How to Train a Lab Puppy: Making the Task Simple?
Labrador retrievers make great family dogs and besides, they’re super-cute! If you choose to get a lab as a puppy, be prepared to train it so it can become a productive member of your family. It’s a lot easier than you think despite the fact that they’re so small and full of energy.
Learning how to train a lab puppy is also easy, and once it’s trained, it’ll be well-behaved and a lot more fun to have in your life.
How to Train a Lab Puppy?
Training a lab puppy is a lot like training other breeds, which means you’ll need to be patient, consistent, use positive reinforcement instead of punishment, and take your time the entire time you’re training.
In this article, we’re going to go over some specifics regarding training your lab puppy without adding too much stress to your life.
1. Always Stick to a Schedule
When training a lab puppy, you have to first develop a training schedule and then commit to sticking to it for as long as the training lasts. Training doesn’t happen overnight, and different dogs respond differently to different training methods.
If you know your dog’s personality and have already created a bond with them, it will be much easier to decide which method is right for you.
One of the most important things to remember is to start while your dog is very young – preferably no older than 8-12 weeks of age. It isn’t that you can’t train a lab if it’s older than around three months of age, but it will take longer and it’ll be more of a challenge all the way around. If you can, use a calendar and write down when your training sessions will take place so you don’t forget.
Keep Short Time When the Beginning
When you start the training, always keep the sessions short, preferably around 10-15 minutes long and no longer. Puppies tend to have short attention spans, and it’s easy to lose their attention if you train for any longer than that.
If you train for 10 or 15 minutes at a time, you can always train two or three times per day to make the most out of the sessions.
In fact, it’s a much better idea to train often and for short periods of time than it is to train for longer periods of time less frequently. Puppies get bored easily, and by training for short periods of time, your puppy will simply remain interested for a lot longer.
Finally, you always want to use positive reinforcement when training instead of punishment. In practical terms, this means to offer treats every time the dog does something right. Of course, it can be something more than a treat if you like because some dogs prefer toys or other fun items instead of something to eat. Whatever works for your dog, that’s what you should use for positive reinforcement.
It’s also better if you use a specific treat or toy just for training purposes. It should be something other than what the dog gets at other times throughout the day. This will make it easier for the training to be successful.
2. Always Start With Basic Commands
There are different types of training for puppies, including basic commands, obedience commands, and training to alter any trouble behavior they might be having. “Sit” should be the first skill to teach your dog, and remember to make sure it has mastered one command before you move onto another one. In other words, always teach it one command at a time so as not to confuse your dog.
Stay, lay down, and heel are other good commands to teach your lab puppy, but there are many others as well. Some people also eventually crate-train their puppy in order to get it used to staying out of trouble while the pet parents are away.
If you decide to do this, go slowly and gradually increase the amount of time you keep the puppy in the crate. You certainly don’t want to keep it in there for a long time the first time it finds itself inside of the crate.
You should also teach your puppy how to fetch because this will make going to the park a whole lot more fun. And remember that part of training your puppy is to train it how to avoid bad behavior, such as chewing on everything it can get its mouth and paws on!
3. Potty-Training Your Dog
Of course, house-training a puppy is a must, but keep in mind that accidents are going to happen, especially in the beginning. Using a puppy pad and moving the pad a little bit closer to the door each day is a good way to start. Once the pad is at the door, take it (and the dog) outside, then take away the pad completely when it’s used to going on the pad.
Until your puppy is a few months old, it will need to go potty about every two hours because its bladder is very small. That time will be extended eventually, but it’ll always have to potty frequently throughout the day to avoid accidents. Once again, you’ll want to reward your puppy with treats or toys every time it successfully uses the potty, especially once it starts going outdoors.
You should also clean up any messes thoroughly so the dog doesn’t smell any urine or feces in your home. If this happens, the dog may try to potty where those smells are located, and this isn’t good. A thorough cleaning of the accident spot is the best and only way to stop this from happening. And remember that potty-training must start when your puppy is very young.
House-training is a basic skill that most puppies learn quickly, especially if you’re patient with your dog.
Conclusion
Training a lab puppy doesn’t have to be difficult. Consistency and patience are a must, but remember that training sessions should be short, fun, and frequent in order to be effective.
This way, you won’t lose the puppy’s attention and you can train it in a way that it’s more likely to learn the right behavior.
