Bringing a new dog or puppy to your home is all fun and excitement until the thought of making them adjust to your family hits the back of your mind. But certain breeds like Labrador Retrievers may look fierce, but their personality says something different.
Is it hard to train a Labrador Retriever? If you’re a dog lover, you’d know that Labrador Retrievers are popular for being family-friendly and easy to train. Due to their high level of intelligence and trainability, they usually serve as guide and rescue dogs.
Why Are Labrador Retrievers Easy to Train?
As we said that Labrador Retrievers are easy to train; here are all the reasons to back up our claim!
They have a history of obeying commands.
Labrador Retrievers originated from Newfoundland in Canada, where life revolved around fishing. Labs were well suited to the water and worked with fishermen, retrieving nets and ropes and getting in the water to get fish that had slipped back. People also used them for hunting birds in marshes. Such a task required Labs to be highly trained to obey orders effectively.
Working together this way strengthened the bond between these trustworthy dogs and their owners. Studies have shown that this breed’s working status impacted its trainability.
Lab dogs love to please their owners.
Well, this instinct is not only specific to Labrador Retrievers. All dogs love to impress their owners!
Labs are naturally friendly and get along with children and pets. Over the centuries, they have developed their happy, affectionate temperament, making them eager to make their owners happy!
They love food!
Just like every other dog, Labradors are highly motivated by treats! Lab dog training will go faster if they associate training with treats.
With these treats, you can make the training process a lot easier. You won’t have to force your dog into the training. The treats will convince it!
You can discontinue the food eventually but rewarding efforts at the beginning can go a long way!
Why Is My Labrador Retriever Difficult to Train?
While training Labrador Retrievers is very easy, you may find it difficult at some points.
Here are all the reasons why training your Labrador Retriever is becoming difficult.
It’s getting distracted
Labrador puppy training needs to take place in an area where there aren’t many distractions. If a lot is going on around your pup, it’ll find it hard to stay focused on you and will probably get confused. Once you have mastered some commands, you can get your trained Lab to follow them in public areas. That’ll teach it to listen to you even with everything else taking away its attention.
You’re taking things fast
If you start skipping the smaller steps and go straight to the difficult tasks, you won’t get the response you want. It’s better to start with the easier commands and build up with them.
You’re punishing it
Your training method might not be right for your dog. You can try positive reinforcement as it is the most effective way to teach your dog anything. Remember never to punish any bad behaviour because it can confuse your dog.
You changed its food
It’s also possible that diet is the issue here. If it is, you may have noticed changes in your dog’s behaviour in case you’ve changed the brand of dog food you get. You can also check if it’s harder to train your dog when you give certain foods.
It’s not getting enough exercise
Labs are supposed to get at least one hour of exercise daily. They can have a lot of energy without it, and that excess energy can cause them to get distracted easily. If your Labrador retriever seems to be acting this way, try taking it on regular walks.
Labrador Training Tips
While training a Labrador Retriever is easy, it is also necessary to do it the right way. Otherwise, you’ll mess up with your dog’s temperament, and your bond will be affected.
Here are the best tips you need to follow while training your Labrador Retriever.
- All dogs need to be well trained when they are puppies because it gets difficult when they’re older. Adult dogs require some untraining, which means that you’ll have to get rid of their bad habits before teaching them basic commands. You should start your Labrador puppy’s training at about six weeks old.
- Start rewarding your Lab’s positive behaviour. As mentioned earlier, Labradors love food and are known for being hungry all the time, so you won’t have trouble with reward-based training! You can keep some high-quality treats for special occasions. Give it to your pup once in a while when it follows a command. Also, try not to have training sessions after your dog has had a meal when treats might not be motivating enough.
- Negative reinforcement isn’t the way to go. While some dogs can do well with harsh discipline, Labradors don’t fall in that category. They get frightened and confused instead of being obedient.
- If you want to be more precise, you can try clicker training. Make a clicking sound at the exact moment when a certain action takes place, and then reward your Labrador with something yummy.
- Socializing is important if you want a well-behaved lab. Dogs need to be around people and other pets to avoid aggression and behavioural problems. If your dog is aggressive, you won’t be able to train it, no matter what breed you have.
- Everyone in your household needs to use the same commands during your Labrador retriever’s training.
If your Labrador is difficult to train or you’re facing a hard time training because of being a new dog owner, these tips will help you out in the process!
Final Words
All in all, Labrador retrievers are highly trainable, and they love to stay active. Once you’re done with the easy stuff, your Lab will surely want to learn more to stay alert.