How to Train a Labrador Puppy

Lab puppies are quick learners.

Labradors take well to dog training, says Melanie Billing, an animal health technologist. Smart dogs, they are often used by the police, act as service dogs, and are used in search and rescue. With some patience, food rewards, pats and praise, your lab puppy can be housebroken in a relatively short time. With more work, it will be easy to control and won't jump up on people. Start training your lab puppy at about 2 months old.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Dog crate
• Dog treats for rewards

1. House-train your lab puppy by taking him out when he looks like he needs to go. Lab puppies will often walk in circles, sniff the floor and scratch when they want to urinate or defecate. Take you pup out every hour, right after eating or drinking, first thing after waking up and any time your puppy becomes excited. Praise the pup every time he eliminates outside.

2. Crate your pup at night and during the day when you are not around. Labs don't like to sleep near where they have eliminated. Your pup will quickly learn that when you open the door to the crate, it's time to go outside. In addition to a housebreaking aide, the crate will soon become a safe "den" for your pup to retreat to if it becomes overwhelmed.

3. Start with simple dog obedience commands such as sit, down, stay and heel. Use both a word and a hand signal for each command you teach. Eventually your pup will be able to respond to just a hand signal if he is out of hearing range. It is best if only one person in the household works with the puppy initially. Keep these lessons no longer than five minutes at a time and do them after your dog has been exercised.

4. Don't let the puppy jump up on people. It may be cute at this stage, but your lab will soon be big enough to knock a child over and this behavior should be nipped in the bud, Billing says. A loud "no" and a gentle push down, accompanied by a treat when the puppy is sitting or standing quietly works well.

5. Enroll your pup in obedience classes if you need help training it. It is best to wait until it is at least 12 weeks old and it has had at least two sets of puppy vaccinations. The key to success is to practice what you learned in the sessions at home.

Tips & Warnings

• It's good to socialize your puppy by exposing it to children, adults and other animals. It will learn to be comfortable in many situations.

• Never hit your lab puppy. Your pup will become frightened of you and may learn aggressive behaviors in response. Positive, reward-based training works far better.

References

• Melanie Billing: Animal Health Technologist: Toronto, Ontario
• The Dog Training Secret: Labrador Puppy Training
• Labrador Savvy: Labrador Training
• Dog Obedience Training: Training a Labrador Puppy

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish