How do I get my Lab pup to be well behaved?
Hey everyone!
I have an 8 month old Lab puppy-Coco. She's smart, and she has the ability to do lots of things, but she's stubborn, cheeky and sometimes just refuses to listen. She is very food motivated, but sometimes she gets very frustrating.
She has been to puppy pre-school and obedience school, she knows basic commands like sit, stay,come but some days she just won't do them!
So, I was wondering how I could get her to be better behaved, here's a list of things I need help with:
*recall off leash ( just in the backyard, sometimes at dog parks)
*listening activities ( any suggestions of these would be great )
*GENERAL OBIDIENCE! I'd really love a dog who listens, and doesn't do things that she's not supposed to do, when she's told not to do them!( if that makes sense...)
Basically, how did you train your dog to be well behaved?
Thanks, answers are greatly appreciated!!
Sorry for any weird spelling/grammar, I'm on my phone... 
Comments
If your obedience instructor didn't teach you well enough how to control your dog, your money was wasted. The very first command all pet owners should teach is a "recall";
http://www.dogtrainingbasics.com/come.html
This is the basis for all other training as it teaches your dog to listen, and that is sometimes very difficult with a lab. Your dog isn't stubborn, she simply doesn't really understand what you want her to do, nor have you made it enough fun for her that she wants to learn. You can bully your dog into listening, but it kills alot of the spirit that most owners like in their labs, so you will have to learn how to train positively and how to make learning fun (which starts with your attitude toward your dog and toward training itself).
Go to www.dogwise.com and buy anything written by Pat Miller.
Here are two good training sites on the web that will help too;
http://www.dogtrainingbasics.com/ and http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/ These things will be a whole heck of a lot cheaper and more rewarding than more lessons that obviously aren't helping you.
Listening activities in the dog training world are called attention lessons and there is only one sure way to do this.......get Pat Millers books.
Having seen a lot of young labs at where i train and seen how they behave I can sympathise with you. A lot of lab pups can be so excitable and no matter what you do they cannot sit still for more than a few seconds and they wriggle ans squirm when the owners try and get them to do something.
Please note lab owners....I`m not saying ALL labs are like this!!!
But make no mistake, a lot are.
Must admit they have given us all plenty of laughs at training with their naughty ways. But in reality it can get quite annoying I`m sure.
Most labs, especially the working bred ones need loads of mental and physical stimulation and they do excel in working trials and as sniffer dogs. Trouble is when they are young they are always finding other things that interest them more than being trained.
Some do`nt grow up until they are 2-3 years old and some never do at all.
The only answer is to make training interesting enough to keep their attention on it. Try some more advanced training with her like tracking and searching as basic exercises like sits and stays are a bit boring to a 8 month lab. Tracking and searching will tax the brain and tire her out more and then afterwards you can do the boring bits. You will need to join a club that specialises in this sort of training but its great fun and all the labs at our training place just love the tracking.
Also a good tip is make sure your your pup has some good free running exercise before doing any serious training with her so she is not so apt to want to run off and do her own thing out of high spirits.
Practise the re-call without distractions for starters and then introduce distractions gradually.
Dog parks are not a good place to take an excitable 8 month old lab as she will learn its easy to just ignore you. Joining a good dog club would be a lot more beneficial for her. Hope this helps a bit and Good luck.
PS: I trained my dogs to be well behaved from good socialisation and training from 8 weeks old and listening to advice from my excellent and very experienced trainer who I have been training with for 11 years.
LOL good luck. You just described the lab breed down to a T. Whistles might help with the recall as they will get her attention. So when you want her you call her over. If she ignores you blast the whistle loudly until she looks up and then call her again. ALWAYS praise when she comes even if it takes a hundred calls.
I have a lab too and she is VERY well behaved but recall can occasionally be a little shaky if she is distracted. It needs constant work. If she is consistently ignoring you then leash her and get her paying attention. Make her sit every few metres, randomly change direction (this works off lead too) anything to keep her attention on you so she realises she has to watch you.
Teach Leave It and enforce it. Its a must for labs. My dog is a terror for eating random stuff she finds but if i shout leave it then she will.
Do not allow her in dog parks until your recall is improved. Imagine if another dog went for her and you couldnt get her to come back to you for protection. She could be killed.
Dont let her on beds or sofas without being invited. If you pat the sofa and say its ok then she can get up. If you havent expressly invited her up and she tries then push her off. Make her give a paw or bark once for her dinner. Its just teaching her manners really and how to respond to you.
I have a 7 month old pup I am going through the same thing with. I know they have very short attention spans and constantly have to be reminded just like a toddler.
I have a 6 month old lab called Jazzy, I take her to training classes every week, she just passed her first class. She is very hyperactive her heeling when walking is coming along nicely.
She comes mostly on recall always carry treats with you when out walking or even in garden.
If out with other dogs she will not always come when called.
Book into your local obedience class. I take my dogs to obedience training until they're 3 years old. They've usually reached advance level obedience by the time they're 18 months old and sometimes younger but we keep going to advanced classes, sometimes at a couple of different clubs because the dogs enjoy obedience training.
Take Coco to classes and you will both enjoy it. Then you'll have an obedient, well behaved dog.
Haha same with kids love patience consistency and time as pups are playful and stubbon the same as kids are. Also so important to give dogs plenty of exercise or really they have to much energy to listen or be calm. Try dog training books/ websites too
One good way of stopping unwanted dog behaviours is attending a traning course. You'll learn the causes and some techniques to solve all your problems with your furry friend. A good online course you can follow is: http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=572
Their method is gentle, simple and most importantly effective. I recommend it.
I hope it helps
The fact that she has been to training classes is irrelevant, unless you practice what you were taught every day.
If you think that your puppy does not listen it’s because you are using too many words and because you are not consistent with your commands. In any event, dogs have no concept of the English language.
Puppies have a dreadful life because their owners expect too much from them. Puppies are commanded to sit, if it doesn’t sit immediately the owner says “for goodness sake sit” or “will you sit” etc. I have also heard people say “sit down”, consequently the puppy does not know if it’s expected to sit or go into a down.
Neither puppies nor adult dogs understand sentences. If you use sentences a dog it will be confused. When you are training a dog or asking it to do anything, choose one word to convey to your dog what you want it to do. It will eventually understand, however if you think that it has failed to understand and you continue to change the command you have no chance of training it.
If you want your puppy to sit, say “sit” and lure it into this position with a treat. If you want it to down say “down” and do likewise. Think of how many things that you want your puppy to do and choose one word to convey this to your puppy. Help your puppy, never shout. If your puppy fails to learn it’s your fault. More training classes will help you to communicate with your dog and they will help you to understand your dog. My dogs were taken to classes throughout their lives and I also trained them to do dog sports.
called training, exercise and supervision
takes time, patience and work
go to puppy classes and learn how
then you work at it daily at home