Let’s not waste any time!<\/p>\n
How to train your Labrador puppy<\/h2>\n
Its a good idea to look into the different methods and techniques<\/a> that can be used for training a dog before you get started with training your puppy<\/p>\n Modern puppy\u00a0training methods are gentle, \u00a0positive, and very effective, and that’s what your will find on this website.\u00a0Smacking and rolled up newspapers are thankfully a thing of the past!<\/p>\n All our training exercises and instructions come with full explanations of how to achieve the right results.<\/p>\n We train each skill in five stages<\/p>\n This is the part where you get the puppy to do the thing you want over and over again, so that you can reward him. \u00a0The thing you want might be a sit, or a down, or a paw shake. \u00a0It might be that you want your puppy to run towards you<\/p>\n Whatever it is you want, the first stage is to encourage the puppy to do that. \u00a0Sometimes we use food lures to get the behaviour, for example, we can lure a puppy into a sit by moving a food lure backwards over his head.<\/p>\n Sometime we can use the puppy’s natural instincts. \u00a0For example when you run away from a puppy to get him to chase after you.<\/p>\n Rewards are the key<\/strong><\/p>\n Each time the puppy does what we want him to do we give him a nice tasty treat. \u00a0This makes him want to do it again and again.<\/p>\n When a puppy starts doing the thing we want him to do repeatedly, of his own free will, then we have ‘got’ that behaviour. \u00a0When we have ‘got the behaviour’ then we can start to give it a name – \u00a0we call this name a ‘cue’<\/p>\n Here’s the bit where your puppy goes to language classes!<\/p>\n Naming your puppy’s behaviour is important. \u00a0A lot of people think their puppy will automatically know that sit means sit. \u00a0But he won’t<\/p>\n Now you have got him offering you a behaviour you like, you can teach him the human name for that behaviour.<\/p>\n You need to teach him by association. \u00a0It’s kind of a game of pairs.<\/p>\n Playing pairs<\/strong><\/p>\n So you need to pair the action of sitting, with the word sit. \u00a0And to pair the action of running towards you with the word come.<\/p>\n You don’t need to use these exact words by the way – you can make your own up if you want to!<\/p>\n Playing the pairing game is easy.\u00a0\u00a0Each time your puppy sits, you’ll simply say ‘sit’.\u00a0No fuss, no bother, just say the word as his bottom hits the floor.<\/p>\n And next time he runs towards you, you’ll say ‘come’ as he flies into your arms. \u00a0Don’t forget those tasty treats though.<\/p>\n For a more detailed explanation of each of these processes check out the individual training instructions for<\/p>\n Once you’ve played the naming game, you can get to the really fun part. \u00a0You can teach your puppy to respond to your cue word.<\/p>\n This is the part where people used to begin with dog training using traditional methods. \u00a0But of course, because they hadn’t completed the first two stages, their puppies didn’t have a clue what their cue meant.<\/p>\n This meant traditional trainers often had to push and pull their puppies into position. \u00a0Usually while saying the cue word over and over again.<\/p>\n This was quite tough on the puppies as you can imagine.<\/p>\n Sadly, because dog training is not regulated, you can still find trainers like this, teaching puppies by dragging them about and barking instructions at them. \u00a0I don’t need to tell you that these trainers are best avoided.<\/p>\n No pushing and pulling<\/strong><\/p>\n Nowadays, we get the puppy paying attention to us, which is easy because he associates us with games and rewards, and we say our cue word and wait for him to respond.<\/p>\n If he doesn’t do it the first time, we give him some encouragement – lure him into a sit for example, or run away from him to get him coming towards us, and then reward him as usual.<\/p>\n It doesn’t take long for the puppy to respond to our cues, because he already knows what they mean. \u00a0You won’t need to push him into a sit, or drag him towards you.<\/p>\n Of course, we don’t give him the cues when he \u00a0is distracted, that is what stage 4 is all about.<\/p>\n Proofing is just a fancy word to getting it right no matter what. \u00a0A proofed sit is one that your dog will do anywhere, \u00a0at the school gates, when visitors arrive, on a bus, in front of other dogs, and so on.<\/p>\n There is a lot of information about proofing on this website<\/a>, simply because proofing is both the longest and the most important part of the dog training process<\/p>\n Most people cope well with stage five. \u00a0The fact is, once you’ve completed stage four, it’s pretty much downhill all the way.<\/p>\n Maintaining your training means observing your dog and rehearsing good behaviours that have got a bit sloppy.<\/p>\n It means taking the time to have a few refresher sessions occasionally for those skills that need brushing up. \u00a0And remembering to keep rewarding your dog from time to time.<\/p>\n You can do that standing on your head.<\/p>\n Training your\u00a0 puppy can be challenging at times, but it is an important part of puppy care and management.\u00a0Good behaviour is also a key\u00a0‘safety feature’ where a large and relatively powerful dog is concerned.<\/p>\n When you look at your adorable eight week old puppy, it may seem hard to believe he could ever harm anyone, but he won’t be small for long.<\/p>\n A full grown Labrador\u00a0can easily knock a person over or drag them along on the end of a lead. \u00a0Or cause a serious accident if he were to stray onto a road.<\/p>\n So it’s worth spending some time finding out how to go about the important task of educating your pup, and bringing him up to be a gentle and obedient adult.<\/p>\n For safety’s sake, the minimum any Labrador puppy should learn is how to sit and to wait calmly to be stroked or fed,\u00a0 and how to walk nicely next to his owner on a lead.<\/p>\n Many people separate dog training, in their mind, into tricks versus ‘real’ training. \u00a0In fact, everything you teach your dog is in a sense a ‘trick’. \u00a0 And all tricks are a valuable form of training.<\/p>\n You may well benefit by teaching some tricks to your puppy before getting on to the serious stuff.<\/p>\n This is because you are less likely to feel pressured to succeed with trick training, and therefore more likely to keep training fun and to speed up the learning process for your dog.<\/p>\n Trick training also teaches you<\/em> to be a better trainer, by improving your skill and timing with practice.<\/p>\n With modern training methods, which are largely force-free, \u00a0training can begin at a very early age.<\/p>\n The secret to successful early training lies in keeping the whole process stress free and cheerful.<\/p>\n Your puppy should have no idea he is being trained, and he will enjoy his training sessions as if they were games. \u00a0So, provided you teach your puppy using modern, positive reinforcement training techniques, you can start from day one.<\/p>\n If you are not sure what constitutes modern training, or positive reinforcement training, visit our sister site Totally Dog Training for more information and advice.<\/p>\n You will find lots of information on puppy training right here in our training<\/a> and puppy<\/a> sections.<\/p>\n Check out our popular Recall Training Centre<\/a> to help you get this important skill underway, \u00a0and find out how to get your puppy walking nicely next to you with our Clicker Heel<\/a> article<\/p>\n You will also find information lots more information on other aspects of puppy care in our labrador puppies section.<\/p>\n One article you may find particularly helpful is \u00a0:\u00a0 \u2018How to train a puppy to sit<\/a>\u2019\u00a0\u00a0 To make sure you don\u2019t miss any of our other articles,\u00a0 you can request free email updates<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you’d like loads more training assistance, don’t miss my new book, due to be released in September 2015<\/p>\n The Labrador Handbook looks at all aspects of your Labradors life, through daily care and training at each stage of their life.<\/p>\nFive stages<\/h2>\n
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#1Get<\/em> the behaviour<\/h2>\n
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#2 Pair<\/em> it with a name!<\/h2>\n
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#3 Teach<\/em> the response to the cue<\/h2>\n
# 4 Proof<\/em> the response we just taught the puppy<\/h2>\n
#5 Maintain<\/em> your training for the long term<\/h2>\n
Big dogs and safety<\/h2>\n
What to teach<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Most importantly we need to train a puppy to come back reliably when he is called. \u00a0But this serious stuff is not the only way to get involved with educating your dog.<\/p>\nTricks versus serious training<\/h2>\n
When to teach<\/h2>\n
More information<\/h2>\n
More information<\/h2>\n
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\nCheck out our Labrador Puppies and Training\u00a0sections<\/a> for more help and advice on life with your new puppy.<\/p>\n