Q&A: Training Labrador Puppy?
Question by Maxuei Bom: Training Labrador Puppy?
It’s been a little over a week since I’ve had my lab, but training him is a little ehhh. I’ve been trying to get him to learn sit, and I think that he sort of gets it. If he sees a treat in my hand, he’ll automatically sit down, but when I tell him to sit without one, he just lays there. Does this mean that he’s getting it, or am I training him wrong? He’s 3 months old.
Best answer:
Answer by GYMNASTIX
My dog is the same way.It sounds like he is stubborn when it comes to training. Maybe you should try a training class at Petsmart for young puppies.
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As a trainer, I rarely use treats simply b/c the dog will only associate doing something with getting something. A dog lives to please, and if he gets praise for doing a good job, then they tend to learn faster. Dogs react to the way their master / trainer feels and acts. They pick up on if you are getting frustrated or if you are truly happy. The best way to fix this problem now that you have it, is to basically “trick” the dog into thinking that you have a treat for him. Once he does what you tell him to, praise and pet him instead of giving him a treat. This may take a little while to catch on, but eventually he will see what joy it causes when he does the right thing. If he doesn’t respond, don’t get upset or keep repeating yourself. Make him get up, then gently give a tug on his leash as you say firmly “Sit” and push down on his rear end. It sometimes takes time, but just be patient. A well mannered dog is a happy dog.
It all takes time and patience. Here’s a good article on dog training: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppy_training
For more ideas please visit http://www.memory-foam-dog-beds.org and at the bottom of the Home page you will see a company called Doggie Solutions and you should find some more help there.
Have fun with you puppy
Having a well trained dog is very important for many reasons…one is for your sanity, but also for family and friends that visit, as well as the community. Socializing and training your dog will benefit you so greatly. If you can’t afford to take him to training there are many books out there to help guide you. Here is one I recommend http://df86fuqw9pwfplplmswikx9y03.hop.clickbank.net/
Training Your Lab Retriever articles
http://labradorretriever.name/category/enjoying-your-labrador-retriever/training-your-labrador-retriever/
You are not doing it wrong, puppies take awhile to get what you are teaching them. Start with using the treat for about two weeks along with verbal praise, then slowly mix it with just verbal praise.If you want you can also use a clicker, but treats and verbal are fine on their own. Keep working with him daily and you will start to see an improvement. When he is sitting every time you give the command “Sit” with or without the treat. You can stop treat training and starting using just verbal or the clicker to reinforce good behavior. Just remember that Lab puppies are still immature and need a lot of patients to train, but your on the right track. I have three retrievers and they are very smart dogs that love to learn anything you are willing to teach them.
A good training site to check out about training your Labrador Puppy is http://nothinbutretrievers.com.