Labrador Training: Three Secrets To Get Good Results
July 29th, 2011Right labrador training is one sure method to make this breed an ideal man’s best friend. With that friendly and extremely adaptable temperament, for sure dog owners and their families would like to have this intelligent four-legged creature as pet. But dogs cannot figure out commands on their own. No matter how intelligent, obedient or even tempered the breed is, proper training is highly recommended to teach them how to behave in ways acceptable by their human companions.
Training isn’t a one-time session nor a one-week activity. It’s in fact a long-term process to make sure he learn what he’s supposed to learn at the same time corrected should he made a mistake. To attain the effects you desire, here are a few points that will help you understand labrador training better:
Develop good communication with your dog.
Inability to understand your pet can be as frustrating as inability to make your pet understand you. You are less likely to progress on training if both of you can’t understand each other. It is therefore essential to establish good communication as soon as possible. Since dog’s cannot talk just like humans do, one way to communicate with them is to understand their body language. Wagging of tail, intent stare, barking or curled lips mean something and when misinterpreted will definitely affect the training as well as your pet’s behavior. Good communication also enables you to gain your pet’s trust and respect. And when that happens, making your dog obey your commands is surely an easy task to do.
Provide short but high quality training sessions.
Lengthy labrador training doesn’t mean that a dog gets to learn lots of lessons and tricks. In fact, it can do more harm than good taking into consideration a dog’s short attention span. To keep your dog’s focus, training should be fun, exciting and short. It should not last more than 20 minutes because anything longer than that can be boring even to a dog breed with gentle temperament like the Labrador. Additionally, you also need to ensure that your pet is in good physical shape and mentally prepared for training. Bear in mind that a sick or nervous dog will not learn efficiently so it is better to put off the training for the meantime. Training sessions must also end on a positive note.
Be consistent with training.
Dogs as intelligent as the Labrador can notice and easily get confused when training inconsistencies occur. For example, you used happy and excited tone of voice when you taught him the come command. However, he may consider it a totally different command when you say the said command with an angry or annoyed tone. Simply put, you need to have regular labrador training pattern. Once you have determined what approach works best for your pet, be consistent in using it. It’s also important for family members and anyone who has direct contact with your Lab to be aware and be consistent with the rules.