Training a Lab Puppy

Know Your Lab

Understand the Labrador Retriever breed. No matter how prepared you are, your dog will not respond to you unless you're consistent, lavish him with praise and give him lots of attention and exercise. Labs are active dogs that adore attention. They want to please their owners. If they don't get enough attention, they won't respond to training.

Begin by establishing a dependable routine. Feed him at the same time every morning and evening. Take him for a walk at the same time every day. Place his toys in the same location when you clean up, so that he can find them easily. Dependability breeds trust, and when your dog trusts you, he will respond easily to training.

Treats for Tricks

Once you begin training, make sure you reward good behavior with treats. Labs love to eat, and a small piece of cheese or bacon will work wonders. Also, be sure to praise her with voice and touch. Use the same words or phrases each time you praise your dog, so that she understands she did something good. Also use the same words when scolding your dog, such as "no."

Make sure to socialize your dog. Socialized dogs are much easier to train. In addition, Labs can be too exuberant when introduced to new people if they aren't around a lot of people when young. Take your lab with you in the car and on errands when possible.

Voice and Motion

When training, combine voice commands with motions. Eventually, you can use just motions. For example, if you tell your dog to stay, hold out your hand in a stopping motion, palm facing outward and fingers together. Then, back away slowly. If she begins to come to you, tell her "no" and "stay" again. If she stays, praise her from afar with a vocal praise, then tell her to "come" and get her treat.

To teach your puppy to sit, wait until your dog is lying on the floor, then hold a treat above her head. She will sit up to get the treat. When she sits up, say "good dog" (or whatever your praise words are) and give her the treat. To get her to sit from a standing position, push firmly down on her back above her hind legs.

To teach your puppy to lie down, when you dog is standing or sitting, show him the treat and slowly lower it to the ground. The dog will lie down as he follows the treat with his eyes. Again, praise him for lying down and give him the treat.

Resources

• A schedule for training your Lab puppy based on the age of your dog.