Labrador Retriever Breed Ted Hoff trainer/owner of Cottonwood Ranch and Kennel, near Crawford, Colorado works with the Labrador Retrievers an incredibly athletic breed on land and water.
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The Labrador Retriever is now classified as a sporting dog in the gun-dog class. This dog makes a great family pet, a great guide dog for the blind and a great sporting dog.
The Labrador Retriever comes in three color variations, chocolate, black, and yellow. The current trend is for the Chocolate Lab, however, the Black and Yellow Labs are also popular. The males of this breed are slightly larger than the females. They stand between 22.5 and 24.5 inches tall and weigh between 60 and 75 pounds, and the females stand between 21.5 and 23.5 inches tall and weigh between 55 and 70 pounds.
Many claim that you must wait several years before the Labrador ‘calms down’ and becomes a normal member of the family. With proper training, however, you can have your Lab be a well mannered dog in no time.
Labrador Retrievers are perfect family dogs. Although originally bred for hunting, they are good natured and don’t mind being bossed around. Therefore, they are well-suited for obedience training.
Labrador Retrievers seem to be very loyal and arguably, the smartest breed among canines. Labs are medium-sized dogs that are certainly strong enough to create chaos if untrained. They are extremely playful and oftentimes, too playful for your own comfort.
It is imperative to train your Labrador Retriever to have a pleasant relationship with the canine companion. Here are key tips to consider in training your Lab.
1. Start Young
A Labrador Retriever pup if not trained early will develop bad habits. The older the dog gets the more difficult it will be to alter the behavior.
You should start training the dog on its 8th week after birth. Immediately eradicate behaviors you won’t like your dogs to have later in life. A highly excitable pup that jumps at you is cute but an 18 lb pup can grow up to 80 lbs rather quickly. A full grown 80 lb Labrador Retriever habitually jumping at you is not.
2. Socialize Early
Labradors should learn to cope and connect with other people and dogs. This breed is very social; they like to feel that they are not alone. Socializing them early is essential to its well-being.
3. Be the Top Dog!!!
One should understand that dogs by nature. The Alpha male gets the first, and the best. Everyone else is just subordinates. The Labrador Retriever is no different.
It is extremely important for you to take the lead and be the alpha personality. If you’re able to establish this stance with your Lab, he will acknowledge it just fine. The dog will know its place and it will be its pleasure to be your subordinate. In effect, it will be easier for you to train the canine.
4. Stay Active with Your Lab
As a Labrador Retriever owner, you must recognize the fact that your pet is a hyperactive, over-enthusiastic dog. It is best for Labradors to play and stay active. Do yourself a favor, get off the couch; jog with your dog or play with your animal friend at the park. It is good for the Lab’s psychological health and maybe for you too.
Labrador retrievers love to swim. In fact, they are natural swimmers. Take them swimming as much as possible.
By the way, lazy owners should not have Labradors as pets.
5. Concentrate on Calm Behaviors
Since Labrador Retrievers are very excitable dogs, owners must concentrate in teaching it “calm” behaviors. The best method to train Labs would be utilizing positive reinforcement techniques. This can be a tricky method because owners might give a wrong impression to their dogs by giving too many treats so stick with mostly verbal positive enforcement.
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Black Labrador Retriever Mae demonstrates her hunting skills at Cottonwood Ranch And Kennel near Crawford, Colorado.
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