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inavacuum
01-05-2009, 00:47
Hey guys!

I've got a 14week lab and she is great!! I plan on taking her camping/hiking with me soon. The only commands she knows are sit and no. She is working on stay but she gets unsure when I leave her sight. If she can still see me she will stay as long as I command her to. So basically here I'm asking for advice i training her to heel and lead or follow and other necessary hiking commands.

Cool AT Breeze
01-05-2009, 01:01
Good luck teaching a lab to stay out of water sources.

Wise Old Owl
01-05-2009, 01:13
Don't pass go, don'T collect $200 get your butt down to the library ASAP.

You have just inherited two years of training and you sure as hell better be on top of it. I picked up Rugby at 1 and a half from the pound because the previous owner couldn't hack it. When our family all agreed to help out they quickly abandoned training this lab of mine and I did all the work because they thought it was "too much". Labs take two years to grow up and you need DVD,s BOOKS, and bushels of training treets!

Every night we stood outside with Rugby for 15 -30 minutes working on commands so he would get used to different male and female voices.

Today I have the best dog on earth. - You have no idea how happy I am.

On a side note Rugby doesn't bark inside the house unless he needs to go outside, PM if you want to know how that's occomplished.

Worldwide
01-05-2009, 04:39
Do as Wise Old Owl suggests. If you don't train your dog it will suck for the rest of it's life. Untrained dogs are the worst species of animal alive.

Mags
01-05-2009, 20:29
Crossfit!!!!!

Er..sorry, wrong thread. Move along. Move along...
:sun

Wise Old Owl
01-06-2009, 17:06
http://www.free-dog-training.org/ (http://www.free-dog-training.org/)

Sorry for not replying to your PM sooner as I wanted to give some thought about training this breed.

Just like a child you should limit the dog to one room for several weeks, preferably the kitchen while house training to go outside. There are lots of quick tips on the internet to get the dog house trained.

The biggest issue for us was about two years of setting the teeth. This dog wants to chew everything. After we lost 1 hundred dollar remote, we started using a remote caddy that hides it ( wood box) Regular cheap rawhides (unflavored) were used as a one per day chew to help set the teeth, as soft toy (stuffed) again cheap to allow the dog to destroy it and not important things. It is far better to pick up a destroyed stuffed cat each day than a remote.

We went with a “Pet Safe” invisible fence, I tried a self installed cheaply from the hardware store and there is no comparison. It is not about shocking the dog. It is to teach boundaries, these dogs need lots of room to exercise and need room & property to defecate. My lab goes all the way to the back of the property (one acre) to do his stuff. When he approaches the line he and he alone hears a warning, if he gets closer he gets a mild shock. After so many months they know better and the hair grows every six months and needs to be shaved on the neck or it won’t work. 90 % of the time the noise is plenty. Pet Safe includes a training manual from Triple Crown and I used it for all the other recommendations. If the fence stopped working and it did after a lightening storm it took Rugby two weeks to figure it out, by then the replacement part arrived.

We were able to get DVD training from the library – I highly recommend it because folks that take the time learn so much more than the books.

Remember to Play & Praise, Include all family members.

When Rugby came home from the pound he had lots of bad training issues. Deanna (my wife) and I would go out to the front yard and both would have a very tiny handful of cookies from “Mother Hubbard” Or even cheaper the toasted cheesy curls or fish crackers. (People Snacks) We would separate by twenty feet and take turns saying “RUGBY COME” 15 minutes for each night after work until he got it. We gradually increased the distance between us.

Above all exercise every day for a while, do not use choke collars, and do not walk the dog right over the driveway going out. We jumped into the car and park down the street at a well known dog exercise area. (Big farmer field) As your dog gets bigger and he will, he is going to drag your arm out of its socket, Gentle Leader is a clear winner and comes with a training DVD about you walking the dog not vice versa. I highly recommend it, even an older dog with issues works very well with Gentle Leader.

Rugby has ADD big time! Licks everything, gets distracted, and used to run away. We know his previous owner was Korean and an older man because he would take off in the park to visit older Asian men! (Are you my owner?) Gentle leader fixed that too. Best $20 I ever spent.

Over the course of a year three really big issues had to be addressed.


60 lbs of Barking is bad on the ears, this took about two-three months. First go wash your hands to knock off any food smells. Have the dog in the office or a small room with you while you read or post on the internet with you, (this is good for house breaking too) Each time the dog barks cup your clean hand around the muzzle softly and say one word with force “Quiet” not Be quiet. Wait and if he barks again keep it up if you get a minute break, give a small gravy covered kibble or Cheesy fish. This isn’t going to happen right away takes a lot of patience.


Constant licking ADD dogs, very hard to break; first he is trying to tell you with licking he is subservient. Unfortunately most allergic reactions are directly from enzymes in the saliva. Each time he did it I would say “NO” and hold his mouth closed gently. Now it hasn’t gone away completely, but I can now pet him without him returning with a shower of licks. Austin my son went through five weeks of coughing, sneezing and using his asthma inhaler a lot. Now he has no reactions. In short if you are allergic – get a dog!


Pretend you are the big dog, just before he goes out to do business, cock your head and put your hand to your ear! Say “BARK” and or “WOOF” after a while he will let you know to go out, never ignore him. Don't let him in right away, stand in the window next to the door and do the same thing when he wants to come back in. (you will avoid a $300 doggie door with this one) He will later also figure out to bark when people come to the door (reward it if it happens) very handy. The guides have a whole bunch of stuff about doors and curbs if you want to get into it, I didn’t get that far into it.
You can train old dogs, puppies, you name it. Follow the training guides that are available and above all make it fun for everyone. I even trained Rugby to chase the feral cats off the property as we have lots of bird feeders. In the field he won’t bother a cat, only when he is home. I kid you not I have a safe area set up if the dog misbehaves or makes a mistake, I put him for a five minute time out in a bathroom. After a couple of times he felt safe and he knew he made a mistake. All I have to say is bad boy and he quietly goes to the bathroom and lay’s down on the mat for five minutes. If time out works for kids, it clearly works for dogs as well.

Well that’s enough for now, there’s your starter, this breed takes two years to grow up and with the right commitment you and your family will have a lot of fun together, You have to do the time, a little every day.

Mark

leeki pole
01-07-2009, 12:24
Don't forget crate training. My daughter's Lab (2 years old) goes straight to her crate every morning, without a command when I brush my teeth to get ready for work. Crate training is wonderful for discipline.

Wise Old Owl
01-07-2009, 12:33
I don't know why Leeki Pole, I was never a fan of that... nothing against your post - I understand the dog feels safer, but the lack of excersise and crate that would take up room - oh well.

Pedaling Fool
01-07-2009, 12:37
Watch this on the National Geo. channel http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/dogwhisperer/

Among other things, this should be part of what you do. Cesar Millan knows of what he speaks - he's got a gift.

KG4FAM
01-07-2009, 12:56
I don't know why Leeki Pole, I was never a fan of that... nothing against your post - I understand the dog feels safer, but the lack of excersise and crate that would take up room - oh well.
We put the dog in the crate at night, but let him out to the backyard when we are gone during the day. He gets jumpy at night if we put him to bed late so I think he gets better sleep while he is in the crate. I think its kind of like letting him know that his watch shift is over so he can sleep good.

Wise Old Owl
01-07-2009, 16:07
KG4FAM - that's it, thats why I would not put a Lab in a crate at night. We had an incident here where a neighbor was lurking out front on the property in the dead of night. Rugby barked and called my attention to it, here there was a clear reason to bark, and as I got to the door the guy heard the dog and was leaving the driveway just as the security lights came on. We called the police and they got him at the end of the road.

Hey if its a small dog go for it, a 60-70 pound dog... no not me.

leeki pole
01-07-2009, 16:18
I don't know why Leeki Pole, I was never a fan of that... nothing against your post - I understand the dog feels safer, but the lack of excersise and crate that would take up room - oh well.
No problem, owl....she stays in the crate while I'm at work, I come home and we walk on the back 40 at least four times a day for 30 minutes, and I work her in the pond with retriever training 3 times a week with my other Lab. She sleeps next to me in the bed every night. She likes the crate.

cyclefiend2000
01-07-2009, 17:06
i clicker trained all my dogs... http://www.clickertraining.com/

like mentioned before, now is the perfect time to start whatever type of training you decide to use.

classes are fairly inexpensive and good for socialization as well as training. my current dog did basic obed. when he was about 9-10 wks old and last summer we did a more advanced training class (he was about 2.5 yrs).

i like crate training too. so long as your pup gets plenty of exercise. it helps with house training and keeps him safe and out of trouble when you arent home.

my dog is a lab/husky mix (adopted from teh humane society), and at just over 3 yrs old is as much a puppy as he was at 8 wks.... only better trained! :D