The Labrador Retriever is a Canadian breed that is thought to have been developed by fishermen in Greenland. The Labrador Retriever is now classified as a sporting dog in the gundog class. This dog makes a great family pet, a great guide dog for the blind, a great drug search dog, and a great sporting dog.
The Labrador Retriever comes in three color variations, chocolate, black, and yellow. The current trend is for the Chocolate Lab, however, the Black and Yellow Labs are also popular. The males of this breed are slightly larger than the females. They stand between 22.5 and 24.5 inches tall and weigh between 60 and 75 pounds, and the females stand between 21.5 and 23.5 inches tall and weigh between 55 and 70 pounds.
Many claim that you must wait several years before the Labrador ‘calms down’ and becomes a normal member of the family. With proper training, however, you can have your Lab be a well mannered dog in no time.
Labrador Retrievers are perfect family dogs. Although originally bred for hunting, they are good natured and don’t mind being bossed around. Therefore, they are well-suited for obedience training.
Labrador Retrievers seem to be very loyal and arguably, the smartest breed among canines. Labs are medium-sized dogs that are certainly strong enough to create chaos if untrained. They are extremely playful and oftentimes, too playful for your own comfort.
It is imperative to train your Labrador Retriever to have a pleasant relationship with the canine companion. Here are key tips to consider in training your Lab.
- Start young
A Labrador Retriever pup if not trained early will develop bad habits. The older the dog gets the more difficult it will be to alter the behavior.You should start training the dog on its 8th week after birth. Immediately eradicate behaviors you won’t like your dogs to have later in life. A highly excitable pup that jumps at you is cute but an 18 lb pup can grow up to 80 lbs rather quickly. A full grown 80 lb Labrador Retriever habitually jumping at you is not. - Socialize early
Labradors should learn to cope and connect with other people and dogs. This breed is very social; they like to feel that they are not alone. Socializing them early is essential to its well-being. - Be the Top Dog!
One should understand that dogs by nature, follows a hierarchal system. The Alpha male gets the first, and the best. Everyone else is just subordinates. The Labrador Retriever is no different.It is extremely important for you to take the lead and be the alpha personality. If you’re able to establish this stance with your Lab, he will acknowledge it just fine. The dog will know its place and it will be its pleasure to be your subordinate. In effect, it will be easier for you to train the canine. - Labs love to stay active
As a Labrador Retriever owner, you must recognize the fact that your pet is a hyperactive, over-enthusiastic dog. It is best for Labradors to play and stay active. Do yourself a favor, get off the couch; jog with your dog or play with your animal friend at the park. It is good for the Lab’s psychological health and maybe for you too.Labrador retrievers love to swim. In fact, they are natural swimmers. Take them swimming as much as possible.By the way, lazy owners should not have Labradors as pets. - Concentrate on calm behaviors
Since Labrador Retrievers are very excitable dogs, owners must concentrate in teaching it “calm” behaviors. The best method to train Labs would be utilizing positive reinforcement techniques. This can be a tricky method because owners might give a wrong impression to their dogs by giving too many treats so stick with mostly verbal enforcement.
58 Responses to “How to Train a Labrador Retriever”
i have a yellow lab he is 2 yrs old litter of 11 my biggest problem with him is i take him to the bogs every day off leash until i see someone or another dog i have to leash him because he will run right up to them and he just wants to play people do get offense sometimes because they dont like their dog or theirself near him what is the best way to break this habit of him running up to people and other dogs he just wants to play should i drop him off at a dog daycare to play with other dogs while im at work he his 126 pounds jw
Hi i am janhavi from INDIA i also have a lab she is a female but do you know she is very obdient dog . i have trained her at manners and always listnes to me. you have said that he is your 11 problem . do you know that humans never have problems they make problems. sooo train him like a way that he should listen to you. oh no no no your dog is 2 years old.so i think so that it will take some weeks or 2/3 months.or you should have a trainer.and you are doing a job you should not drop him to dog day care centre to play. other wise he will become tooo lazy and some day he will bite any one.you will go to job and your dog to day care .NO ONE CAN SAY THAT THERE CAN BE A ROBARRY AT YOUR HOME,THEN WATS THE NEED OF YOUR DOG……..
Jhanvi need a Golden Lab (puppy )….
i ope u’ll be needful for me…
U gne mad. Janahavi u do 1 thng. Dnt gve nythng to eat. N dn teach ur dog to train. C how quickly he learns
My 11mo choc lab just does not want to listen. I have tried everything I can think of. I know he knows what I am saying bc after saying it 10 times he finally will listen then I put him in his create for not listening. I am at the end of my rope. as soon as he is left alone for even a minute he chews something up. he digs big holes in my yard. he ripped out all my flowers, I take him on dog runs on the weekends and mon thru fri I play fetch with him in our yard for about an hours or so…pls help……
The alone problem is probably some separation anxiety some dogs gets that I have seen many dogs that when they are left alone for maybe 20 minutes will destroy a house. I would talk to your vet and see if they offer composure there if not try a few places and see if they do. Composure helps a lot with nervous anxious and seperation anxiety dogs it’s all natural with calming ingredients.
Dropping the dog off at daycare won’t do anything to fix the problem. The dog is friendly and needs obedience training more than anything. Work on his coming when called command and that will solve your problem.
Hi, I’d like to have a retriever kind of dog but i don’t know if i CAN pick one because i need to leave him on monday , teusday, thursday and friday 8 hours alone but i can come for a 30 min walk in the middle off it each of the days . So i would like to have some help with that .
T.
Dogs can learn to adapt through training to being alone for longer periods. If possible I’d get a dog that is a bit older so he can ‘hold it’ longer. A young puppy may not be able to last for 8 hours alone.
I know that but the when i buy a puppy i have 2months to train him is that enough ?
and what dog would you prefer for me ?
T.
just purchased a yellow love the dog ,always wanted one .Now Im lost as to how to train the dog.This is something I really would like to do
my dog smell very bad i want to know if is a gland
LAbradors are great…
Hi Jim W
i have two yellow Labrador retriever, what I did with my dogs is I carry roll up news paper(roll them up but not too hard make sure it will made a loud noise) , when the dog do something that they shouldn’t do hit them with the roll up news paper near they tail because they do scare of the loud noise but do give them a snack when the dog did what get told and the most important thing do not let them off the leash until the dog is fully train.
Other way is take you dog to training school , normally they do after work hours or in the weekend .
This is perhaps the worst advice you could find. Do not do this with a newspaper. Smacking your dog with a newspaper is a bad idea.
Agree totally with TyBrown. Anything that we use to scare or smack a dog is bad. They are very keen observers and they know if we like something they do or not. Don’t forget they have a natural instinct to protect themselves and in doing so they may harm someone with a newspaper or so. Just an assertive “NO” can get their attention if trained well. You don’t even have to yell.
Having a dog is a privilege and taking care of them is responsibility. Dog training is more of training oneself to be patient than asking dogs to do some fancy tricks.
Thanks
Abhi.
I’m Taylor. I am 10 years oId. i have a chocolate lab he is 7 weeks I need to train him. Can any one help me like give me stuff that can train him to be a best puppy and then when he gets older My m and dad will be r
Proud.
Taylor, see if there is a 4-H club in your area. Most of them offer dog training classes for kids and adults work with their own dogs. My kids did it and it helps a lot. The classes are usually free also.
Local ASPCA generally have training classes held at their facilities. I have found them to be more economical than private classes.
hi i dont have labradors but i think they are so friendly
Really labradors r graet friendly dog.Labs activity is very nice.i love u so much is every time.I Love u Labs..
Hello, I have 2 Labradors they are 1 1/2 years old . My problem is that they both are very naught , I can’t keep them in the house because they run all around all the time , whatever they see they eat it or tear it apart , they jump on the sofas or bed and pee , and do all kinds of mischief …. What should I do to keep them in the house properly ….they stay in the balcony most of the time ……
It sounds like they need training. Obedience is the backbone of everything. An obedient dog CAN’T be running around the house, jumping on things, etc. Train things like how to lie down and stay, how to go to a bed and stay, how to wait at doors, etc. Get them plenty of exercise and train them how to walk properly on leash.
I have a black lab bitch 1-4 years old She was a rescue yet by behavior I would say the lower end of age. Her socialization with large or older dogs is ok. She attacks smaller dogs as if the were stuff animals. I do not play tug of war or such as my goal is to soft mouth and release for hunting. I do not give her anything stuffed as it is gone in minutes. How do I socialize her with smaller dogs?
Do you mean that she’s aggressive towards small dogs or just wants to play with them?
She wants to play but grabs and shakes them for the kill like she would a stuff animal. I do not give her stuff animals etc
At my company most of the dogs we work with come to us for aggression issues. The first thing we focus on is achieving some great obedience. If your dog was highly obedient you could simply have her by your side when small dogs were around, you could heel past them, you could call her away from them, etc. Your first move is in achieving advanced obedience. Once achieved, it will make fixing the aggression much easier and more feasible.
Dear readers,,I absolutely love labs!! My family and I have a black lab,11months old 88lbs in perfect health! This dog loves obedience,, we use firm authority in our commands and he is a dream!! Ranger is our 3yr old little girls best friend and has the same obedience with her!!!
Our yellow labrador is the neighborhood lab. She runs and plays with all the kids, and loves playing with our schnauzer. But while
playing in the front yard with the kids, a lady walked by with her wired haired terrior on a leash and our lab took off to smell her. They got into a fight and our lab grabbed the back and began to shake it. I ran over there right away and apologized, paid their vet bill and
spanked our lab. Why did she do this?
My experience has shown me that a lot of dogs, while prone to being friendly and good, aren’t ‘challenged’ enough to maintain the right balance. For starters, your dog should NEVER be allowed to just run up to another dog. This breaks all sorts of social norms, is disrespectful to the other dog owner, and can create such problems. It’s likely the other dog felt threatened, communicated that, and your dog reciprocated. You need to maintain stricter control over situations like this.
We have a 10 month old golden lab….got her at 9 months…all I am reading from above comments fits our ‘pup’…..she has gotten better about jumping up and ‘mouthing’ people….a vociferous “NO” mostly works….but I agree, off leash in only remote areas….they DO have a stubborn streak and the last thing you want is that stubborn streak to rear its head when you want her back from off the leash….sometimes I swat her nose when she jumps up on someone (or me)—nothing mean, but getting the message over…..you are right about the chewing,,,,get as many toys as you can…stay away from cloth toys—stay with the boney type that they can get their teeth into so their not tearing cloth pillows or the like. Anyone had the peeing in the house problem? We try to monitor the water intake but she has been known to do her #1 business in the house even after coming in from outdoors where she already peed. Is it the anxiety or excitement?……we cant trust her at night, so we crate her….she does not seem to mind but she would rather not……very loving, but alot of work!
hi my chocolate lab puppy is being so wild and hyper and he won’t stop running around the house what should i do
Dear alica, go find a Kong at DMB, then go to your back yard, or somewhere with a fence. Play fetch until he is tiered. Then you can start training, play before, and after. You should also get a harness, it helped with my black lab Hannah, she is mellow, sometimes. Reward your pup, and nether of you are top dog, don’t hit, no physical violence! Reward works best, if you luv, luv comes back!
This is not good advice. Dogs should be obedient whether or not they are tired. You shouldn’t have to tire a dog out in order to get obedience. Also, harnesses are the worst for dogs. They teach dogs to pull.
I have a 8month old Labrador and she does not listen to me at all she listens to my father but he isn’t t home all day so I can’t control her when he’s not at home, she bites a lot which means I can’t train her. When I walk her I would like to let her off the lead but she always runs in roads and I have to chase after her.
Sounds like it’s time to get training. Good luck.
Along with your father, teach your lab to listen to you. Start small like hold her food close by but do not give it until she obeys you. For instance ask her to sit to begin with then add more difficulty i.e. ask her to sit, then lay down, then sit again and then give the food to her. To do this one every instance you see.
Also, be more assertive, not loud or pushy or repetitive. Be her leader. Don’t play with her until she listens to you and voila!
All the best! Have fun!
Abhi
Mr,Brown
I am 13 years old.my dog keeps on jumping on me and won’t,but he is not trying to hurt me.what do i do?please reply
My 3 month old black lab/golden retriever mix is the typical puppy he chews and jumps etc. but he is a good pup he knows he is not allowed out of his crate until he sits and when he goes to the bathroom outside he gets a treat for each time he goes, he also knows he will not get a treat until he is sitting and gently takes it from my hand. It takes a lot of hard work but if your consistant and show your pup/dog you are the alfa dog they will respect you and listen. all I have to do is say his name and he comes to me, like most puppies he has accidents in the house occasionally but it gets fewer and fewer as the days pass. Anyone who chooses this breed of dog should always study both breeds involved they are very passionate and loyal loving family dogs but they need structure and consistacy you CANNOT scold them for doing something one day and not the next and that goes for praising them as well if your going to praise them one day for going potty outside then continue to do so. This breed of dog loves to please you and he needs to know that hes doing right. Never yell at your dog it will make them scared of you. use positive reinforcement and NEVER use their crate as a time out punishment spot , the crate should be their safe haven and a place they can go to play or sleep. All in all they are extremely easy to train but require constant training and being worked with you cannot just get a puppy and expect it to listen to you because you told it to, its just like a baby or toddler they need you to tell them whats good and bad safe/unsafe!! Get your puppy used to words when he goes pee outside do not say for instance my pups name is duke I do not say good boy duke I say good pee or good poop and when hes being hyper inside the house and does not realise how big he is compared to my jack russell terrior or my cat I bring him to me get on his level and tell him easy they have to know you respect them as much as they are supposed to respect you its a mutual thing
Hope this helps a little with some of your situations!
I have a 6 year old golden lab that we have given a home to. Problem i am having is that when i put her outside
she barges through the screen door breaking it down to get in. How do i stop her from doing this.
You have to figure out a way to correct it. You could try spray bottles, shake cans, e-collars, etc. You simply have to catch her in the act and correct it and you’ll soon see progress.
hi I have a golden lab of 32 days old. the problem is he bites and it hurts. what should I do??? if I touch him he also bites at the hand. what should I do???
I have two questions. We rescued a black lab female February 2012. We are her third family. Her second family was unable to keep her due to a move. She is coming along very nicely, and would like at some point in time give her the experience of hunting for birds such as pheasants and/or ducks. However she is fearful of loud noises and can not swim. We believe from lack of exposure with water for the swimming. Which I think is extremely sad that a lab doesn’t know how to swim. Our plan is to slowly introduce her to water with positive reinforcement like we would with a pup. When she came to us we knew that she had been trained at some point in time as a gun dog, but we believe that she was introduced to quickly to large caliber rounds and was not slowly desensitized to sounds that would be used for duck or pheasant hunting. Our theory is that they took her out hunting too soon without doing the needed work and was scared off by the shot gun sound and smell as a pup. That is probably how she ended up in the first pound. We have also thought of trying to desensitize her as we would with a pup starting with a pellet gun and working our way up to a hunting round. If you have suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. We know she has it in her to be a good hunting companion and want to help her achieve her full potential.
What are the two questions?
How old is this lab?
I have a 6 mo female lab. She is extremely smart and well behaved until someone comes over or we are out in public. She is horrible at pulling and she will jump on the 3 year old grand kids. This only lasts for about 20-30 minutes then she settles and is ok for the most part. Any suggestions on how to get calm social behaviors from the get go and how to break the pulling behavior? She’s over 50 lbs and while I attempt to stand my ground and prevent the pull its becoming increasingly impossible to do. Help! By the way I live alone do she is not around family on a daily basis.
My rule of thumb is:
If your dog is well behaved without distractions then do the same thing that you did without distractions to get her to behave with distractions. If those same methods don’t work then there is something wrong with your methods.
The biggest culprit I see in situations like this is people who have treat trained their dog. It may work with no distractions but falls apart with distractions. What did you do to get her to be so obedient indoors?
My guess is that you’ve got a situation like this on your hands- https://www.dogbehavioronline.com/there-is-a-difference-between-an-obedient-dog-and-a-not-disobedient-dog/
Is it to late for a six year lab which have been raised in a family environment go out to do some bird hunting?
I don’t know about too late. Not all labs have the necessary drive, though, to be trained for that work. If he’s got the right drive I’m sure he can be trained for it.
I have a 3 month old yellow lab and I am having the worst time teaching him to hav some just plan manners. He is very good with the whole ‘potty” thing, but he is the most hard headed dog I have ever owned! And instead of hitting him when he jumps on me or others, I have a water bottle and I spray him with it and tell him no jump, get down! And he will look at me like I’ve lost my mind and do it again! He doesn’t listen to commands at all! I tried the newspaper thing and just chewed it to shreds! I can’t get him to listen to me at all!!! Help, what should I do??
Jen
I have an 8 year old black lab. I cant stand to take him for walks because he takes me for the walk, hes constantly pulling me, then hes constantly stopping to smell and pee on everything. I dont take him for walks anymore. He is very obidient besides that. He goes to work everyday with my husband so hes not stuck in the house
i have a labrador age about 2month 10days she is a female
but the problem i am facing she is shy and afraid when she see someone or a kid even except my kid and family close ones
and she is deffensive and tries to show me how much she is protective how can i deal with that
i want her to be nice
she barcks at them always in there face any one not the family
anthony
What do you mean she is defensive? This is a huge red flag at 2 months of age.
i have a black lab i want to train him
I have a 3-4 month old black lab and when we leave.we have to keep him on a leash outside because we do not have a fenced in yard, but when he is on leash he goes crazy non stop barking and constant pulliing so hard that it is chokin and rubbing hair off his neck and he wont stop until we let him off we only have him on leash when we leave and when we take him for walks he is constantly pulling so hard that he just chokes himself and he wont quit hes a good listener and he knows what “no” means and he knows sit and all other commands its just a leash thats the problem he started to chew threw his leash and we havent bought a chain one yet. Anybody have any ideas of what i could try to get him to calm down its so bad at him pulling that our neighbors think we are abusing him
Kindly let me know how to train Labrador dog. He is 4 weeks now.
I have 1 month old Labrador. How to train for urine na motion
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