Dog Training Tips for Labs

According to the American Kennel Club, in 2009, the Labrador retriever was the most popular purebred dog in the U.S. Labrador retrievers are active, friendly dogs and make excellent family pets, explaining their long-running popularity. However, Labs are also large dogs and can be rambunctious, so training is essential to having a well-behaved pet.

  1. Start Young

    • Remember that Labs are big dogs. What is cute in a puppy may be terrifying or destructive in a full-grown dog.

      Some Labs can reach adult weight in as little as 6 to 7 months, so start your dog's training while he's young, before he becomes hard to handle. Start training your puppy as soon as you bring her home. Keep the sessions short and positive and remember that no puppy is born knowing how to fit into human society--it's up to you to show him.

      Likewise, try to imagine your puppy's behaviors when she is fully grown. While the excited bundle of fur jumping at your legs when you come in the door is cute when your Lab is small, it will become less cute when your dog weighs 80 pounds. Teach good behavior to your puppy with his eventual size in mind.

    Be Positive

    • Positive reinforcement is a term from psychology that refers to anything that causes a particular behavior to be performed more often. While it's tempting to see everything that your Lab is doing wrong--chewing the furniture, having accidents on the rug, jumping on guests--it's more effective to see what your puppy is doing right and reward that behavior so that it occurs more often.

      Labs love to please, making them relatively easy to train and frequent contenders at obedience trials. When your puppy chews her toy instead of your shoe, reward her. When your Lab makes a mistake, show him the correct behavior and praise him when he does it. He will quickly learn that the correct behavior will earn him what he craves most: attention and praise.

    Be Consistent

    • Sit down with other members of your family and decide what you all consider acceptable behavior for your Lab. Will she be allowed on the couch? Is it okay for him to retrieve socks and slippers? Everyone should agree and consistently enforce the rules. Rules that are enforced inconsistently will confuse your dog. Furthermore, Labs are smart dogs. They will learn what they can get away with and with whom, and you may soon end up with a behavior problem on your hands if you don't all play by the same rules.

    Choose Good Rewards

    • Forget fatty snacks--ten minutes with a tennis ball is just as rewarding for your Lab.

      Positive reinforcement works great, but what makes a good reward? People often think first of treats, but Labs are prone to obesity as well as orthopedic problems that may be worsened by too much weight, so you should be careful in using food too heavily as a reward.

      Instead, capitalize on what your dog loves naturally. Labs love to please their people, so frequent and exuberant praise is an excellent reward when you catch her being good. They also have a high prey drive, are active and playful, so ten minutes of fetch with a tennis ball is the perfect reward for a training session well done.