to get a biscuit.
Poppy is so keen to please all of the time. During training sessions she would repeat her entire repertoire of tricks if she didn’t understand what I wanted her to do just so she could get the biscuit that was in my hand.
Keep your training sessions short. Poppy would loose interest if the training went on for longer than 20 minutes. After each training session she would sleep for hours. It’s a really good way of giving your lab a mental workout.
If you happen to own a new Labrador puppy, don’t think that Labrador training is impossible. Labradors possess the characteristics ideal for training, the intelligence and energy. They are even considered as one of the most obedient breeds when it comes to training.
Even though they are known as intelligent dogs, Labradors are not born nicely trained dogs nor become one on their own. In order for you to achieve success in Labrador training, you should be well-aware of some useful training techniques.
It was clear from the start with Poppy that it was going to be a hard task training a labrador. I took her to the common puppy classes like everyone else with a puppy, but it soon became apparent that Poppy had ulterior motives for going to the classes – biscuits! She would run around saying hello to all the other dogs and not paying the slightest bit of attention to me of what she was supposed to be doing. She would keep her nose firmly on the floor clearing up all the biscuit crumbs that had been dropped.
I was evident that puppy classes were not the way to go.
At the end of my tether after 6 months of training thinking I should have a beautifully trained and obedient Labrador, I started to search around on the internet for Labrador training techniques. I tried lots of different techniques, some of which worked and some didn’t. I’m going to be telling you about the ones that did work on this blog.
Poppy is now a delight. She is very obedient with an excellent temperament.