Basic Dog Training Tips

• you should be spending two, ten minute sessions with your dog a day in the first year
• YouTube has lots of great training videos
• There are lots of great shows on TV too about training and understanding your dog
• Write down your training goals and chart your progress
• As soon as your dog is 2 weeks past their full vaccinations (about 4.5 months) take them to obedience training
• As your dog is developing, training your dog will increase his intelligence and brain development.  Take advantage of this time to maximize your dogs potential
• Old dogs can learn new tricks.  Dogs have life long memory
• Click here for information on potty training your puppy

Labradors love food and can become obese with too many treats.  When training your dog use your voice and praise as the most desirable reward.  Giving a treat occasionally reenforces the behavior's and makes new commands easier to learn but quickly change to intermittent rewards for correct behavior and lots and lots of praise

Labradors naturally want to please and be close to their owners.  Do not use negative reinforcement with your dog.  Not only does it not work, it makes the dogs behavior worse and creates new problems

Catch your dog being good.  If your dog is being good, praise the dog.

An excited dog is not in a position to engage and interact.  Wait until your dog calms down.  Stand still until the dog calms himself.  By standing still and not looking at or touching your dog, your dog will calm down, once they calm calm down praise the calm dog in a quite voice

Never give your dog a command unless you know you have their attention.  Say their name and train them to look you in the eye.  Once the dog is looking at you and you know you have their attention, then give the command once.  

By stating a command over and over again you are only teaching the dog that they don't have to listen until and if they please.  "sit", "sit", "Sit" just teaches the dog to ignore your commands.  A firm "sit" once you have the dogs attention, should get the desired behavior.

Teach your dog the name of everyday items and actions.  Dogs have an understanding of about a 3 yr old.  They are very smart.  Not only can they learn nouns and verbs, they can learn concepts as well.  Name everything and what you do and you will be astounded with how smart your dog is.  We have done everything to maximize the puppies brain and temperament, now it is up to you to build on that.  The time you will invest in the first year will pay off with a lifetime of an unbreakable bond.  Name everything!   "leash on" "go car", "inside" "outside" "waiting" "pick up kids from school" "Dads home".  they can learn and understand it all if you teach them

A dog does an action for a reason.  When terminating a behavior', consider substituting another behavior.  If your dog takes your shoe and chews it( use a stern voice and say "bad chew"  then grab a dog toy and change your tone and say "good chew' and engage the dog in play.  Don't hide the shoe, leave it there on the floor, point to it and in the stern voice say "leave it"  it is important that the dog can choose a behavior (under supervision) 

It is important for labrador puppies to learn early on the power of their bite.  This is very breed specific.  Allow your puppy to nibble and mouth your hand and arm. If they bite too hard, yelp loudly and gently take your hand away and say 'no'.  Offer your hand back and in a slow, low, calm voice say "gentle" and then praise the puppy and say 'yes' if he mouths you gently.  The puppy needs to learn the power of their bite.  Labradors are used in hunting because of the gentle way they carry fowl.  If you don't teach them to bite gently as a pup, they will not know the strength of their bite and could hurt someone.  

At 5 months stop letting

If your dog is displaying a behavior's that you do not like and you can't change that behavior, you first  have to understand the behavior's.  Please reach out to Us or a trainer.  It can be corrected.